Best Water Filter? Brita, ZeroWater, PUR, Berkey, Aquaphor, AquaTrue 

I like the balls on the company that included a TDS meter with their product. Now that's a power game I need to use.

Zero Water and AuquaTru stock just went up in my book that’s for sure. Another amazing video for sure.

Pro tip Zero Water filters are still better than most other filters even when they go bad. Also you can use the old filter to do a first run for water and put it through a fresh zero water filter and that will improve the lifespan of the new filter.

I actually bought the Zerowater based off amazon reviews and wanted to see how good it was and man am I happy that I got it over anything else after seeing how it compares from your tests. As always, exceptional testing and you are doing us a huge service with your content. On behalf of all your viewers, we thank you.

Great work as usual! ZeroWater's results are impressive considering the low cost. Don't be surprised if you see a black tinted SUV parked in front of your house after a few of the water filtration companies see this video. LOL

Water filter companies didn't even know they were at risk of being exposed by Project Farm. No manufacturer of any product is safe now. Awesome work man. Congrats on 2M subs. 🤘🏻

That was one of the best test ideas. The way you went about testing them is something none of them would ever have allowed their company to perform publicly, except for Zero Water and Aqua True. Great job putting up relevant content.

My 40 cup zero water dispenser is awesome. I even water my plants with the water and they’ve never been healthier and NO residue in the pots. Of course we drink it and cook with it. Not sure why folks say the filters are expensive because I only have to change my filters every 3-4 months with heavy use. I test every week so I know it’s working. I appreciate you breaking down the science for us. Thank you 😊

Well, I bet that by the end of the week ZeroWater is going to wondering why their sales are booming! Great job, I've always wondered which filter was the best at filtering.

No Company is safe anymore! ... LOL

I have been watching other Videos testing water filtration and YOU Project Farm are so far ahead of all the others BY a COUNTRY MILE. You are doing great work and providing valuable information. Great Job.

Man I’m moving out on my own for the first time in my life and that comes with a lot of added stress. I drink a LOT of water so I knew I needed a convenient and good water filtration system. I can’t thank you enough for taking one of the added stresses away from me with this video. I would always watch your tools testing videos and knew the quality you put out. so you can understand my excitement when I saw this video pop up on my search. Keep up the awesome work!!

When Sawyer said they filter 100,000 gallons, I expected you to say “we’re going to test that!”

Congratulations on 2M ! Well deserved

The amount of value provided in the video was phenomenal, thank you.

PF you are the BEST Tester of products ..thank you for helping us make good decisions on products out there

This is my field of expertise, so I might be able to clear things up a little. - TDS should not to be considered a measure to determine filter performance, unless the filter is designed only to do that specifically (as the RO or Zero filter). TDS only states how much ionic compounds are dissolved in water, some of which (e.g. Calcium and Magnesium) are actually desirable for taste. - Life straws (either UF membranes or ceramic NF elements) will not withhold dissolved solids, but will retain bacteria, something the other filters will be hopeless at. - The technology of the zero filter is called "mixed bed ion exchange", and a active carbon fleece in as retaining net and chlorine reduction. It will remove all dissolved solids, but has the downside of having a terrible capacity (lifetime is very short). - You can have very good heavy metal reduction and scale protection with cation ion exchange, but you will not reduce TDS. Water will taste slightly saltier. - You can have scale protection and good taste with a little more complex anion decarbonization resins (TDS will still remain the same). - Both a Zero filter and an RO should not be used for bacterial removal: use the life straw for that (or just boil it!). - Gravity fed filters are unfortunately generally a growing ground for bacteria. - Not all activated carbon is born equal; It generally has little influence on TDS, but is great at removing chlorine and complex organic or inorganic molecules. some are specifically cationic active and can remove heavy metals very well. Indeed to test filters properly you are going to need several thousand $ in equipment, the important thing is to select the correct filter for the correct application.

