Customer Reviews

Brita 42378 Deluxe Water Pitcher

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

First off, I have to say Brita's filters make tap water taste really great. We had this with us in Germany, where the water is really disgusting right from the tap. That water was completely undrinkable but the Brita pitcher made liters and liters of fresh-tasting water that rivaled the expensive bottled French stuff. We felt it was well worth the real estate it took up in our typically shoebox sized Euro-fridge. And the pitcher is easy on the eyes, with nice, sleek styling.

There are a few "gotcha's" with this pitcher. For one thing, the small cover on the spout is fragile. If you drop the lid (easy to do if wet) it will break. This is minor as the pitcher will work fine without it. The end-of-filter life is a timer, not a sensor of filter quality. If you go through gallons of water, the filter will expire before the indicator tells you. You can tell this by the bad taste. You have to watch that the filter does not dry out, so you should not leave the pitcher dry when you empty it out. This takes some discipline from the kids (and dare I say, adults) to fill it up immediately.

The Brita does filter relatively quickly. However, if you need more than 3/4 of a gallon at a time of water, or you go through a lot of water (we do), you may want a sink filter or an in-line filter instead. But for cold, delicious water at a reasonable cost, you can't beat this pitcher. We ended up buying a sink filter instead and retired our pitcher, but it really did well by us for quite a while.

After 8 years with my Brita Classic pitcher, I decided to get a newer, larger model with the built-in "smart timer" feature. After using it for about 3 weeks now, I am very disappointed in the overall design, especially considering how perfect the original Brita was. The smart timer feature is handy -- it's a small digital indicator on the top of the cap that tells you when it's time for a refill; this should work better (& cleaner) than the previous "analog" mechanism used with some Brita filters. But, that's about it as far as the good goes.

If you fill up the basin nearly all the way, water sometimes leaks out the back of the unit from the top of the handle (and gets onto your refrigerator shelf). Much more annoying, though, is the little flap that rests over the spout. Presumably, this is there to keep refrigerator odors from entering the unit and affecting the taste of the water. However, most of the time when you pour, the flap doesn't properly open up (it sort of sticks shut); this causes the water to pour sloppily or even to suddenly gush out if the flap happens to come un-stuck in mid-pour (more spills). Finally, if you tilt the unit enough to pour out the last drop of water, occasionally the Brita filter itself dislodges from its slot and thumps into the cover of the unit so that you need to re-seat it.

Given the great success I had with the previous unit, I was very disappointed with the overall design of this more recent version.

If you can spare a little more room in your fridge I HIGHLY recommend buying the 2-Gallon UltraMax instead. It is also by Brita but the lies flat on the shelf and has a easy to use tap. MUCH MUCH better for kids and anyone else who has trouble gracefully lifting 3 quarts of liquid with one hand (read: most everyone). With this design you simply open the door and fill using the tap. With the pitcher models, the tilt and weight tend to be awkward and I think spill or overpour about 30% of the time -- especially in the middle of the night. The Ultra Max hold about 2 1/2 times the water (less refilling) and costs only $3 more.

Brita water is so good I won't drink tap water anymore anywhere! I've bought one for myself (I also have the small water bottle by brita) one for my mom in Toronto (for when i visit) and one for my mom in law in New York for when I visit there! It is really great and the fact that I can see the difference in the water and in the color of my teas and coffee is the real clincher. I would reccomend this or any Brita pitcher to everyone.

I personally have this model and it is so easy to fill with the flip top. Also the rubber grip makes holding the pitcher comfortable and effortless. It gets a little heavy when it is full but maybe I'm just weak. Since we've bought it I drink so much more water (which is a good thing) and I love the taste.

This Brita is ideal for my personal situation: 3 other (just as broke) roommates, highly suspect NYC tap water, and old water pipes. We needed something to purify the water, make it taste better, and not cost an arm or a leg.

We bought the container for about $30 back in November 2004, and we bought a pack of 4 or 6 replacement filters for about $20 extra. We've gone through 2 filters so far (one that came with the Brita, and one new filter) although I suspect we should replace the filters more often (as we are big guzzlers here). Split amongst 4 people, that's only about $13 each for probably about 8 months of good quality water - each month, that comes out to less than $1.50.

Granted, there are better quality water filters out there that remove more impurities than a Brita filter. But, usually those require hooking up the water pipes to a central filter, and shelling out close to $200...too much effort and $$ for an apartment.

