Customer Reviews

Brita 42645 Aquaview On Tap Filtration System

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Bought this filter at my local BJs warehouse store three weeks ago and installed it that same day. My wife and I have been big consumers of Poland Spring bottled water and decided to try this product to cut down on costs and to cut down on usage of plastic, throw-away bottles.

I wasn't too sure I would like the water produced by this filter, but after three weeks of repeated use, I can vouch for the taste and the smell: both good. There is no characteristic "tap water" smell and you can't tell the difference from Poland Spring. Plus, it's very easy to install (comes with a variety of washers in case it does not fit straight off on your faucet).

It comes with two filters (good for about four or five months of use by an average family). You can get replacement filters easily at different stores (like BJs, Walmart, etc.).

Even if you currently drink water straight from the faucet, this product would be worthwhile for you to buy, for who wants to drink the lead and the chlorine that are present in most drinking water that is piped into homes in America? And if, like us, you are or were bottled water consumers, you will see no difference in taste AND see the savings mount up!

OCTOBER 8, 2005

After using this product for many months now, I can state I still think this is an excellent buy. We have not had to change the filter even once - maybe Jersey City water is not that terrible compared to other places in America. We did have to change the battery once, which I thought a little surprising.

But after reading the negative reviews, I have to wonder: we have had ZERO problems with hot water and drips, unlike what a couple of other reviewers have suggested. Definitely highly recommended.

We have had ours for awhile now and it seems to work pretty good. The biggest selling points were the size of it (it is out of the way when installed) and the design. The lever is strong and smooth and is easy to operate.

The Pur water filters seems to have a hard knob to turn and have a bad design which is in the way and tends to loosen. Also, the indicators on them never seem to 'line up' all be the same. They start off black then go to white then go to red as the filter is used and approaches its 100 gallon limit lifespan. I have tried several Pur water filters and I don't think any of the red indicators were ever in the same place.

This Brita is still on nice and tight. No leaks. No complaints. The stream and spray settings are nice to have in addition to the filtered drinking water. The filter itself is quite a bit easier to change than the Pur.

I was skeptical at first, but this is really a great product. The water here in Brooklyn often has a chlorine smell and taste. With this Brita system the water has no odor, is crystal clear and tastes great. It's too new to have to replace the filter yet, but as the review and instructions say 1 filter is good for a 100 gallons of water (not 300). If you bought a 100 gallons of water it would cost well over $100. I wish I had invested in it sooner.

I've had this for over a year now. The water itself is great. The problem with this unit is that the replacement indicator stopped working long ago. It flashes green when it's on but the red light never comes on. We've figured out that the flow of water gets slower the older the filter is and replace it when that happens.

It's also a good idea to clean the entire unit from time to time, it gets a build up of bacteria.

Any complaints about saying it doesn't work as it should probably has to do with confusion about what they THINK it should do. It makes the water taste good, hands down. I live in Atlanta, and we have some nasty water here :) Thing is, I thought it would last 3 months or 300 gallons. Not a chance, it lasted 4 weeks and that was less than 100 gallons by far, probably 50. Now I have to buy the replacement filters, 1 a month! That being said, the water here is pretty bad like I said, so probably most areas last longer. Then again, if you're buying this...

I purchased a Brita after being a devout pitcher system user for years. I'd had a faucet system from Pur a few years back and it leaked. I was hesitant to go the faucet route again. I figured I'd pay extra for this most expensive Brita model, assuming mechanical integrity.

Here's my overview:

The installation (to the sink) was easy. The unit has not leaked at all. This is great.

The filter installation is easy. The battery installation was also easy.

I have owned the system for 4 months and replaced 2 filters. The Aquaview display in BJs shows a clearly worn filter needing replacement. This worn filter is shown through the Aquaview window. My own filters look as clean as the day I installed them at the point when the unit indicates yellow and red LED lights. This , by Brita's own definition, is when you replace your filter.

The cost of these filters is $25 a whack. I would not mind this price if I felt the filter's proverbial time was up. I'm feeling that I'm replacing good filters. I taste test the water each day. The tap water defintely tastes worse than the Brita water. Noticeable. This gives me confidence the unit is working. The Aquaview feature is supposed to be away to say--Hey look my filter is really dirty, it's capturing the contaminants I'd drink. My town's water is dirty. If you leave sheets wet in the washer, you will get a brown tinge.

