Review: ZeroWater 12 Cup 2.8L Ready-Read Jug

 

I received this water dispenser (it can be a jug but I feel it's primarily a dispenser unlike the other ZeroWater jug I reviewed which was more, well, jug-like) in exchange for an honest review, so that's what I'm doing. The appeal of ZeroWater is that it reduces not so nice particles in water down to zero. As someone who lives in a hard water area and has both two beautiful guinea pigs and two handsome zebra finches who need as little rubbish in their water as possible, as well as trying to keep my trusty kettle low on limescale, a water filter system is a necessity. I currently use a Brita Maxtra Plus slim line jug for my purified water needs.

In the box for this ZeroWater Jug is the jug itself, instructions, 1 filter plus the handy device that tells you how much gunk is in your water (dissolved solids). You can find out all the technical details on the ZeroWater UK site. Basically it filters out all the rubbish leaving you with super pure water. I know it may sound unbelievable but it really does work! 

 The dispenser is easy to put together once you work out how to take it apart to get at the filter parts. Unlike Brita it doesn't need a zillion rinse throughs (ok 2 or 3) to get it to work properly. Just remove the top and pop in (I don't think there was another step). First I tested the tap water. 

As you can see the reading for gunk was 303 which sounds quite high. Next up I tested my mid-cycle faithful Brita jug (which I bought myself so not sponsored). 

With a reading of 152 it's better than tap water for sure, which is good to know. Finally I tried the water that I put in the ZeroWater 12 Cup Dispenser. 

Yes it really read Zero. It's not a trick, it comes out exactly as advertised.Now I do like the dispenser as although the tap mechanism sometimes feels a bit flimsy it is easy to use, and can be used as a jug if preferred. I did have to adjust my fridge shelves to fit it in (love cold water), obviously it can be left on the counter if preferred. It looks really nice but I do need the extra shelf that I had to remove so for me I won't use this dispenser regularly. 

Time to talk cost of filters. Somehow I'd misread the cost so thought it was more expensive than I thought. I'm not sure how long one filter will last me: a Brita Maxtra Plus filter lasts me 2 months or more. I can get 6 BMP for around £22 on Amazon. ZeroWater filters are £19.99 direct from the site or £18.99 on Amazon. They may be cheaper elsewhere. It does get cheaper the more you buy with the 2 pack costing around £29, and the 3 pack costing around £43.

If I had a bigger fridge I might seriously consider using my ZeroWater Dispenser full time as it is conveniant, and lets face it, having zero solids in the water sounds much more appealing than the current one hundred and something floating about in my Brita filter. It all depends on how long a ZeroWater filter would last me, which I don't know and due to space issues I probably won't. I do recommend it for those who care about what's in their water. I do care but I have weak hands my slimline Brita filter is easier for me to manage on a daily basis. 

I do feel ZeroWater is the superior filter on the market, I'd be interested to see how long it stays zero. I feel that unfortunately those in the USA get a better deal as if they input their ZeroWater readings they can get further discount on new filters. I am thankful to try another item in the ZeroWater range and will be recommending them to friends and family (Let's not go into why I really like the US style coupon system which seems kinder to consumer than some non-existant UK systems)

Read my review on the ZeroWater 12 Cup water Jug here.

Zero Water 12 Cup Water Jug Vs Brita Maxtra Plus Water Jug

My Brita Maxtra + vs ZeroWater 12cup

Information 

Recently I had the opportunity to review a Zero Water water filter jug. I am happily a Brita water filter jug user: while my water does taste ok, I am in a hard water area with a lot of calcium which is not good for my guinea pigs, so I use a Brita Maxtra Plus jug filter. It took an age to figure out a jug that would fit in my fridge because I need it to be lightweight as I have weak hands and I like cold water (I let it warm on the counter before giving to my piggies and birds).Despite loving Brita I have been intrigued by Zero Water systems. Zero Water focuses on removing particles in the water. So when the chance came to review a Zero Water jug I took it! Will I change from Brita to Zero Water? Let's take a look, but first here is some info taken from the email by Marc Parker who compiled the info about the benefits of filtered water (he is the one who offered the jug for review). 

TDS meter was elsewhere but is included for free

ZeroWater reduces 99.6% of all total dissolved solids in your drinking water. It delivers the purest tasting water in minutes. ZeroWater removes much more from tap water than other leading filter brands in the UK. ZeroWater removes 97% of lead, 96% of mercury, 95% of chlorine, and even 97% of asbestos which is often displaced from old and aging water pipes. ZeroWater removes almost twice as much from tap water than other leading brands.

...

ZeroWater gets better results due to a 5-stage filter, most filters only have 2-stage. ZeroWater patented technology ensures that you can save money on buying bottled water and ensure your tap water is pure. The 12-Cup ZeroWater comes with a free TDS Reader (Total Dissolved Solids). Some areas of the UK have readings of more than 300. When water is filtered through the ZeroWater filter it will score 0, Meaning you can enjoy great-tasting pure water at home.

 

As you can see ZeroWater has a lot going for it. The UK site has 11 types of jugs available, from small to large, plus filters and a filter subscription service which can save up to 15%, although is probably more for those who use their ZeroWater jug a lot.

 

The ZeroWater 12 cup Jug
I received this beautiful and extremely large 12 cup ZeroWater jug. 

 

I love that it has a tap on one side, which has to be pushed in to use and does not drip. 

This is useful as this particular jug is too heavy for me even with just a small amount of water in. 

Preparing the ZeroWater jug for use

Time to get into the water filter itself! Unlike Brita water filters which require several filling and emptyings of the water to get the filter system working, ZeroWater does not need all that. The filter top is taken off. 

Filter with the top on

Then it is screwed into place in the jug filter - the instructions note to not drop it in from the top but screw in from the bottom of the filter part otherwise it won't create a proper seal.

It is easy to see how it screws in

  I simply put some water in and was ready to go! I did a quick taste test and honestly the water tasted fine. So in that respects I prefer ZeroWater to Brita.

TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) Tests

 

 

Next I used the TDS tester to check water levels for all 3 types of water. First was my normal tap water. 

 

The reading was 266 which I expected it to be high. Let's see how the Brita filter that is a good 2 weeks into using the current filter is. 

Brita read 066 which is a massive reduction and I was really happy about. Finally time for the ZeroWater reading! 

And I got 012! The instruction say to get zero make sure the cup is really clean: my cups are clean but the tester probably had remains of the previous two waters and honestly even 012 is really good if not quite zero. 

The Verdict

Getting rid of various elements in water does sound like a good idea as who knows what is in our tap water. ZeroWater does remove the most solids for sure, and does have smaller jugs which would be easier for me to use. However, while I did not do an exact calculation on filter costs, the ZeroWater filters are significantly more expensive than Brita water filters. I do not know exactly how long a ZeroWater filter will last - I would need to keep testing the water over time until it stopped filtering as well. Even if it lasted 1 or 2 months, it still is expensive to replace compared to Brita (which while I have name brand filters for now I will be switching to even cheaper off brand filters). 

 

If price of the filters isn't an issue then yes I absolutely would switch to ZeroWater. But as someone who can't work due to health issues money is less than for most people and I will happily stick with my Brita. I will either use ZeroWater for my animals or I will give the jug to my family to try to see if they like it. I am thankful that I received a sample of ZeroWater to try for review and happily will recommend it to family and friends if they want to get a water filter. 

Find  out more about ZeroWater filter systems on ZeroWaterUK