Culligan US-600A 3/8-Inch Undersink Drinking Water Filter

by Culligan

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Culligan US-600A slim design of this undersink water filter unit works well in tight spaces. The water filter includes quick connect fittings and tubing hardware for quick and easy installation. The included Culligan D-20 cartridge provides clear, clean water for drinking or cooking. Compatible with multiple cartridges. The filter includes a 5 year warranty.

Product Description

3/8" Undersink Drinking Water Filter, Compact, Designed To Fit In Tight Spaces, Bonus D-20 Cartridge, Quick Connect Fittings Included, Several Replacement Cartridges To Choose From Model #D-10 True Value #529-324, Model #D-20 True Value #583-377, Model #D-30, True Value #826-746 & Model #D-40 True Value #852-657.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.8 x 4.8 x 12.8 inches ; 1.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002YXMG8
• Item model number: US-600A
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,869 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #12 in Home Improvement > Kitchen & Bath Fixtures > Water Filtration & Softeners > Under-Sink Filters

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Entry Level Under-Sink Filter, March 2, 2007

By 

Bryce Conner "College Student" (Syracuse, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Tired of spending your hard earned money on Brita Filter 5-packs? For 5 to 10 more dollars, you can get an under sink unit by Culligan that is easy to install, comes with a 3-month filter in the package (level 1 filter), and is easy to upgrade to more advanced filtration (up to level 4).

Summary: I am thoroughly impressed with this unit. I will update the review as time goes by if it breaks, or anything leaks, but it is well built and looks solid, and delivers water that I would say tastes better than Brita water.

I live in Upstate New York, where the water quality is OK, but there is often a lot of chlorine in the water. My main concern was reducing the chlorine taste, and this unit certainly does deliver.

I am breaking my review down into 5 parts, with each part getting 1 star weighting: 0 means poor, 1/2 means OK, and 1 means excellent

Ease of Installation: 1 star

I have been known to be a clutz around the house but I was able to do it without having any leaks or having to install any extra fittings. Everything is snug and tight out of the box. The fittings that come with the filter have a plastic inset that you can remove to fit directly on 3/8" OD pipe or feed line. They are not gimpy fittings, despite what you might think of a press together fitting. All of the fittings were snug and secure upon install. Water pressure tends to hold them together even more tightly when the system is pressurized.

Installation tip: (This applies if you have 3/8"OD plastic feed line going to your faucet) Instead of cutting the feed line you already have installed, buy a $3 feed line at a hardware store and cut it in half using tin snips or a sharp knife. Then you can turn the water off, remove the old feed line, and install the new feed line connected to the Culligan. This way, if something goes wrong, you can connect the old feed line back up and be back with running water in only 10 minutes or so.

The entire install takes only 30-45 minutes and if you have the right tools, you may not even need a trip to the hardware store.

Don't forget the silicone (waterproof) grease on the o-rings!

Water Flow: 1 star

I admit I was surprised by the voracity of the water flow. I haven't measured it in GPM, but it is nearly the same rate as when there was no filter installed.

Taste: 1 star

Water tastes fresh and clean and there is no aftertaste.

Ease of Use: 1 star

Turn on the tap, it works. No waiting for a pitcher to filter or worrying about if you'll have enough water to boil pasta without waiting 10 minutes, etc.

Upgradability: 1 star

You can buy a level 4 filter (the D40), which reduces lead and other nasties in the water, for about the same price as you pay for this unit, and it lasts for 6 months. Or, there is the Level 3 filter (the D30), which does almost as much as the D40, lasts for a year, and costs half as much. In terms of cost, it is really hard to beat the value of the D30.

Included Filter: 0.5 stars

If you want a higher degree of filtration you can always buy a level 2, 3, or 4 filter separately. However, the Level 1 filter makes your water taste nice, and for the price of the filter unit, is a nice addition. Some stores advertise units that do not include a filter, but not this particular seller.