Best zero water commercial i ever seen..i m buying it, lol

Thank you for showing actual results. Berkey fans might hate this, but most independent testing shows that berkey's do very little and after a month you might as well just drink right from a well. I'm content with my Zero Water, just wish they made a big canister like some of the berkey ones.

Subbed after this one video. If all your videos have this type of straight to the point style, no bs filler, that's amazing and unique. Also it values the watchers' time. Thanks for the clarity and detail provided. I hate to say it, but I actually bought a ZeroWater today after seeing this and then doing some of my own research. My tap water has Arsenic, and we don't drink it unless I run out of my spring water that I get from a local source which is filtered by the town. Now I can use this ZeroFilter as an in-between if I don't want to take a trip to the spring.

Could certainly include a microbial test condition! Survival filters, ie Sawyer and life straw are more designed for microbes than contaminates. I'm a microbiologist, if you want some ideas for tests feel free to let me know! Great vid as always!

This type of unbiased testing and information is, in my opinion, what the internet was made for. These videos are always excellent and informative. Coupled with listening to feedback from the community makes this channel a real gem. Thank you for your work Project Farm!

I've been using ZeroWater for years. The water tastes great! And when Newark NJ had their water crisis four years ago, the company stepped up with free filters. Nice touch.

ZeroWater uses a layer of carbon to remove chlorine, then the rest is just ion exchange resin that captures every contaminant that comes in contact with it. Ion exchange resin is used at the end of some Reverse Osmosis systems to de-ionize the water leave it 100% pure for lab use, or for salt water aquarium top off systems or before they mix the salt in.

You should pour the 0 water into the other filters to see what the filter adds

The LifeStraw, Survivor and Sawyer really aren't intended to take dissolved solids out of water, and as you mention, dissolved solids are actually not generally harmful. They're backpacking/survival tools and are intended for taking out pathogens - bacteria and parasites. I don't know how you'd test for that, unless you have a source of water that contains giardia or something similar and can have a lab analyze the output.

I was looking around for a water filter and was unsure of what to get. Having seen a multitude of other videos on your channel, I knew you were a reliable source of information. You've saved me a ton of time and money and for that I thank you. 😁

Yesssss every time I need to make a decision, this guy already has a video out there to help me feel like I got a good deal! From weed eaters to water filters, my man!

As an RVer I've been waiting for this test. I'm sure I'll have to wait for the Zerowater to be restocked at the store now... You may be saving people's health with this video - Thank You!

Would love to see surge protectors on this channel sometime assuming it can be done safely. Love the content

Free advertisement for ZeroWater. I was about to get a Britta at walmart, but I was looking at some videos and I am glad I saw this one. thank you!

I first watched this video a few months ago. I purchased a Zero system and am completely pleased with the results. I run about 1 and 1/2 gallon through my Zero per day, and after 3 months the water still tests at 0.00 ppm. My old system needed a filter change every few weeks.

Zerowater did an amazing work, especially considering it's price. However, I read some reviews complain about the lifetime of the filter is very short, which make sense considering it removes all the solid in the water. Another amazing review!!

I remember requesting this video months ago and you actually made it! Thank you so much!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. Plz never stop posting these. I Sooooo trust your approach. Can't tell you how mucy I value the results of your efforts. Outstanding work to help me make my decisions.

Basically, if you want pure distilled water - use ZeroWater; if you want just the nasty stuff gone but leave the mineral content - Aquafor; AquaTru is like ZeroWater for rich kids, and it also holds higher volumes if you need to have more purified water at the ready; everything else is either a compromise for the sake of portability (survival-style kits) or just not as good.

Never a disappointment EVER. I freaken love this channel. Also...the videos are just getting better and better. Perfectly executed

I’ve been using the ZeroWater for years. They won me over with the tester. Shows you how bad your water is and when you need to replace the filter. Best company out there. My ferrets love it too.

I Love your videos! they are the best!!!! I love your rating criteria and your testing conditions! Such a great Channel!

"Filters up to 100,000 gallons" , I'm glad that wasn't followed by "we're going to test that" One of my favorite RU-vid channels.

