Customer Reviews

Brita 42556 Grand 80-Ounce Water Filtration Pitcher, White

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

I was a victim of the Brita "Drink Responsibly" advertising campaign (summer 2008) and I bought the pitcher before I read the reviews here. Reading these (1 star) reviews allowed me to look for the problems described and I have not experienced them. I did not note a leaky top, although this may have been because I was being careful thanks to K.M. aka Squishy's review. I was more concerned about the spout cover problem which I read in a couple of reviews, but I discovered (no pun intended)that the spout cover "floats," that is if you just pour the pitcher the cover lifts and water comes out. Mine did not leak. (this may be a redesign since the old reviews). I was perfectly able to pour water with one had into a glass sitting on the counter (didn't have to hold the glass either) with no leaks.

Amazon defines 4-stars as "I like it" which I do. It ain't a cure for cancer. It's a water pitcher and mine seems to work fine.

I love this pitcher. I chose the grand because it was one of the largest pitchers I could find. I prefer the pitcher to the Ultramax dispenser because it's easier to refill. After I poor a glass of water, I just immediately fill it up. A previous reviewer said it's easy to spill the water out the top because you have to wait for it to filter. All the pitchers I use don't instantly get all the water through the filter. It takes a little bit of time. If you're being heavy handed with it, then you'll spill. If you just lift and place in the fridge, you'll be fine. I like the digital tracker as well. I'm forgetful and until my water tastes terrible, I won't realize I need to change the filter. I've saved so much on water bottles and only need to buy a replacement every three months for about $14.00.

I highly recommend this filter.

I am having a pretty hard time with the bad reviews here.

This is our second Brita Grand Pitcher. The first one lasted about 15 years. I dropped it into our sink, thereby cracking it, resulting in purchasing the new one. I have found no major differences between the new pitcher and the old pitcher.

1. I have NEVER had a problem with the filter falling out. People, PUSH IT IN!!! It won't fall out once you push it in firmly, believe me.

2. The lid doesn't fall off. Unless you have some kind of defective pitcher, the lid does not fall off. Like I said, I've had this pitcher (or one like it) for 15 years, and this has never been a problem for me.

3. Yes, you do have to wait for the water to filter through to efficiently pour water out. Big deal. That takes a whopping 1 to 2 minutes. Let's have some planning, people!

The point is, this pitcher holds a lot of water (about 3 quarts) and it makes your water taste good. It costs around $30 and (unless you drop it, like me) will last at least 15 years. That, to me, is a good buy.

PS I have no financial connection to Brita. I simply have been using it for a long time and am a satisfied customer.

First, I will share with you who I am, so you don't think I work for PUR or sell PUR products in a store or something. I am a college student and I live on campus, where my tap water tastes terrible. As a result, I was in the market for a filter pitcher. I decided on this pitcher because of the large capacity. I share this Brita "not so Grand" pitcher with 3 other dudes, so needless to say, it gets lots of usage since we are all athletes that drink lots of water. At first, this pitcher seemed like a perfect fit because it has a large capacity and a "simple" electronic thing that tells you when to change the filter. Here is my attempt to persuade you, the consumer, not to buy this product.
In the relatively short (3 months) amount of time that I have had this pitcher, I have spilled enough water on my floor, counter and fridge to fill a medium size pond. Now, you may be sitting there thinking to yourself, "well, that's just because you are a clumsy/drunken college student." How wrong you are. The overall design of this pitcher is flawed for a few reasons:
1. When filling this pitcher, one must wait for the water to completely filter into the lower, clear portion of the pitcher, as the top does not fit tightly enough to prevent leaks when the pitcher is slightly tipped while being returned to the fridge. This is simply unacceptable considering this is one of Brita's most expensive pitcher models.
2. I encourage you to compare Brita's products one of its competitors, such as PUR. At home, my family has been using an entry level PUR pitcher and this "leaking from the top basin phenomenon" has never been a problem for us, in fact, I can pour a glass of water almost immediately after filling the top basin with un-filtered water, assuming there is still filtered water left in the lower half of the pitcher.
3. The spout on the "Grand" pitcher is completely flawed. This tiny flaw causes water to spill all over everything if two hands are not used to pour. (One hand to hold the pitcher, one hand to lift the spout cover). This is annoying as I have to set the cup down, instead of being able to hold the cup in one hand, and pour with the other. The problem with the design is explained here:
The white spout covering the clear portion of the pitcher that the water comes out of has groves in it to make a better seal when the pitcher sits in the fridge. I suppose this is to prevent the entrance of foreign bacteria or mold spores into the pitcher, however, this greatly inhibits the usability of the pitcher itself. For instance, if the pitcher's filtered water reservoir is too full (something that should not be an issue since the reason I purchased this particular pitcher was because of its large capacity) when one attempts to pour a delicious glass of chilled filtered water, the cap on the pourer winds up sticking and one receives two feet full of delicious chilled filter water.
Had I known of this flaw, I would have put on my flippers and snorkel before getting a glass of water. I also never would have wasted this much money purchasing one of Brita's so called "higher end" pitchers when I could have bought a cheaper, higher quality pitcher from one of their competitors. Don't buy this pitcher. Happy Hunting.
Sincerely,
Kevin M.

Having now purchased and used this pitcher since watching the absurdly transparent negative video review this morning, I can clear up most of the problems others have written about in one word: misalignment. If the filter slot is not aligned to the insert ridge, of course it won't seal and unfiltered water will leak into the bottom chamber. If the upper chamber is put in backwards, LIKE IN THE VIDEO, of course the top won't seal!!!
I have to say, however, that the old style pitcher had a larger space between the upper chamber insert and the spout so there was faster flow rate when pouring. That is why I give this product 4 stars; it could have been better. Actually 4 3/4 stars because it's a fairly trivial point.

update 9/22/10:
Having used this pitcher for 12 days I changed my rating to 5 stars. This is a quality product I'm very happy with.

We are very happy with this product and recommend it to anyone who wants fresh tasting water. It is easy to use and filters the water fast.

It is really too bad that Brita could not have made the lid fit better on this pitcher...for the money you pay you should be able to expect better quality. I still gave it 4 stars since I am so pleased with how it works, how great my water tastes, and no more bottled water. I can cope with the lid issue, but if I had kids in and out of the fridge the spillage would be a big problem.

We recently got this pitcher to replace an older well used Brita pitcher. This pitcher is great looking and puts together within seconds. The pitcher is a pleasure to fill and use. My kids are drinking a lot more water now (especially as the weather is getting warmer). I would recommend this product highly.

With the exception of actually getting this delivered to my home---everything about this pitcher has been great! It is easy to fill up and handle; and it is the perfect amout of water for a small household.

clean water I can now taste.

I had other pitchers before, but I love this one much better. I don't understand why some people reviewed this one not that great. I bought actually two and my mom gave me another one, which was a little too many, so I am selling one now.
Brita 42556 Grand Pitcher