Welcome to Clean Cool Water – the place where you will find all the information you need to find the best faucet water filter. Providing you and your family with clean, contaminant-free water is one of the best things you can do for your health.
Humans are made up of about 75% water and shouldn’t the water that you’re putting into your body be as clean and pure as possible?
On this website you will find the latest reviews, water filter test results, useful information on water filters, water contaminants, replacement filters and learn the benefits of using faucet water filter.
We go over each of the top faucet filters on the market and test them to see what makes them so good. Do they really clean your water? Some people are skeptical but here you’ll learn the truth about faucets filters.
Faucet Water Filter Reviews – Top 10 Picks of 2018
Let’s take a closer look at some of the best faucet water filters currently on the market in 2018. If you don’t have the time to go through all of the reviews that have been assembled, here are the top picks based on hundreds of consumer reviews. If you would like more detailed information please feel free to read the full reviews.
Faucet water filters are similar to shower filters. They both attach directly to the faucet and the water is filtered immediately. This instant filtration technique is a bit different than all other filtration methods and has benefits and drawbacks. In this guide we look at all of the pros and cons.
Culligan FM-25 Faucet Mount Filter Review
Rated 9.5 out of 10 by cleancoolwater.com
The Culligan FM-25 has a very sleek design and is the best faucet water filter on our list. It filters 200 gallons and unlike most filters is made entirely of metal, with no plastic components.
This filter specializes in chlorine removal and Culligan uses a similar activated carbon based filter as PUT but has a longer filter life.
Contaminant Removal: NSF Rated to remove 42 contaminants. Removes bad taste and odor from tap water as well as chlorine taste & odor.
Filtration Speed: Very Fast – Very fast flow rate, however the quicker the water comes out the sooner you need to replace the filter.
Water Quality: Excellent – Great clean tasting water.
Installation, Maintenance and Operating Cost: Reasonably priced, the design is great with a smaller unit than most. The metal connectors fit securely on the faucet to prevent leaking better than plastic connectors.
Filter Capacity: 200 Gallons
Pros: Smaller design than most models, which means it takes up less sink space. Automatic On/OFF feature. High quality metal components. 200 Gallons of water filtered per filter.
Cons: Many reports of leaks after several months of use.
Kabter Healthy Faucet Water Filter Review
Rated 9.1 out of 10 by cleancoolwater.com
Second on the list is a filter you may have never heard of. The Kabeter uses the KDF55 Filter Medium to remove things in your water that most filters will not, such as sediments.
The design is very modern and affordable and has very inexpensive replacement filters.
Contaminant Removal: NSF Rated to remove 42 contaminants – Removes Chlorine, Heavy Metal, Bacteria and Iron. The KDF55 Filter Medium also kills bacteria and inhibits the growth of scale, lime, mold, and fungi.
Filtration Speed: Fast – Water simply passes thourgh the KDF55 filter medium, removing most harmful contamanats instantly.
Water Quality: Excellent – Filtered water through KDF has a unique flavor and most people including myself enjoy it very much.
Installation, Maintenance and Operating Cost: More expensive than most filter due to the high cost of the filter medium.
Filter Capacity: 200 Gallons
Pros: The filter removes 99.99% of chlorine and heavy metals. Small sleek design. High quality metal components. 200 Gallons of water filtered per filter.
Cons: Expensive replacement filters and may not last 200 gallons if your water has a lot of heavy metals and chlorine.
PUR PFM400H Facuet Water Filter
Rated 8.3 out of 10 by cleancoolwater.com
The PUR PFM400H features several different styles and includes a Bluetooth monitoring system to check your felts life and how much water you’re consuming. It uses the new MAXION Filter technology to remove over 70 known contaminants.
Contaminant Removal: NSF Rated to remove 72 contaminants – Uses activated charcoal filter to remove 99% of lead, 96% of mercury and 92% of pesticides.
Filtration Speed: The flow speed is average. It uses the 3-Stage PUR filter which can take longer to purify your water.