And why not those Pur water filters you hook onto the faucet itself? A lot of my friends have complained about those faucet mounts never fitting well enough around the faucet, causing leaks and sprays. Brita may be more low-tech, but it's just alot easier.

We do refill the pitcher constantly, but it takes less than 3 minutes for all the water to filter. And, because my roomates and I don't like ice-cold water, we like to keep the pitcher outside...plus, we can transport from room to room.

So, if you live in your own home and are serious about water filtartion, buy a high end water filter you hook up to the entire water system. Otherwise, Brita is a good alternative.

We've been using the Brita pitchers for years and just recently upgraded to the Magnum. It's great to have that extra space--we've got clean, tasty water and we don't have to refill it as often. I used to keep mine in the refrigerator, but with this bigger model, we just leave it on *top* of the fridge and dispense from there. It works fine, and I guess room-temp water is better for you, right?

I had a small Pur pitcher already and was very happy with it, but I wanted a larger pitcher, so I picked this one up at Target. They didn't have any Pur pitchers and I assumed the quality was about the same...I was wrong. First off, the design of this particular pitcher is really bad. The lid doesn't fit on very securely; it tries to fall off all the time. Also, there is a little indentation that fills with the "bad" water at the top and leaks all over when transporting the pitcher from the sink to the counter. I used it for 1 month and the whole time, the cartridge leaked carbon particles into the top chamber. As for the taste, it was better than the tap, but I could still taste chlorine. It basically tasted like good tap water, but not as pure as I would like it. So, I'm back to my tiny Pur. I have to refill it often, but it tastes better and it doesn't spill when pouring or moving the pitcher.

This is a pretty good item but it is awfully heavy when filled. Also, you need to be careful when pouring. I've had the top come off and water went everywhere. The filters last about 2 months so if you can buy them on sale, do so.

The Price is decent. Capacity is ideal. Appearance is dandy. The problem is that the top will fall off unless held in place with one's thumb. For men, it's easy. For women and children with smaller, less strong hands, it's tough. Anyone with a grasp of human factors would have designed the lid with tight fit or some type of stay or clip. The fix is a bit of wax rubbed on the edge of the lid. It seems to hold it decently for the wife, but remember to get it again.

Also, oddly enough, the filter that came with the pitcher did not fit snugly. This means that it would pop up if the pitcher was overfilled or poured too aggressively. That will obviate the whole point of the filtering water (by letting unfiltered water into the pitcher). This was fixed by buying a new filter.

All in all, for that type of money, I'd have expected a bit of attention to detail, but it was sorely lacking. As yet, I don't know if there's a better alternative in this size, so this one is still a good buy, but go in with your eyes open, and cross your fingers that this review and other complaints brings about some fine tuning at the factory.

There's no doubt about it -- you need water because the human body is up to 70% water by weight. Most people love water, and perhaps coffee might be a strong second. Even if you don't like water or coffee, and you are still looking here, you need good tasting water.

I bought a Brita pitcher originally because I was seeking the best cup of coffee. If you want GREAT coffee, water that's clean, cold and fresh is just plain essential. I found the Brita filter pitcher to deliver--clean and cold (when refrigerated), although I can't really confirm the manufacturer's claimed characteristics of "soft".

This model is my second Brita and the things I like about it most are the space saving flat sides which take up less space in the fridge than the original rounded model, the capacity of three quarts which is enough for a couple of glasses of water besides a full twelve cup coffee maker, and the convenience of the flip top lid where you fill the pitcher.

This pitcher gets a little heavy on the arm and wrist, but no more so than a gallon milk jug. The water weighs about six pounds and the pitcher about two pounds for a total of about eight pounds. The rubberized handle on the pitcher helps assure a good grip, and if you are in the habit of storing your pitcher in the fridge, it works best if you adjust the shelf on which you set the pitcher a little above waist high.

Emptying the pitcher before refilling is no big deal as the filter will not dry out just because you pour out all the water. Just don't let the pitcher sit with a water level below the bottom of the filter as it is installed in the pitcher.

One final thing is there are always little carbon particles in the bottom of the pitcher. They come out of the filter with use. Personally, I don't like that feature, but I've never been fearful of those little things because the human body is also about 23% carbon. I don't think I would see them so much if the water wasn't so clear, though. Best of life to you!