Which water filter should you buy? Berkey, BOROUX or Pure Filters

First the honest question: what for?

Dutch tap water meets the statutory standards. You buy a gravity filter as an extra step on top of that basic quality, for the taste, or because you want to decide for yourself what is still in your water. If that is your starting point, these are the three quality brands that matter today.

The three brands

Berkey water filters are currently still available with original Black Berkey filter elements. In the near future this is expected to change, with Berkey water filters being supplied as standard with Phoenix Gravity New Millennium Edition elements. That changes the replacement interval of the filters and also makes them less powerful. So at the moment they can still be had in their original state. The Go (1 litre), Travel (5.6 litres), Big (8.5 litres), Royal (12.3 litres), Imperial (17 litres) and Crown (22.7 litres) offer a wide range, so there is a fit for every situation.

BOROUX with the BOROUX Foundation filters is the continuation of the original black carbon elements: the same basic formula as the Black Berkey filters, with a recommended service life of a maximum of three years per set (based on Dutch tap water and average use. Please note! This is a practical guideline and not a fixed replacement period). The Compact (6.8 litres) fits in most kitchens; the large Legacy (11.4 litres) is made for families, and both are also available in white, black and sage green. Filtering fluoride requires additional ProActive filter elements. Elements have to be primed (Alternatievemiddelen.nl will do it for you if you wish, but an automatic priming pump is much easier and a real recommendation).

Pure Filters builds on the ceramic Coldstream FTO PLUS element from England: no priming, fluoride reduction included, replace every six months or 1,500 litres. The Voyager (6 litres), Home (9 litres) and Family (12 litres) cover every household; getting started is cheaper, but the elements are changed more often.

In short: Berkey (for the moment) and BOROUX win on service life, Berkey on its wide range, BOROUX on colour options, Pure Filters on convenience and entry price. For all three: the test reports per substance are simply online.

And British Berkefeld, ProOne and replacements for Berkey?

The familiar line-up of a few years ago no longer exists as such. British Berkefeld stopped selling through dealers, ProOne disappeared after a takeover and Black Berkey elements can no longer be supplied individually. Existing systems from these brands do, however, simply carry on running on today's elements (BOROUX Foundation and Coldstream FTO PLUS); the links above explain how, brand by brand.

What to count on

Look at three figures: the purchase of the water filter, the cost of elements per year, and the capacity: allow roughly two litres of chamber capacity per household member as a daily buffer. And choose on the basis of test reports per substance, not promises. Unsure between the sizes? The selection guide works it out for you.