Water Quality: Excellent – Filtered water through KDF has a unique flavor and most people including myself enjoy it very much.
Installation, Maintenance and Operating Cost: Less expensive than most filters and one of the most popular PUR filters on the market.
Filter Capacity: 100 Gallons
Pros: The filter removes heavy metals wells but chlorine not so much.
Cons: 100 Gallons per filter. Large bulky design was the biggest complaint. Also, prone to leaking after several months of use.
PUR FM-2000B Classic Vertical Water Filter Review
Rated 8.2 out of 10 by cleancoolwater.com
Similar to the PUR 3-stage Advanced, the Black PUR FM-2008 uses the same 3-stage filtration technique. Included with this model is a LED indicator which tells you when it’s time to replace the filter.
If you want the least expensive PUR model then then is your best option. The design is great and seems to be an improvement on most other PUR filter housings. A lot of work has been put into the new 3 stage PUR filter it does the job of removing contaminants very well.
Contaminant Removal: PUR makes the claim that this filter removes 99% of contaminants 97% of chlorine and lead.
Filtration Speed: Slow – The same filtration speed as other PUR filters because it has the same filter.
Water Quality: Excellent – Most people love the taste of the water and this new 3 stage filter delivers.
Installation, Maintenance and Operating Cost: All of the PUR filters are known for their quick and easy installation. The replacement filters are very inexpensive and has a very low operating cost.
Filter Capacity: 200 – 250 Gallons
Pros: This is the most inexpensive of all PUR filters, so if you’re looking to give PUR a try then this is a good option. The filters do their job of removing about 96%+ of contaminants and most people like the taste of the water.
Cons: The slow water flow makes this filter prone to leaking. The PUR 3-stage requires a slower water flow and if you turn up the pressure on your faucet then the water will leak. Therefore, you need to pour the water slowly from your faucet when using the PUR 3-Stage filters.
DuPont WFFM350XCH Electric Metered 200-Gallon Review
Rated 7.8 out of 10 by cleancoolwater.com
The DuPont has a high tech electronic display that most people find useless but is pretty cool nonetheless. It tells you how many gallons of water you’ve filtered but has a tendency of malfunctioning,
The filter used by DuPont is high quality and dupont is known for making very expensive reverse osmosis filters, so they know what they’re doing. The microban filter adds a unique flavor to your water and removes harmful bacteria and organisms. This filter is designed to remove pesticides and smaller bacteria, rather than chlorine.
Contaminant Removal: Rated NSF 53, which is the standard for removing about 90% of harmful bacteria in your tap water.
Filtration Speed: Very Fast – One of the best qualities of this filter is the speed.
Water Quality: Very good – No big complaints about the taste of the water and most have said the water tastes much better.
Installation, Maintenance and Operating Cost: Very easy to install and change the filters.
Filter Capacity: 200 Gallons
Pros: A futuristic design with a digital display and it actually does a good job of filtering water quickly. The filter life is longer than most at about 3 months and has very fast water flow. The water taste and quality is about average, as far as filters go.
Cons: The usually complaint is leaking and the other complaint is that this one is overpriced. This is due to the high-tech digital sensor that measures your water flow. If you want something cheaper then you will find a filter for half the price that’s just as good but looks the digital readout capability.
InstaPure Faucet Mount Water Filter Review
Rated 7.8 out of 10 by cleancoolwater.com
The Instapure water filters come in a variety of shapes and sizes but all of them use the same filter. Ideal for improving the taste of your water, while at the same time removing harmful chemicals, the Instapure is a good alternative to the popular faucet filters.
This filter is ideal for removing microorganisms such as pesticides and herbacisdes. The filter design is a little different than most other filters and is mainly composed of activated charcoal. This is not the best option for removing chlorine from water but it will work to remove some but not all.
Contaminant Removal: It has the NSF certification with a score of 53, which is the standard.
Filtration Speed: Not many complaints about the filter speed, so like all faucet water filters it’s fast.
Water Quality: Excellent – There are some very good reviews about the quality of the water and the majority of people use it just to make their tap water taste better.