The correct filter to buy for this unit is the D10, D20, D30, or the D40.

I am rounding up my 4.5 star review to 5 stars on Amazon, giving an extra 0.5 stars for the good feeling I got after installing the filter (and because you can only do 4 or 5 stars, not 4.5)!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Deal, May 1, 2008

By 

Double Down (MI, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Culligan US-600A 3/8-Inch Undersink Drinking Water Filter (Tools & Home Improvement)

I just wanted something that would take the chlorine taste out of my tap water. This thing works great. It only hooks up to cold water which is perfect for filtering drinking water. Installation was fairly easy. When I first hooked it up, water was squirting out of all the connectors. I didn't realize that you have to push harder on them when you insert them. You have to feel it pop into the connector. You may have to buy some tubing because it only comes with a foot and a half. But that stuff is cheap to get at a hardware store (make sure its for potable water). But once this was hooked up and mounted it has worked like a charm and with zero leaks. Even the basic filter it comes with (D-20) tastes great. I do recommend getting replacement cartridges (D-30) because its supposed to filter out much more little nasties that you might not necessarily taste. Getting replacement filters is very easy, I've even seen store brand filters that are compatible with this filter housing. I really enjoy this filter and recommend it to anyone that wants great tasting water from their own tap. Especially if you want a inexpensive way to get away from bottled water, this saves a bunch of money within only a year.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works well but wish it had threaded fittings, February 27, 2011

By 

C5pilot (Philly suburbs) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Culligan US-600A 3/8-Inch Undersink Drinking Water Filter (Tools & Home Improvement)

I liked the idea of saving money spent on pitcher water filters. I bought this filter along with the Amazon recommended Watts faucet since customers complained about the other Culligan complete kit using a plastic faucet which breaks easily. This kit comes with a D20 filter, couple feet of 3/8" hose, two 3/8" 90 elbow quick-connects, and screws to mount to inside of cabinet.

If you plan on using this to filter all cold water from your faucet I recommend going to the hardware store to buy some brass compression fittings to adapt over to the 3/8" plastic tubing and then back again after the filter. It seems too many people are trying to get the quick-connect fittings to grip their copper pipe or tubing. In all honesty, I would not expect the quick-connect teeth to hold onto copper with high water pressure. The tiny teeth are meant to grip plastic tubing and once connected it's nearly impossible to remove without damaging it.

Likewise, if you're going to add a seperate drinking faucet you'll want to go to the hardware store to buy a brass tee which fits your current piping. Make sure the side takeoff of the tee is 3/8" compression which you'll use to run to the filter and then up to the drinking faucet. Connect your old faucet to the top of the tee. This is easy if you have a newer faucet with threaded compression nuts. Look for something called Adapt-a-tee which is a tee with a compression nut on one end and male compression threads on the other two ports.

Personally, I would prefer threaded fittings on this filter. I really don't see how it's worth trusting customers with the quick-connects when real compression fittings are easy to use and you can simply tighten them to stop leaks. I have no idea how long the gaskets last in the quick-connects and once put together they can't easily be taken apart. Most people don't even realize just how far they have to push for a complete seal.

Since I have a completely seperate line for my ice maker coming from the basement I bought a second filter for behind the fridge. I refuse to pay $30+ for a refrigerator filter that only lasts 6 months when these cheap babies last 12 months! To make things easier I installed the under-sink filter first, flushed the include D-20 filter element to get all the loose carbon out of it, and then re-installed the flushed D-20 cartridge into the fridge filter. It would be nearly impossible to get all the loose carbon out using the fridge water/ice system. Afterward, I installed a new D-30 element into the under-sink filter and flushed that.

Both D-20 and D-30 cartridges made our water taste better but I wanted the extra filtering for the faucet and will use the cheaper D-20 for making ice. The D-30 did slow down the water pressure a little bit compared to the D-20 but with our water pressure it's just right.