I watched this video, then went and bought a ZeroWater off Amazon. It was amazing. After living in southern FL for the better part of a decade I'd given up on getting good tasting water out of the tap. This product is amazing. I really appreciate your scientific method and standardized testing plans. Thumbs up and you've got my subscription.

I can't thank you enough for this and many other videos you have made that puts brands against each other to the test. I've used you several times before making purchases.

I very much appreciate that you did this for those of us that are unable. Thank you for your time comparing these and making it easy to choose a good water filter system. ❤

I’d love to see air purifiers put to the test. Several smart ones like the Sensibo pure have high claims but I want to see them tested

So glad you did a water purifier test. I would love to see an air purifier test soon. I'm especially curious about which ones are best at filtering allergens and mold spores! :)

Always love these evaluations. Fast and effective comparisons.

thank you so much! This is the best review I've ever seen with important info and tests against leading brands. Very helpful and technically informative.

We live on a small island with no mains water supply, so every house has it's own well or spring. The place we're renting while renovating a 250 year old watermill has an unlined bore and the water quality can be very poor - we can only drink bottled water. Britta filters did nothing for us, removed a tiny bit of smell but thats it. That being said, TDS isnt a very good measure for testing in my opinion, since you need some dissolved minerals to survive - many filters will have media in them to add those essential elements back in, after the carbon and other filter media has stripped them out. Having 0TDS is not good for your health, if that is your only source of water. I really liked the test strips, and have ordered some to play with, it will be interesting to compare our unlined bore hole here with the fully lined modern bore hole over at the mill, while we're waiting for government testing of the water. Overall a great video, but I don't think the test methodology was as robust as your typical tests (which i'm fine with, you be an expert at everything!) I still learned some new stuff, and had fun watching!

It is very strange that a normal nonRO filter system (ZeroWater) could outperform an RO system (AquaTru) in terms of removing ions, so I did some research online. It seems that ZeroWater is built to remove ions from water using "Ion-exchange resin", which is dedicated for removing ions and usually used as a post processing step for RO system to further refine the purity. ZeroWater does not have RO filter and apply the ion-exchange resin directly. This indeed could result in better TDS values comparing with RO system without ion-exchange resin, however, doing so will drastically reduce the life-span of the filter as the resin is designed for water already has low ion level. Also, because ion-exchange resin does not filter water through physical pores in the filter like RO filter, it could not remove non-ion contaminations from water, such as microbe or organic (carbon-based) contaminants. This makes the "0 TDS" claim more like a marketing strategy as TDS only indicates a portion of possible contaminants in water ignoring many things that are also important like chlorine level, bacterial level, and even added sugar or alcohol in water. For zerowater, combination of different filter components like active carbon could remove many common contaminants and odors but I doubt whether it could achieve the same level of effectiveness over time comparing with an RO system. As its name indicate, while ion-exchange resin removes ions from water, it exchanges the stored H+ and OH- ions (components of water) in the resin with the to be removed ions (so H+ OH- being released to water, bad ions trapped on resin). The H+ OH- storage could be depleted fairly quickly if there are a lot of ions to be removed from water. In fact, on zerowater's website, it claims that each filter can only filter 15-25 gallons of 200-300 TDS water (the tap water used in this video). As comparison, RO systems use tiny pores (1000nm), and virus(>10nm), to allow only water and very low amount of ions to pass through. According to aquatru's website, their RO filter could last two years or 1200 gallons water, which is 30x longer than the zerowater's filter (40 gallons at best). If you are filtering water a lot and try to get as much contaminants removed as possible, I believe the RO system should be both more effectiveness and even cheaper considering the filter cost. If you really want to get the most purified water in home, probably an RO system with ion-exchange resin is the best option. Even distill water is not that pure considering some evaporative contaminants like chlorine are difficult to remove by the distillation process. For this video, I suggest a follow-up video on the measurement of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) for each water sample to get a better idea on the amount of organic contaminants in water.

You are my go to site for testing products....you earn your money,thank you for being so good !