Installation, Maintenance and Operating Cost: It comes with a variety of rubber adapters to fit the majority of home faucets and is very easy to install.
Filter Capacity: 200 Gallons
Pros: With a faster than average flow rater and sleek design, the instapure is a favorite for many. The water comes out with a great flavor anf the replacement filters are less expensive than the majority of filters out there.
Cons: There have been complaints about the slow water flow. The water flow depends on how much you want your water to be filtered. If the water comes out very fast, then it’s probably not being fully filtered, so keep that in mind.
PUR 3-Stage Advanced Faucet Water Filter
Rated 7.2 out of 10 by cleancoolwater.com
The PUR 3-Stage has many of the same features as all PUR water filters. They use the same replacement water filter, so they only thing you really to look at is the design and whether or not it will leak or not. The PUR 3-stage is one of the best PUR filters on the market for the money and does not leak as much as the others.
Contaminant Removal: NSF Rated to remove 42 contaminants – PUR Uses the same new 3-Stage MineralClear Filter for all of their faucet water filters.
Filtration Speed: PUR filters tend to filter water slower than others becuase it goes through three stages.
Water Quality: Great – some people say that they can taste the charcoal but I can’t I have drank water filtered completely in activated charcoal and it doesn’t have much flavor.
Installation, Maintenance and Operating Cost: Easy to set up but comes with plastic connectors. You can order new ones on the PUR website.
Filter Capacity: 100 Gallons
Pros: Nice looking design. Inexpensive to replace filters.
Cons: 100 Gallons per filter. Prone to leaking, like all PUR models.
Brita Basic On Tap Faucet Water Filter Review
Rated 7.2 out of 10 by cleancoolwater.com
The Brita basic is one of the most popular faucet water filters on the market but that doesn’t mean it’s one of the best.
For years people have associated the Brita name with clean water but they have not built up much of a reputation for their faucet water filter models.
Contaminant Removal: NSF Rated to remove 27 contaminants – Removes lead, asbestos, benzene, styrene, toluene, chlorine and more.
Filtration Speed: Slower water flow than most filters.
Water Quality: Excellent. Most people love the taste of the water from the Brita filter.
Installation, Maintenance and Operating Cost: Easy to set up but difficult to secure to the faucet which may end up in leaking.
Filter Capacity: 50-100 Gallons
Pros: Minimal design. Good price and cheap replacement filters.
Cons: Very prone to leaking, with nearly 50% of people who review this unit say that it leaks after several months and it’s time to replace it.
Aqua Elegante Advanced Review
Rated 8.8 out of 10 by cleancoolwater.com
The other complaint is leaking. This is usually due to the fact that people crank the water to full and the filter can’t process all the water in time, so it has no choice but to overflow or leak.
The Aqua Elegante is one of the best faucet water filters for removing chlorine and sediment from your tap water. Similar to the Kabter filter, it uses KDF55, which is designed to trap chlorine, mercury, lead, arsenic and all other heavy metals that can get into your tap water.
Unlike most filters currently on the market, this one also includes calcium sulfite along with the KDF filter medium, which has been proven to work rather well in shower filters and faucet filters for removing a wide variety of heavy metals and other sulfides.
Contaminant Removal: Several independent tests have been done and show that this filter removes about 90%+ of contaminants.
Filtration Speed: Very Fast – With a speed of 2L / Minute, this is almost as fast as water comes out of your faucet.
Water Quality: Very good – No big complaints about the taste of the water and most have said the water tastes much better.
Installation, Maintenance and Operating Cost: Installation is very easy and only takes a few minutes.
Filter Capacity: 200 Gallons
Pros: A very sleek chrome design with a high water capacity. One filter will last about 4 months. This filter is designed primarily to remove chlorine and sediment from your water using KDF filter media and activated charcoal.
Cons: Several people have had problems with it not fitting properly on their faucet. When this happens it will be prone to leaking. There have not been many complaints about the taste of the water, or the ability to remove contaminants.
