The Best Faucet Water Filters Reviewed

Faucet water filters are becoming more and more popular, they look a little bit weird at first but the convenience and benefits they give you far outweigh any negatives. They can filter out unwanted minerals and materials from your tap water including chlorine, limescale and fluoride to give you better tasting and more healthy water.  If your tap water is pretty grim and you have to resort to buying bottled water then you should definitely give one of these a go, they are relatively cheap and fairly easy to install. They will save you a lot of money if you are buying bottled water.

So as it is a kitchen gadget we had to try them out. We looked at some of the most popular choices and have given you the run down on them below.

1. Brita 10060258356189 On Tap Chrome Water Faucet Filtration System

Brita are well known in the water filtering industry due to their very popular water filter pitchers. The pitchers are great but obviously you have to keep filling them up and waiting for the water to filter through. Plus you need somewhere to keep it and they can take up a lot of room in the refrigerator. So Brita have now released an on tap filter that does the same job.

This filter is good for 100 gallons of water which is the equivalent to 750 16oz bottles of water. So you can see straight away what a huge saving this will give you. It has a clever wheel that rotates as water passes through so you know how long your filter has left and obviously you will then know when it needs replacing.

It also has a switch so you can go between filtered and unfiltered water. This is a great feature to save your filter if you don’t particularly need filtered water, say if you are washing up or need a bucket to wash the car.

Brita have attempted to make installation as straight forward as possible with a 5 step clicking system but it is a bit fiddly to fit this one and unless you get it lined up perfectly it’s not going to work correctly. Once you do get it fitted you need to be careful not to knock it or you will end up having to fiddle with it again to get it lined up. Not ideal.

Overall this is a good filter for the price and it comes from a reliable brand. It also blends in and looks good on the tap, especially if you have chrome fittings.  It’s just a shame that it is a little fiddly to fit. Also this one will only work on a standard faucet type.

2. DuPont WFFM350XCH Electric Metered 200-Gallon 

Another big brand water filter name now with this nice entry from DuPont. Immediately you will notice that this one has a digital display on the front to tell you how much water it has filtered and let you know when you need to replace the filter. It also comes in 3 colour choices so you should be able to get one that closely matches your faucet.

It’s a little more expensive than the Brita at first but it can filter 200 gallons out of the box. That is double what the Brita does. The replacement filters are fairly reasonably priced as well. Meaning overall this is better value than the Brita.

This also has a switch to go between filtered and unfiltered so you don’t have to waste your filter on water that doesn’t need filtering.

This was definitely easier to install than the Brita and once it was in place it felt a lot sturdier too. As the 200 gallon filter will typically last you 3 to 4 months you don’t have to fiddle with it very often.

The only downsides to this one is that it needs 2 x AA batteries to operate the digital screen. We also weren’t convinced on how accurate the reading was provided by the screen either. The number occasionally changed even when we hadn’t used it and it didn’t seem to reflect the amount we had used most times either. Not a deal breaker as the filter is still amazing value for money and the ease of fitting makes this one a winner.

3. iSpring DFW1 LittleWell Faucet Mount Water Filter 

This one is a bit of a bargain. It doesn’t come with the big brand name but you get a lot for your money here. Despite being one of the cheapest filters available it can filter an incredible 300 gallons before it needs replacing. That is more than both the Brita and DuPont while being at a cheaper price point. The filter is no joke either filtering down to an impressive 0.1 microns.

It’s also really easy to install and will fit on most faucets with a thread. It also comes with a little metal adapter to make sure the fitting is really secure.

The filters are really cheap to replace as well and you can buy them in bulk for even greater savings. Each one comes vacuumed packed to ensure it is as fresh as possible no matter how long it has been in the cupboard waiting to be used.

We were also blown away by the customer support you get from iSpring, these guys go the extra mile to ensure you are happy with your product. It comes with lifetime support which is just incredible considering the price of the unit.

Overall this is one of the very best filters and considering the price point it is probably the best place to start if you are looking for your first faucet filter.

4. PUR PFM800HX Chrome Horizontal Water Filtration Faucet Mount with Bluetooth

PUR have a few options in the faucet filter range but this one is a little bit different as bizarrely this one has in built Bluetooth that will send updates to your mobile phone. By downloading the free app you can check on how your filter is doing. It will tell you how much water has passed through and when your filter will need changing. You can also order a new filter directly from the app. Probably a completely pointless feature considering how some of the other filters have accomplished this but it is pretty cool.

This was pretty straight forward to install as well, quick and easy and no tools required. Once it was in place it felt pretty solid.

One of the best thing about PUR filters is that they are one of best on the market. They filter out more elements than most other filters including 99% of lead, 96% of mercury and 92% of certain pesticides. The water is filtered using natural minerals which adds a fresh taste to the water and is incredibly healthy.

This unit is a little pricier than some others but it does come with the Bluetooth stuff and one of the best filters on the market. Definitely worth your consideration.

5. Culligan FM-25 Faucet Mount Filter with Advanced Water Filtration

Straight away the thing you will notice about this one is how small it is. Out of all the filters available this is the most compact we have come across. Quite a few filters are a bit of an eye sore which can put people off. If that is an issue for you then this one from Culligan could be the ideal solution. It is bigger than it looks in the picture but definitely one of the more subtle options.

It is also one of the easiest to install and comes with an adapter meaning it fits nearly all standard faucet types. It doesn’t fit drop down faucets but neither do any of the others on this list. You can see how easy it is to fit here.

It comes in chrome and white and does 200 gallons per filter.

The main issue with this one is there is no way to tell when you need a new filter other than a slight drop off in water pressure. 200 gallons will typically last 2 months for the average household so I would keep that in mind if you opt for this one.

The low profile and incredibly easy installation means this filter should be high on your list of considerations. It’s incredibly popular on Amazon too.

6. PUR Black/Chrome “Advanced” Vertical Faucet Mount

Another one from PUR now. This comes with the same great filter that you get with the other PUR filter and it filters over a mineral core for a refreshing taste.

It is very easy to install with a 1 click system and you can hand tighten to prevent leaks. One of the major complaints of all these filters is they cause the taps to drip if not fitted right. As you can hand tighten this one it pretty much eliminates that issue.

Visually it is a little bit strange with a large black filter on top. This one is incredibly bulky and measures a whopping 6 inches tall.

Despite the filter being quite large it only does 100 gallons of water per filter which means it is lagging behind it’s competitors. What we did like was the LED indicator that told you when the filter was due for renewal.

This one is going to cost more in the long run due to having to replace the filter more often but the filter is one of the best ads we mentioned before.

Conclusion

Anyone of these filters will do a great job in filtering your tap water. The main differences between them are how easy they are to fit and the lifespan of the filter. They obviously look quite different too so you will need to consider this if that is important to you. Some of them are quite bulky and can look a little odd on the end of your tap.

From a fitting point of view the easiest to fit where the iSpring and the Culligan. All of them aren’t too difficult to fit really and most come with an adapter to make the task as easy as possible. The Brita performed quite poorly here in our tests but it was still a great filter once in place.

The best value filter is definitely the iSpring, it’s the cheapest to start with and you get the longest last filter with it filtering 300 gallons before being need to be replaced. An absolute bargain.

Before you choose first make sure you get one that fits your tap. Most of these will fit any standard tap fitting with a threaded end so if you have a standard tap you probably don’t need to worry about this. If you have a pull down tap you might be out of luck in using an on top filter.

Let us know in the comments which one you have and what you think of it.