Why are my filters clean in the Brita unit after two months. The LED says change the filter (RED Light). The aquaview shows me a clean filter to the naked eye. The price of use for these filters is $150 per year, with this red light going off every two months like a clock alarm. Brita is there a chance that the filter is still good, even with your LED light on? Can you let consumers in on this? I realize many contaminants may not make your filter elements dirty, but then why make something called an Aquaview filter, if the view shows a clean filter and I'm throwing away a clean filter.

So fellow consumers, beware! The proof is not in the pudding. Taste alone does not insure that harmful contaminants are not reaching me---this means the system may not be working even on week one. The LED light system, at least in my household, does not correlate even slightly with the naked eye Aquaview condition. My filters look like they could go another month or two without dirtying. This may be testimony to a really good filter. The taste test does not correlate with the Red Light. The water, even with a replace indicator, and a clean view indicator, still tastes better than tap and equivalent to the filter being a day or two old. I would say my filter is still good and Brita has me over replacing good filters but we're dealing with the world of microbial contaminants---who are they to go liberal on filter conservation. On the other hand it's a big hit to consumers and environment to be throwing these units away good.

So.......beware on this machine. You will probably, even with a dirty view, find yourself replacing filters sooner than the manufacturer describes. You may find yourself like me and another reviewer on this site, with LED lights going off and filters not looking dirty. I am curious about the New Jersey person who claims they have not changed it yet, seemed like about 6 months. This is disconcerting because the LED light is a timer or volume control and would go off regardless of your Aquaview filters visual condition. 6 months on a filter seems too long though and I'd conjecture you're getting some bad stuff in your tap.

Brita please provide much greater detail on your website (which doesn't work tonight for registration or support email.

Regards.

I have had the Brita Aqua view for around three years now. And the only time I have ever had any complaint other than the replacement indicator not seeming terribly accurate, was when I accidentally ran hot water through the filter. HOT WATER WILL RUIN THE FILTER!! At somewhere between 15 to 20 dollars per filter, it's a mistake I only made once. The filters have a good life span aside from that. I have been very pleased with the quality and taste of the filtered product. And 2 of my years with it were in Atlanta, where the water is notoriously bad.

And how many other on tap water filters offer a sprayer option? I use that feature almost exclusively, I believe it cuts water usage when rinsing dishes by about 30%. That alone puts it a step above. If used properly I think the Aqua View is as good or better than any other available.

looks nice, works but is costly over the long run. I had a lot of problems as the water where I live is not the greatest and filters never lived up to the advertised number of gallons.

sears has a system that is rated higher by consumer reports and filters are less expensive per gallon.

After tossing out a competing filter (from the other filter company) I decided to try this Aqua View unit.

That's been a couple of years ago and probably have cycled 6 to 8 filters through it. Indicator light's still running on the original battery. (I wonder whether those reporting problems with their lights realize we are supposed to reset the indicator system every time we change filters(?).

There is a danger in forgetting that you have it in "Filter Mode" when turning on hot water, and very high temperatures will definitely shorten filter life (as in, immediately restricted water flow) I suspect this has to do with altering resins or some other filter media within the filter unit.

Amazon's now become our source for replacement filters, since the store where we originally bought the Aqua View system has stopped supporting it with new filters.

I really dislike drinking chlorine-infested water, and have tended to just dehydrate instead of drinking tap water-- up until installing the Aqua View system, that is. Water from this system also makes our expensive coffee taste much better, too.

If this one broke in some accident I would certainly replace it with this same model. But it is very tough and has withstood many accidental impacts from pans and other kitchen flying objects.

So why not 5 stars? Well the hot water thing for one, and something has to be so good it's nearly crazy to rate 5 IMO. There has to be room for improvement- but this unit is very, very good as it is.

Three of us drink the filtered out water daily and the filter lights goes for replacement about every 5 to 6 months. Doesn't leak or drip. My only conplain is the filter is harder and harder to find and the price for it is going up every time I buy it. Bummer. I know soon I will not be able to find any.