IREALIST Faucet Water Filter Review
Rated 6.2 out of 10 by cleancoolwater.com
Irealist isn’t known for making water filters. They are known for taking popular Chinese products from China and selling them in the USA and this is one of the most popular faucet water filters in China.
Contaminant Removal: While there is no official claim, the combination of KDF, activated charcoal and the maifan stone will do an excellent job of removing 99% of harmful bacteria and contaminants.
Filtration Speed: Very Fast – The larger filter media allows water to pass through quickly.
Water Quality: Excellent – Most people don’t like the flavor of the KDF filter media but the addition of the maifan stone adds a unique flavor to this water.
Installation, Maintenance and Operating Cost: Like all other faucet filters this one is easy to install but I couldn’t locate a replacement filter for it, they may add this later or perhaps I just couldn’t find it.
Filter Capacity: 400 Gallons
Pros: One of the only filters on the market to feature the Maifan Stone which is a great way to add some extra vitamins and minerals to your water. Very popular filter in China and can filter a lot of water before having to be replaced.
Cons: Still a relatively new filter and hasn’t had many reviews. The brand is not known for making water filters but for selling Chinese products and this seems to be a rebranded Chinese filter which has been popular in China, so it’s up to you if you want to give it a try.
Choosing The Best Faucet Water Filter
In the list to the right, we cover what you need to look for in the best water filter for faucets and what not to look for. Different styles of water filters offer different features. It’s important to know what you should expect in your water filter.
1. Contaminant Removal
The main reason to use a faucet water filter is to remove the contaminants that are in your tap water without removing the beneficial vitamin and minerals.
Impurities in your household water can lead to serious long term and short term health problems.
Most faucet water filters remove anywhere from 40 to 60 contaminants and the best faucet water filter on the market will remove around 75 contaminants.
For your brain to work at its peak performance with the rest of your body, they small waterways in your body must be properly hydrated and contaminant free.
Chemicals that get into the tap water can have destructive effects on your body and especially on the bodies of your children. Chemicals such as fluoride and chlorine are shown in numerous studies to have harmful effects.
A filter medium such as KDF55, which is found in the Kabter Healthy Faucet Water Filter, removes 99.9% of chlorine, fluoride and heavy metals.
Many studies have shown that the water that comes out of your tap contains harmful chemicals and pollutants that may be linked to obesity, heart disease, hormone changes and more.
There may also be heavy metals like lead that can accumulate in your tap water. When harmful bacteria gets into your water, they can breed and spread into your plumbing system. It won’t be long before they make it to your bathroom or kitchen faucet.
2. Filtration Speed
The best thing about faucet filters is that they filter water FAST! However, the faster the water flows through a filter, the less contaminants it removes.
Many water filters have a very slow filtration rate and may leak if the water pressure is too high. In fact this is one of the most common mistakes most people make when using their faucet water filter.
The flow speed will wary depending on your filter. Generally the faster the water comes out of the filter, the less time it has spent being filtered and the more contaminants will be in the water.
Most filters will also slow down as it reaches the end of its life, which means it’s time to replace it.
3. Water Quality
Removing all of the unwanted contaminants is the main purpose of a filter. The next biggest thing to look for is how does the water taste. Many people complain about the water tasting “different” than usual.
Each brand of filter will have a unique taste of water and in the reviews you can find filters that have different flavors of water.
If a filter does produce a foul odor or odd taste, this can be prevented or easily corrected by running water through your filter for several minutes.
After a while, your body will get used to the new taste of the water and you won’t be able to notice much of a taste after a few days.
4. Installation, Maintenance and Operating Cost
Fortunately, faucet water filters are very inexpensive and it might not do the same type of job as the more expensive whole house water filter but it will help out a lot in filtering your tap water.
The price of the water filter is determined by how many gallons of water it will filter before being replaced. How many stages are in the filter, filtration rate, storage capacity and brand name.
The best thing about faucet water filters is that they are low-priced, last a long time, require little maintenance and they attach right onto your sink. They also give you the option to switch between filtered and unfiltered water.
