I assume that you know this but pro one filters are only NSF 42 certified and do not claim to be NSF 53 certified. The key difference between NSF certification for water standard 42 and 53 is that standard 42 focuses on aesthetic impurities like taste and odor (mainly chlorine), while standard 53 focuses on contaminants that can pose a health risk, such as lead and other heavy metals; essentially, 42 is for how water looks and tastes, while 53 is for its potential health effects. Consequently this video is providing some misinformation to viewers that could potentially be harmful to them particularly when you’re using NSF 42 filters on river water giving people the impression that these filters can handle river water, which is not true.
@@randysmith3990 Thanks for your comment, but the video is not providing misinformation. At the time this video was recorded, ProOne was claiming their filters could be used to remove bacteria, parasites and other microorganisms from untreated surface water sources. It looks like they've since removed those claims from their website (most likely because they saw what happened to Berkey). They still show testing data for bacteria, parasites, and other microbiological contaminants found in untreated water though....prooneusa.com/proone-lab-report/ It should also be noted that ProOne filters are only _partially_ certified to NSF/ANSI 42 for _materials requirements only_ unfortunately some manufacturers mislead consumers like this in order to sell their products. I've discussed this in detail in this video ua-cam.com/video/pOOvhhrYlpw/v-deo.htmlsi=iAiU6XFQpgPGL_J-&t=391 Anyway, ceramic filters are one of the oldest methods for addressing pathogens in water. That said, ProOne should get certified for performance.
We just bought one during their annual -25% off holiday sale on gravity units. Love 100% removal of fluoride, chlorine, bacteria + more. Great assembly instructions + customer service.The Traveller+ unit holds 2 gallons less 2 cups of water, with two 7 inch filters in it. To start, run about 4 or 5 batches through it, the filters will gradually hydrate + allow more water through. It takes about 2 1/2 hours (maybe less) to run about 2 gallons through it.
I have been looking for someone who actually went through the effort to testing the water. I feel a lot of other videos were made just to get you to use their link. The comparison chart you did was really helpful.
Thanks for the review. I will have to listen to this again and take notes. I see now why it takes you awhile to do a review. Very much appreciated. Will probably get my own sample done as city water varies greatly from varied locations. Keep up the good work.
Thanks bro, you're a life saver. I'm hoping the disinfectant byproducts were a fluke. The water from these filters tastes great and I'm glad they actually eliminate the Fluoride (unlike the AlexaPure I was using before). I already bought a year supply of these so I'm glad they'll do the job in an emergency (just in case).
I bought one and grabbed some basic tests and a TDS ( Total dissolved solids) meter. On the TDS meter however, the number INCREASED after filtration. My tap water is 44-45 and after filtration, it is currently at 74. So I can see the filter is adding something to the water. I called the company and asked, and the customer service person didn't provide anything helpful. She said, "that's not how our filters work". I'm thinking about posting a video based on that, and basic test strip results. I can confirm the filter is adding something to increase the TDS, total dissolved solids. I will add. I have cleaned the filter, followed the instructions in the setup, and noticed the initial flushes that are required with the system set up, gave very high TDS numbers. I tested just to see what the number was. It was 384 TDS. After the required flushes, it was 78. I also broke down the filter, and cleaned the outside again, and let it dry and the same results happened. I can conclude something in the filter is adding to the water. After watching this video, the lab results also showed an increase in certain things. The fact the company won't openly address that is concerning. I guess you have to weigh the dangers of bottled water, tap water, and this filtered water.
Great video. Thank you for doing this. I’m a bit disappointed, I was hoping that the ProOne filter would fill my need, but your data shows that it doesn’t. I have city water with high chlorine and high fluoride and I’m looking for a gravity filter option that can eliminate both. I had a Berkey with fluoride filters but one of your other videos demonstrated that the fluoride filters for the Berkey were ADDING aluminum to the water. I’m at a loss right now.
@@dad2princesses896 It was the 100 gal of water that had to go through it to clear it. My gosh can we trust anything? Or is that saying something is better than nothing? It is so confusing.
We have horrible city water with a biofilm problem. The biofilm grows in our pro one filters. Our filtered water tastes just like our unfiltered water. I was cleaning the filter every day and it was not helping. I added colloidal silver to the water pre-filter and that helped the taste greatly. I can’t keep doing that. I will have to find a better filter.
I really would think another round of testing would have been done before publishing results. It takes time and money but you have no idea for sure why till then. From my experience, I would not buy from Pro One again. we bought them years ago. then bought them again. this time I tested with blue dye. at least one of 4 filters allowed blue dye through. Customer service was kinda sketchy and basically seemed that some amount of blue dye was ok. Dye particles are larger than all the things we are concerned about. So if dye is coming through, what else also is. Finally they agreed to a full refund and not an exchange. Pro One is getting their filters manufactured by a third party in the UK though that may have changed.
Yeah I tried ordering from them a year or two ago but the one we wanted was on backorder. I signed up for email when back in stock and instead of sending just one, they sent dozens. Over the course of 2 hours I lost count how many I'd gotten, just minutes (or even seconds) apart. I tried fixing it but their customer service was garbage. I reported as many as I could as spam and never looked back. It's a shame, because it sounded so promising.
