The Brita faucet filter does an excellent job of filtering out impurities from tap water -- that is, when it manages to stay attached to the faucet. However, in my experience with it (two years and two different models), a tremendous amount of my valuable time was wasted trying to reattach the filter after it would repeatedly fall off. Although I have no direct experience with the Pur faucet filter, my understanding (drawn from other reviews) is that it suffers from the same problem.
Happily, after purchasing the CULLIGAN Faucet Filter several months ago, I can now report with confidence that it is plagued by no such similar defect. In other words, once attached, it remains firmly in place, and works every bit as effectively as rival brands. So for anyone who has tried those other brands and encountered endless frustration in endeavoring to keep them attached to the faucet, my advice is: Don't give up just yet! Try the Culligan model. It's solidly built, competitively priced, and replacement cartridges are readily available from Amazon. For me, at least, the Culligan at last put an end to the gratuitous, time-wasting burden of having to continually reattach a recalcitrant water filter.
At first, I did experience what a few of the other reviewers mentioned: after a short while the filter didn't appear to have any affect on the taste of the water.
The problem, I discovered, is that if you run the water through the filter too quickly (by opening up the tap all the way) the charcoal filter just can't do its job. As a rule of thumb, only allow enough flow through the filter so that it takes about 10-15 seconds to fill up a glass of water, and you'll have great tasting water. So, if you have high water pressure, make sure you don't open of the faucet all the way when filling a glass. There's just no way a filter as small as this can do its job properly at the max flow rate of most faucets. You really need a large in-line filter for that.
Note that this only applies to the filter's odor and taste removal properties, because this involves a chemical reaction of sorts where activated charcoal pulls chlorine (and other chemical) out of the water by binding to them. This is a completely different mechanism than what you normally associate with filtering, such as particles being caught in a mesh (which is essentially how the rest of the filter works in these, and so it's really only the odor and taste that is affected by the rate at which you let water through the Cullgan).
Buy one at a time, and not too far in advance. Filter works well, but Culligan only warrants for 30 days from date of purchase. If you buy several (as I did) and one is defective (spurting water all over kitchen!), no real way to obtain a replacement.
I wanted a simple but effective economical water filter for my apartment. I did considerable research (including purchasers of various products at Amazon) and at Consumers Reports as well as various internet sites. What appeared to be the best solution for me was a filter that attached to the tap. Simple to attach and effective water filtration. I've been using the Culligan FM-15RA level 3 filter for over a year now and besides being economical it is easy to install and to replace filters (every few months). Since purchasing, we had our water professionally checked for chlorine, bacteria and contaminents (metals etc) and it came through with fjying colors. We are very pleased with the unit.
Finally, after wasting a couple of hundred dollars in Pur products, I moved to Culligan and have not been disappointed. It DOES NOT LEAK, the filter life is twice as long, and is much easier to replace.To top it, the subscribe & save pricing of amazon is amazin !
I was researching water purifiers and was most interested in the Culligan, until I noticed that the filter is made of polypropylene, which is itself a suspected health hazard ( liver and respiratory). I would recommend reading more from the Environmental Working Group or other scientific literature readily found online before purchasing something that may pose its own risks while protecting from other contaminants. I don't know if there are safer alternatives (still looking), and maybe this is the same for other brands, but thought this is worth mentioning.
We have water with strong chlorine taste, these filters take that away well. It's easy to install, cheap, and surprisingly high quality!!! We also use them for longer than the recommended 2 months, it still filters it just gets slow.
I have no experience with the Pur system, but I did switch to this Culligan faucet filter from Brita. I had switched after my 3rd Brita mount had broken. My Culligan filter does a nice job, the water taste is definitely improved. I do want to remind people that you will not get the higher level of filtering you do with the slower pitcher filters...but this is very convenient. My pets and plants also get the benefits of fewer toxins in their water. They have not mentioned if they prefer the taste.
Replacing the filter just takes a couple of simple twists. I do miss the indicator light on my Brita, but I have put my Culligan filters on auto ship to make it easy to remember when I need to pop the new one in. - Replacement Water Filters - Culligan - Water Filter - Culligan Water Filters'
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