Waterdrop vs GE Reverse Osmosis

[jdfnnl]

I am planning to invest in a small under-sink water filtering system.

My first choice was a Waterdrop 10UA-UF because of it's size and simplicity. It claims to reduce "chlorine, lead, taste and odor, sediment, fluoride, rust, arsenic, and other heavy metals" with a filter life of 8000 gallons. Seems pretty good but I cannot find any documentation about percentages filtered or possible NSF filtration.

Then I started looking into reverse osmosis systems and how a used two-stage set like the GE GXRM10RBL would cost about as much as a new single-stage Waterdrop filter. I started to wonder if these two are even comparable or if they are in completely different leagues.

The GE RO system does give specs on various heavy metal contaminants being routinely filtered at rates above 95%, but this begs the question of whether this would be adequate if such a rating would imply that 3-5% of lead is still getting through. It does seem to have NSF certification however.

I have read that water from RO systems tends to benefit from a post remineralization treatment since rigorously filtered and therefore soft water can be unpalatable. Is there a cost effective way of adding this on, or is one better off buying an RO system with this stage built in?

Then there is the additional cost of filters for an RO system, especially given the GE system has a life of roughly only 1000 gallons or 1/8 the life of the waterdrop filters. But maybe the higher cost does indeed bode a far superior performance, which is why Waterdrop may not even list filtering effectiveness stats?

[judith97]

I am planning to invest in a small under-sink water filtering system.

My first choice was a Waterdrop 10UA-UF because of it's size and simplicity. It claims to reduce "chlorine, lead, taste and odor, sediment, fluoride, rust, arsenic, and other heavy metals" with a filter life of 8000 gallons. Seems pretty good but I cannot find any documentation about percentages filtered or possible NSF filtration.

Then I started looking into reverse osmosis systems and how a used two-stage set like the GE GXRM10RBL would cost about as much as a new single-stage Waterdrop filter. I started to wonder if these two are even comparable or if they are in completely different leagues.

The GE RO system does give specs on various heavy metal contaminants being routinely filtered at rates above 95%, but this begs the question of whether this would be adequate if such a rating would imply that 3-5% of lead is still getting through. It does seem to have NSF certification however.

I have read that water from RO systems tends to benefit from a post remineralization treatment since rigorously filtered and therefore soft water can be unpalatable. Is there a cost effective way of adding this on, or is one better off buying an RO system with this stage built in?

Then there is the additional cost of filters for an RO system, especially given the GE system has a life of roughly only 1000 gallons or 1/8 the life of the waterdrop filters. But maybe the higher cost does indeed bode a far superior performance, which is why Waterdrop may not even list filtering effectiveness stats?

I think the comparison between the Waterdrop 10UA-UF and the GE RO system really comes down to what your priorities are. The Waterdrop's simplicity, longer filter life, and lower cost make it appealing for basic filtration needs, but the lack of clear filtration stats is a bit concerning. RO systems like the GE, on the other hand, tend to provide much more thorough filtration, especially for heavy metals like lead, even though there's still a small percentage that gets through.

The post-treatment remineralization for RO systems does seem necessary if you find the taste of RO water too flat, and there are inexpensive remineralization filters you can add on. But if you're looking to avoid extra costs and maintenance, going with an RO system that already has that stage built in might save some hassle.

The short filter life of the GE system is definitely a downside, but if you really need the high-level filtration, the extra cost may be worth it.