Compare Water Filter Pitchers: Brita, PUR, Clear2o or ZeroWater?

We will focus here on Brita, PUR, Clear2o, and ZeroWater water filter pitchers as these brands are among the most popular among Amazon buyers. One good feature of all these pitchers is that they fit in the door of most modern regular size refrigerators. However, the various brands and types come in different sizes. Brita provides the largest choice of sizes. Here is a summary of the most popular water filter pitcher models with their dimensions:

Pitcher Type------------------Dimensions------------Contains
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Brita Slim-------------------- 10.6"x9.1"x4.2"-------- 5x8oz glasses
Brita Classic---------------- 7.1"x 7.1"x 9.7" ------- 6x8oz glasses
Brita Marina---------------- 8.2"x 6.5"x 11"--------- 8x8oz glasses
Brita Vintage--------------- 9.1"x 7.2"x 11"--------- 10x8oz glasses
PUR CR-6000C------------ 11.4"x 10.9"x 4.9"------ 7x8oz glasses
ZeroWater ZD-001------- 11"x11"x15"-------------- 8x8oz glasses
Clear2o CWS100AW----- 11.4"x 6.7"x11"---------- 9x8oz glasses

When you compare water filter pitchers, you will find that all of these pitchers come with a filter change indicator which tells you when to change your filter. All of them except Clear2o are filled from the top of the pitcher. Clear2o comes with a small hose that is used to attach it to the faucet. You will find below a description of each of the 5 brands, and further down a comparison with respect to features such as filtering capacity, water taste, convenience,etc.

Brita has a large line of pitchers, in various shapes and sizes. Thanks to their slim and compact design, the Brita water filter pitchers can be stored in refrigerator doors. But despite their compact size, the various Brita pitchers can hold from 40 to 80 fluid ounces of water, the equivalent of five to ten 8-ounce glasses. Their sleek design makes for effortless transport, refilling, and pouring.
The pitcher's ion exchange resin filter removes impurities such as lead, copper, mercury, cadmium, and zinc, reducing their potentially harmful effects. The sponge-like filtration system also reduces the taste and odor of chlorine. The end result is clean, better tasting and healthier water. Note that the filters should be changed every 40 gallons or two months and are not intended for use with micro-biologically unsafe water.

The PUR CR water filter pitchers feature a compact design that easily fits in most refrigerator doors. Yet, they can hold up to seven 8-ounce glasses of water at a time. The two-stage filtration system can remove 99.9% of harmful microbiological cysts as well as other contaminates, such as lead, chloride, and arsenic. In addition, pharmaceutical residue often found in the water supplies of major metropolitan areas is reduced by 96%. An indicator light alerts you when it's time to change the filter with green meaning still OK, yellow meaning a warning, and red meaning that a filter change is needed.
The PUR CR-5000 model also allows you to give your water a boost of fruity flavor, which is a great way to get children to drink enough water. There are 5 flavors offered: grape, strawberry, peach, lemon, and raspberry. The flavor cartridge of your choice fits easily into the pitcher lid. With the push of a button, flavor is added to your water glass, leaving the water in the pitcher unflavored. One push is enough to flavor one 8-ounce glass of water. The more you push, the more flavor you get! And you can change flavors as often as you wish. Each flavor cartridge provides up to 75 servings of flavor and contains no sugar, calories, or dyes. When you compare water filter pitchers, you will find that this is a feature not provided by most other brands.

This is also a compact design pitcher that can store neatly right in your refrigerator door and can hold eight 8-ounce glasses of water. But thanks to an innovative five-stage filtration process, the ZeroWater pitcher offers somewhat more complete water filtration than ordinary carbon filters. In addition, with this filtering pitcher you don't have to accept purity claims at face value. You can literally test your water yourself with the included meter and watch as the zeros come together to ensure that you're getting the best-tasting water possible. Powered by two easy-to-replace 1.5-volt button cell batteries, this meter also indicates the status of the filter so you know exactly when a filter change is required. For added convenience, a handy dispenser at the bottom of the pitcher's handle allows you to access water without removing the pitcher from the fridge. When you compare water filter pitchers, you will find that this is a feature not provided by most other brands.

The Clear2o water filter pitchers can contain 72 ounces of water (the equivalent of nine 8-ounce glasses). They are compact enough to fit into most regular size refrigerators. They offer one key advantage over other pitchers. They are fast! Rather than pour water into the pitcher and wait for it to pass through the filter, the Clear2o comes with a hose that you attach to your faucet that allows it to fill much quicker (about 35 seconds). Installation of he hose is pretty straightforward. You have to remove the aerator from the faucet and replace it with an adapter that comes with the pitcher. The hose which is attached to the pitcher clicks then easily onto the adapter. Finally, the pitcher's Block Carbon Filter, is NSF-certified to reduce most dangerous contaminants found in our normal tap water.

When you compare water filter pitchers, first note that all of the above listed pitchers provide adequate filtering and improves the water quality and taste. If price is your main concern, then go ahead and choose the lowest priced one out of the pitchers listed above, and you should normally be satisfied with the results. Nevertheless, when you choose your pitcher you may take into consideration some other factors such as filtering efficiency, taste, convenience, filtering speed, etc..

With regards to achieving efficient filtering, the ZeroWater pitcher comes no doubt on top. Not only does it offer more complete water filtration thanks to its 5-stage filtration system, but it also allows you to verify that the achieved filtering level is acceptable by allowing you to test it with the provided testing meter. Note also that, for added convenience, the ZeroWater pitcher, provides a handy dispenser at the bottom of the pitcher's handle that allows you to access water without removing the pitcher from the fridge.

Regarding taste, the Brita and PUR pitchers are quite acceptable, even though a faint chlorine taste is retained. I have used in the past both Brita, PUR and Clear2o pitchers, and I can clearly state that Clear2o filtered water is the best tasting. The taste of ZeroWater filtered water is also acceptable, but not at the level of Clear2o. This is understandable, as the more complete the filtering process is (like in the ZeroWater case), the less taste your water will have (remember that 100% pure water has no taste at all!).

If you want to flavor the filtered water in order to get your children drink more water, then you should consider the PUR CR-5000 water filter pitcher. As described earlier, this model also allows you to give your water a boost of fruity flavor with no additional sugar, calories, or dyes.

If you are looking for filtering speed, then you should be considering the Clear2o filter pitcher which fills and filters much faster than the other pitchers because you attach it directly to your faucet and fill it under pressure. This process is much quicker than letting the water slowly drip through the filter. On the other hand, one has to keep in mind that usage of this pitcher requires the slight inconvenience of attaching the hose to the faucet. However, the taste of the Clear2o filtered water is very good, and I think that a small inconvenience that buys you speed and good taste is quite acceptable.
The ZeroWater pitcher, because it does such a thorough job of filtering, takes the longest time to filter. The other pitchers (PR, Brita and Culligan) range somewhere in between Clear2o and ZeroWater as far as speed is concerned.

So when you compare water filter pitchers the bottom line is: if you are looking for speed and good taste go for the Clear2o pitcher, if you are looking for the ultimate filtering go for the ZeroWater, and if you are looking for convenience with acceptable levels of filtering, speed and taste go for Brita or PUR.

You can obtain below all the water filter pitcher discussed here. Note that Amazon provides good discounts on the list prices, as well as free delivery in the US.