When you wash dishes or use water for some other purpose other than drinking you can quickly turn the filter function off. When you want to filter your water for drinking, you easily switch it on.
Comparing Faucet Water Filters
What makes this particular style of filtration better than most other techniques is the ability to filter water whenever you want by simply flipping a switch on the water filer.
A good faucet water filter will provide your family with healthy, clean drinking water that they require to perform better.
Conventional purification techniques used by local water municipalities, such as adding chemicals like chlorine and fluoride to the water will harm you much more than they will help.
One of the most inexpensive methods of purifying water for a long time has been to add chlorine to it. While this may clean the water by removing the impurities and dangerous bacteria, it also takes out the essential vitamins your body needs such as Vitamin E and other important fatty acids.
Designed specifically to remove larger contaminants such as chlorine and pesticides, the faucet water filters can filter water very quickly. Unlike their counterparts, the more expensive and more thorough filters which tend to remove much more contaminants.
What are the limitations?
If you’re a water connoisseur then you want your water to be as pure as possible.
There are several different ways you can filter your water.
You can use a water filter pitcher, which requires you to pour water into the pitcher and the water slowly drips into the container. There are pros and cons to each style of water filtration method. The limitations of this method is the hassle of having to always have the pitcher full of water and it is rather bulky and may not fit in your refrigerator.
Faucet water filters simply require you to flip the switch on the unit and then you get filtered water. This makes it easy to choose if you want filtered or unfiltered water. They act in a very similar water to a shower filter, in that they attach directly to the faucet.
The majority of other water filters, such as water filter pitchers or reverse osmosis filtration, need much more time to filter the water. This extra time means that you’re removing more bacteria and chemicals from the water.
Tips for using your faucet water filter
- Make sure the connection to your faucet is VERY secure to prevent leaks.
- Run water through the filter for 5-10 minutes before drinking it for the first time.
- Replace your filter after the recommended amount of water has been used (100 – 200 Gallons).
- Try to keep the water pressure lower when using the filter to prevent leaks.
- You can also use the faucet water filter along with a water filter pitcher to get your water extra purified.
Now you know how to buy the best faucet water filter
After reviewing nearly every Faucet Water Filter on the market in 2018, there is no clear winner.
Check out each of our faucet water filter reviews to see the benefits of each. The big name brand models have many mixed reviews and while some claim that it works perfectly for 1 year, the next person will say that it breaks in one month.
The best way to improve the life of your water filter is to not filter your water too quickly.
Don’t turn the water to maximum on your faucet when you want it to be filtered. If the water pressure is too high the water will get backed up in the unit and it will get damaged. This is the most common mistake people make.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Are the Replacement Filters?
Be sure to check out how much the replacement cartridges cost before selecting a filter.
Many times a Faucet Water Filter may only cost a few bucks and then the replacement cartridges cost an arm and a leg.
That’s why you should look to see how long the filters last and how much they cost.
It may be wiser to purchase a filter that costs more upfront but has cheaper replacement cartridges.
When Do you Change the Filter?
Many of the new modern filters come with a LED indicator that will tell you when it’s time to replace the filter. While you may wish to avoid filters that require the cartridges to be replaced often, replacing them will ensure that you are drinking water that is as clean as possible.
To make sure your faucet mount water filter functions at peak performance, you need to take care and maintain it. Be sure to read all the details for each filter. Purchasing the wrong one can be a pain and you will regret it. So, it’s better to do a little research and save a lot of money and hassle in the long run.
What Is NSF Certification?
The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) certifies water filters and lets you know how many contaminants are removed.
For example you may see on the label that a certain filter has NSF 53. This means that 53 contaminants have been removed. You should aim for the highest number possible when looking for the best faucet water filter.
Most faucet water filters remove anywhere from 40 to 75 contaminants, while some of the more high-end Under Sink Water Filters will remove more.
Also, the more contaminants your filter is removing, the more often you’re going to have to replace the filter.