Always enjoy watching your videos! Very thorough and helpful 👌

"Filters up to 100,000 gallons!" *standing under water tower* "We're gonna test that!"

Thanks for cutting the filters apart at the end. I was curious how the Zero Water was doing so well compared to the more expensive options. Once you cut it open it was clear- the Zero Water uses DI resins to filter the water. This will do a great job at removing just about any impurity from the water, but it will probably deplete itself pretty quickly. DI resins are also more expensive than carbon blocks (generally) so it would be interesting to see the gallons treated per $ spent on the filter. This would be a longer term project which probably wouldnt make for good RU-vid though...Entertaining video!

Thank you so much Project Farm! I just bought a Zero Water filter, and really enjoying the water so much.

Glad to see the Aquatru do so well. I've been looking at picking up the carafe version of it to remove the plastic pitcher from the equation.

Been here since the beginning still can't believe how thorough you are with your videos. Keep up the amazing work my friend

The problem with that "TDS" meter is that it's just an ohmmeter with a different scale. The "dissolved solids" means salts, the kind of things that people pay big money to have dissolved in water when they're called "electrolytes" (they're what plants crave, you know). Other non-ionic compounds affect conductivity a lot less, and that simple "TDS" meter can't tell the difference between beneficial salts and molecules, detrimental salts and molecules and biological material. So we're really in the dark about what each filter does. Offhand I'd say that zero conductivity is _not_ a good sign because you want to have at least some mineral salts in drinking water. But it's more a question of what kind than how much.

Love the objective, detailed and comprehensive tests that this guy runs!

This was my first projecfarm video. Very impressed!

One thing important to keep in mind, some of the brands are only designed to remove contaminates that make you sick. Sawyer for example is a backpacking filter designed to filter lakes, rivers, and stream viruses and protozoa. True water works great if you want essentially distilled water.

I remember when this was like a tool channel, i love how far these tests have come. Keep it up farmer

Thanks so much for this test. It's concise but I know it took a lot of your time. Much appreciated.

love your comparisons, thank you so much for what you do!!

It would be nice to have seen a breakdown of the cost per gallon of filtered water over the declared life of the filters. I believe the Berkey claims 3,000 gallons per each filter and ZeroWater claims 30 to 50 gallons per filter. There is a big cost difference there for price per gallon.

I remember seeing TV ads about the Zero Water filter. I can’t believe that filter works better than the insanely expensive reverse osmosis filter. Thank you Project Farm for being the unbiased tester to find out if the claims hold up!

Since you didn't mention Berkey in the description, I was going to recommend it, but while watching you actually did test it. Thanks!

So much research and work went into this! Respect sir!

I love my zero water filter, but the filter are expensive, and produce an off flavor when the filter starts to be used up

I absolutely love that you also tested that in-line garden hose filter, I use that for my honey bee oasis :) Thank you for all of your well-planned and executed tests.

Man you are a total lifesaver thanks for doing this thorough test

Great video! Love the fact that you you present the fact only and allow us to make our own decisions. Great idea cutting the filter open and le us see what is in side 👍.

I feel like ZeroWater is about to get a huge sales surge after this video lol, great video as always. In a similar note, i wonder how the sink faucet attachment filters compare to these pitcher ones?

ZeroWater:"We remove everything!" Me:"Pff... Sure.." ZeroWater: *removes everything* Me: *Surprised Pikachu face*

This was a hugely informative video, thank you so much for posting this sort of content! Very much appreciated.

Great Review. Well Done. Very Thorough and Informative. Thank You for taking the time to make this video.

Yay! I did my research right! I purchased the Aquafor and Zero Water systems waaaaay before I saw this video! Thanks, keep it coming!

As someone who already owned a ZeroWater, I am very happy to see how well their claims hold up. A great video.

I like this channel a lot, and most of the conclusions of this video still are likely to be useful, but I see important problems: - The Sawyer and Lifestraw are meant to filter bacteria, not minerals or other impurities. The type of filtration is completely different, and their inclusion in the comparison doesn't make sense. This is my main issue with the video. - The TDS measure doesn't seem too relevant to me either, as several filters use ion-exchange resins, so they will purify your water, without necessarily affecting the ionic strength (they substitute an 'undesirable' ion for a "desirable" or "neutral" one). (edited for clarity)

Great video! I really appreciate your research and opening the filters.

