Both the Pelican and Aquasana whole-house filter systems use a four stage filter to create reliably pure water for every faucet and appliance. Like almost all in-line filters, they begin with a pre-screen to capture larger particles and sediments that could damage the rest of the filter. Here, the Aquasana has a clear advantage, being able to remove particles down to 1 micron in sizes, versus 5 microns for the Pelican.

Sticking with the Aquasana, stage two consists of a carbon block filtering, which is made with a highly dense construction able to reduce levels of out lead, cysts, PFOA/PFOS, chlorine, and other organic contaminants. Despite the fact that two of the Pelican’s stages are also carbon-based filters, it can’t match the OptimH2O is this area, instead focusing on organic chemicals only.

The final filtering stages in the Aquasana whole house filter are a water conditioner and a UV filter, which help to ensure that water is soft and bacteria-free. While the Pelican also includes an antimicrobial copper and zinc KDF layer, it again falls behind the Aquasana in terms of filtering technology.

Both the Aquasana OptimH2O and the Pelican PC600 offer an impressive user experience, but in different ways. While the Aquasana is highly accessible and idiot-friendly, with its LED indicators to show flow rate and remaining filter life, the Pelican focuses on longevity, reducing the amount of time you need to spend tinkering with your system.

In this aspect, the Pelican is a clear winner. While both modes are available in different configurations and capacity sizes, the Pelican comes out on top, with higher capacity per filter, and a faster flow rate, meaning that you won’t see as much of a drop in performance after installation.

Those who’ve already invested in the Pelican immediately noticed a difference in all kinds of applications, from more pleasant showering to scale-free scale appliances. This is thanks to the Pelican’s ability to remove 97% Chlorine up to 1.301mil gallons.

Thanks to the effectiveness of each of it’s filtering stages, the Aquasana has been tested and certified by the IAPMO to reduce more lead than any other whole house filter available—which, considering that lead pipes remain in place across large swathes of the US, is a pretty big deal. Its UV filter is also able to sterilize 99.99% of pathogens and microorganisms, including cryptosporidium and giardia.

Due to its less intensive filtering stages, the Pelican PC600 just can’t match the Aquasana for contaminant removal. However, not every household requires such extensive filter technology. For those who are only looking to rid their supply of sediment, chlorine, organic chemicals, and trace heavy metals, the pelican will more than suffice.

With Pur and Brita’s pitcher filters taking the top two spots in our full filter review, it’s no secret that we’re big fans of both products. The truth is that each of these pitchers is well worth your money, and their slight differences generally equal out when you consider the whole picture.

But, if we had to choose one, we’d go with Brita LongLast 10-Cup. Although it does have a slightly smaller capacity than the Pur Ultimate, and we found the lack of an LED cartridge life indicator annoying, we also think that it offers the best long-term cost efficiency of any pitcher filter, without sacrificing filter performance.

That said, we’d probably shift our recommendation to the Pur Ultimate 11-Cup if we were considering a pitcher filter for non-average tap water. If you have specific filtering needs, especially for removing cysts, then go with Pur, even though it may cost you slightly more in the long term.

Need to combine the Aquasana or Pelican water softener with other filter stages? Check out the Best Whole House Water Filters for Well Water for complete drinking water protection.

Aquasana’s water conditioner, the Rhino, is also known as the eq-1000, so consider this section an Aquasana eq-1000 review as well as a look at the Rhino. This NSF certified system is able to remove over 97% of chlorine from water, as well as a significant amount of hard-water causing minerals. As a result, it’s been awarded the Gold Standard of water filtration, meaning that Aquasana once again tops the table when it comes to filtering power.

The Rhino/eq-1000 uses a Scale Control Media instead of salt to soften water, which alters the structure of hard mineral ions to prevent them from binding to appliances and causing limescale buildup. The big advantage of this mechanism is that it doesn’t demineralize water, meaning you can have the best of both worlds, enjoying the taste of freshwater while preserving the lifespan of your appliances.

As for the Pelican, it also opts for a salt-free approach, using their own Natursoft® technology to vary the number of minerals in water as well as reducing the water surface tension. Similar to Aquasana’s Rhino, the mechanism works by attracting excess dissolved minerals and binding them to crystal structures on the filter media.

While we think that any Aquasana eq-1000 review needs to point out that, with a 1,000,00 gallon capacity and a 7 gallon per-minute flow rate, the vast majority of customers won’t be disappointed with this product’s value for money. Aquasana has designed this system to work for years, calculated at 10 years of normal usage for most homes.

However, when it comes to user experience, the Pelican takes it for us. Not only does it match the Aquasana’s capacity; it offers a significantly better flow rate, at 10 gallons per minute. The Smart Combo also includes a wireless connectivity feature, providing automated, on-hand instructions and troubleshooting whenever you’re performing maintenance on your system.

When it comes to filtering technology, a review of the Aquasana eq-1000 and Pelican (Pentair) Smart Combo shows that both systems use similar, salt-free methods, with comparable results. We like how Aquasana makes it easy to set up their Rhino system with multiple configurations and add-ons, creating a truly comprehensive whole house filter.

However, the slower flow rate compared to the Pelican may be too slow for some, which leads us to recommend the Pelican Smart Combo for an effective, cost-efficient water conditioner.

Bathrooms are often neglected in the world of water filtering. While people focus on achieving purer drinking water, they forget that those same irritating chemicals such as chlorine and chloramine are hitting your skin every time you step into the shower. Thankfully, both Aquasana and Pelican have shower head filters capable of turning the hardest of water into a moisturizing, spa-level experience.