Wasted $80 on a 'lifetime' water filter that lasted 3 months

Bought this fancy countertop filter from a brand I saw all over social media. They promised it would handle my hard water and last forever with just a rinse. Three months in the flow slowed to a trickle and the water started tasting like plastic. Called customer support and they said the filter core was shot and replacements cost $45 each. I should have just stuck with my old Brita pitcher. Anyone else fall for these expensive filter scams?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimreed1mo ago

I bought a similar system two years ago for $120 and had the exact same problem. The sales pitch was all about how it would save money over time compared to buying filters. After three months the flow dropped off and I got that weird plastic taste too. I finally went back to a simple countertop pitcher from Pur and I replace the filter every two months for under $10. The expensive ones look nice but they just aren't built to last with hard water. My advice is to buy a water hardness test strip for a few bucks and match your filter to your actual water chemistry.

hollyg591mo ago

Does rinsing the new filter first help at all with that taste issue?

grant.sam4d ago

Wonder if the hard water thing is really the main culprit or if cheap plastic parts just leach into the water regardless of what kind of water you have. I mean I've got pretty soft water here and I still got that same nasty taste with a new filter once. Did you actually try rinsing it really well before you gave up or was it just bad from day one? Id feel kinda dumb if the solution was something that simple but I also think some of these systems just use subpar materials and no amount of rinsing will fix it.