When first comparing a pitcher filter vs a faucet filter, you might naturally gravitate towards a pitcher filter. They are cheap, easy to use, and provide fresh clean tasting water. A pitcher water filter is the most basic water filter you can buy, and is a great way to learn whether or not you like filtered water.
The one disadvantage of a pitcher filter is that you have to fill it up every time you empty it. If you think that you might get sick of having to constantly refill a pitcher, you should look for the best faucet water filter instead. One filter in particular that you should try is the PUR Advanced Faucet Water Filter. We think it is the clear cut winner in the comparison.
Pitcher Filter vs Faucet Filter
Both pitcher filters and faucet filters are entry-level water filters for your home. Both use similar filtration systems, both filter out a similar amount of contaminants, and both are similar in price. A faucet filter, however, is a small step above a pitcher filter.
A faucet filter generally has a slightly better filter than a pitcher filter. The filter inside a faucet mount has a longer life, can remove more contaminants, and has a few more features. This gives you healthier, cleaner tasting water than a pitcher filter.
The big advantage, though, of a faucet filter is that you don’t have to refill a pitcher all the time. With a faucet filter, all you have to do is turn your faucet on, and clean filtered water comes out. Faucet filters also have a switch on them so normal water can also come out of your faucet, giving you the option of being able to use unfiltered water for other things.
PUR PPT710W Pitcher Water Filter (Our Choice)
When comparing the PUR Pitcher Filter with the PUR Advanced Faucet Mount Filter, you will find that the water filter used in the faucet filter is slightly better than the pitcher filter in a few ways.
- Filters more water over the length of the filter
- Removes more contaminants
- Is a 3 stage instead of a 2 stage filter
The filter for the PUR Advanced Faucet Water Filter is a 3 stage MineralClear water filter. The three-stage system uses the same Maxion Technology from the PUR Pitcher Filter and adds a third stage that filters water over minerals to remove additional contaminants and improve taste. This leads to cleaner, better-tasting water.
The Maxion Technology used in PUR water filters is a two-stage design:
- The first stage uses coconut shells treated with heat and steam. This treatment creates pores in the coconut shells, increasing the surface area of the shells substantially. More surface area means increased amount of area to catch contaminants as water flows through the filter. The first stage of treatment has over 200,000 square feet of surface area to trap contaminants.
- The second stage uses an ion exchange to trap additional contaminants and particles.
The three stage system used in the MineralClear 3 Stage Water Filter removes 71 contaminants, including 99% of lead and 96% of mercury. The filter can filter up to 100 gallons of water, and has an indicator on it to show when the filter needs replacing.
PUR FM-3700 Advanced Faucet Water Filter (Our Choice)
The PUR Advanced Faucet Water Filter is a faucet water filter that uses the PUR MineralClear Faucet Filter. The filter attaches directly to your faucet, allowing you to have filtered water on demand instead of waiting for it to flow through a pitcher filter.
The one click installation allows you attach the filter with ease. That means you don’t have to take anything apart, or call your plumber to get this filter installed.
The filter has a 360-degree swivel. This helps the filter fit in most sinks. The filter is only compatible with standards faucets, so if you have a pullout or a handheld faucet, then you should look at different options for a water filter. It has a switch on it that allows you to switch between filtered and unfiltered water.
This allows you to save the filtered water for drinking or cooking and lets you use unfiltered water for times when you are not consuming it. If you are forgetful, the built in led filter life indicator lets you know when you need to replace your filter.
Multiple colors are available for the PUR faucet filter, including chrome, silver, stainless steel, and white, so the filter can match the rest of your kitchen instead of being an annoying eyesore.
The filter also comes in two styles: The PUR Advanced Faucet Water Filter and the PUR Advanced Horizontal Water Filter. The horizontal filter sits horizontally in your sink, saving quite a bit of space.
This faucet filter is not without its flaws, though. On some sinks, the plastic adaptor doesn’t fit securely on the faucet. This is something that the company is aware of, and if you call them, they will send you a metal replacement adaptor.
Another concern is the durability of this filter. It is in your sink, so it is more susceptible to being bumped than a filter that is mounted under your sink, or gets put in the refrigerator.
The Best Water Filter for You
Both pitcher and faucet-mounted water filters are a good introduction to the benefits of filtered water. They remove some contaminants and provide clean fresh-tasting water. They are also better for the environment than the amount of trash created with bottled water.
While they are a good introduction and are great for the short term, a reverse osmosis or another high-quality water filter is going to be better than a pitcher water filter in the long run.
Not only will the water per gallon be cheaper, the filter is also more effective at removing contaminants, including fluoride, chlorine, and chloramine, which are all toxins added to water to make it “safer.” A good reverse osmosis water filter to look at would be the APEC 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System.
If you are looking to try filtered water out and don’t want to constantly be refilling a water pitcher, or give up refrigerator space for one, get a faucet mount water filter. Not only are they more convenient, they are a small step up in filtration quality as well.
A good faucet mount water filter, that will give you clean, fresh-tasting water is PUR Advanced Faucet Water Filter.