I was looking to buy one of these today so I looked them up thinking "project farm should do a video on water filters" and here it is! Thanks man 👍

The ion exchange beads for the ZeroWater will get used up really fast when used this way, the beads change color when they are spent, a few more tests and it looks like you would need a new filter. Ion exchange is typically used after going through a reverse osmosis filter, which typically want a carbon filter before that, and probably a particle filter before the carbon filter, normal people can stop at the reverse osmosis stage, the ion exchange step is usually for lab grade water, NurdRage has a pretty good video on setting up a lab grade water supply, as well as a video on regenerating ion exchange beads.

I would like to see a paint sprayer comparison, there are so many options for DIY paint sprayers. Excellent job, as always!

Already have a small Lifestraw. Will now buy a Zerowater for the camper. Thank you.

This is why your channel is one of my favorites. Thank you so much for sharing this.

It would be really cool if you can figure out a way to evaluate how well these filters deal with biological impurities like bacteria, protozoa and cysts. Some of them appear to be designed specifically for that, rather than for mineral removal, so it might be unfair to evaluate them on just mineral removal.

It would be very interesting to see how the name brand refrigerator cartridge filters compare to these stand-alone water filters. We have been using the "genuine" Samsung water filters in our Samsung refrigerator for about 4 years now. The Samsung filters seem to work well, and the water and ice taste great (unlike the straight tap water where we live). The Samsung filters are NSF 42, 53 & 401 rated, and last around 300 gallons or 6 months. The cost to replace the "genuine" Samsung filters is around $50. Maybe an idea for water filter comparison video part 2?

I use a Brita kettle and I also noticed that the TDS does not change. This is the best review ever. Thanks a lot for the beautiful display of all the filters. Perfect test.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for testing these and posting this video! You rock! I subscribed!

Interesting Sunday morning I got here, my wife's water broke this morning so I'm chilling watching this while we wait. Also happy labor day y'all.

I decided I’d try out the Zerowater after watching your video and I’m throughly satisfied with the product. Thank you very much for keeping your video strictly factual and less about your personal bias. Thank you, Sir!

I bought the zero water pitcher based on your review. And it's good to its word of zero dissolved solids. I now use that water for ice trays, because the filter from the fridge that is used in the icemaker, actually tests worse than right out of the tap. Not sure how that's possible, but yeah, this does what it says. Well done on the review.

Thank you. You were very informative. I loved that you gave us all the details right down to the nitty-gritty.

My two cents worth: 1. Red dye typically has the smallest particle size hence the most difficult to filter. 2. A lot of cases, people use Coke to show its effectiveness too. I once invested in a water filer company which is similar in performance with ZeroWater. We developed the product with the aspiration to Help the poorest countries with limited/ no access to clean running water. Our filter came at $4 per unit and the proposal went to most of the multilateral agencies. Yet, they were only interested in products which were produced in their main sponsor countries. We were planning to give the production to each countries... BTW, the biggest issue re water in the world is microbial contamination and arsenic poisoning. Ours cleared the arsenic to undetectable level, I am wondering how ZeroWater would perform against arsenic.

The zero water was really impressive! Would have been nice to include a test for chlorine.

This video is a Godsend. Excellent work!

This was one of your best comparisons for me as I was still looking for a water filter for my RV. Thanks for the information.

We as consumers appreciate your hard work and dedication. I sure hope your channel keeps growing. Thank you good sir.

Well done on 2 million subs. Watched you from the beginning. The videos have got smoother over the years but your attention to detail and unbiased attitude has remained constant. You deserve the success because you have been impartial and never bought by any company although I imagine they try.

Thank you for the well done video. I've been shopping around for 1 of these and this video def helped.

Thank you! That was very informative. The examples provided were great.