Thank you so much for doing this lab test! I would particularly love to see a side-by-side independent lab test comparison that you have conducted for the ProOne Water filter pitcher & the Clearly Filtered water pitcher. Also, the plastic water filter pitcher may yield different results than the large metal containers. Thank you!
Thanks for your suggestion, we may be able to do this in a future project. That said, the filter element used in the ProOne pitcher is exactly the same as those used in the stainless steel units - the only difference being size.
Wow, thanks for the robust testing (100 gallons probably took a while to flush through it!) and also thanks for being forthright about testing shortfalls and possible sources of error. That causes me to trust a review more than someone that tries to seem infallible or definitive
I've searched online it feels like nearly everywhere, and no one can answer my question, but I thought you might be able to with how in-depth you go in your testing. I recently purchased the ProOne gravity-fed water filter system (the one shown in this video), and despite thorough cleaning of the canisters and properly installing their water filters (following instructions to a T), our filtered water comes out smelling and tasting metallic. It also has a fine, black residue that settles in the bottom canister. We've used a PUR Plus water pitcher for years and never had our water taste or smell metallic pre or post filtration and also have never seen the black residue. We even tried purchasing a glass canister system and used it with the ProOne filters, thinking the issue was possibly due to the stainless steel, but nope - same issue despite being in glass. Any thoughts would be priceless. Thanks for all you do to share info on water filtration.
Hi thanks for the question! The black residue is most likely carbon media fines washing out from the filter. This is normal, poses no risk and should dissipate with time. You could remove the filters, get them filled with water, cover the hole in the stem and shake them then drain and repeat to try to speed up this flushing of carbon fines. As for the metallic taste and smell, it's hard to say for sure without looking at testing data. Does the unfiltered water have the same taste and smell? Or is it only after being filtered through this specific system?
@@waterfilterguru Good to know about the carbon fines. We’ll have to give that a try. The unfiltered water has no metallic taste or smell. We only smell and taste the issue after filtering through the ProOne filters. We have yet to try other brand filters (other than the PUR Plus dispenser I mentioned, which does not create this taste). Also if the filtered water sits for a little while (like a few hours) the metallic taste and smell becomes more pronounced.
It depends. There is no 'one size fits all' solution. It all depends on what contaminants are in the source water being filtered. Have you had the water tested? Do you know what contaminants you are dealing with?
@@waterfilterguru it’s an interesting filter. It has a solid core in the middle that all the water has to pass. I broke an old one apart and took pictures of your interested?
Thank you. I have a ProOne Counter top for 5 years. Last year is the first time I was unable to find water filters for the ProOne. Do you have any clue if this company is still doing business. I decided to purchase the Clearly Filtered an am happy with it. I have been using it since October as I was unable to purchase the ProOne filters. So thank you for the review on Clearly Filtered. Now which water countertop would be as good or better than ProOne. Thank you for all your reviews. They help us a lot.
@@waterfilterguru I appreciate your response but the filters are nowhere to be found. I usually order from their site, but they have been out of stock since forever. None of my calls are returned as well. Thank you anyway may have to research on what to purchase to replace my ProOne.
We just switched to Pro One filters from Berkey after learning that Fluoride filters were adding aluminum dioxide to our water. We loved the taste of Berkey. Almost sweet like Sparklets Water. now after 4 weeks and many cycles, the PO filters just taste sub par to Berkey. Likely the re mineralization but found a Reddit thread of many that complain about the different taste of Pro One. Maybe do a taste test of them all vs only test results please!?!
@@dwaynem.7025 nope, see 3:02 for the explanation and hypothesis as to why we saw increased detections of some minerals post-filtration. I think it was our testing process, and using a different water source with higher concentrations of hardness minerals to prime the filters to 100 gallons before testing with a different water source. We do not suspect the increased concentrations of minerals were coming from the filter elements themselves.
so... for filtering city water... which one do you think is best on a cost/benefit analysis? and for filtering "boil water advisory" or random stream water, which one would you suggest?
Depends, what contaminants are present that need to be addressed? For city water, I tend to lean towards reverse osmosis, because these systems target the most broad range of contaminants. To be prepared for a boil water advisory or filtering untreated surface water, the ProOne or another system with ceramic filters would be a good choice.
Though I don't have a video yet, I do have an article comparing the gravity filters I've tested: waterfilterguru.com/best-gravity-water-filter/ British Berkefeld is in the works!
I had ordered a Berkey then read that it’s not meant for use with water softeners from well water but this ProOne should be ok. Do you know if this is the case before I order one? Thank you!!
It depends on what contaminants are in the well water. The ProOne ceramic filters will physically filter microbiological contaminants that are larger than the filter's pores, which Berkey carbon filters are unable to do. That said, proper disinfection is always recommended for raw water that may be contaminated with pathogens. The pro one filters may or may not be sufficient for addressing other contaminants like dissolved organics, inorganics and metals.
Below are some of the containments that exceed greatly the health guidlines or my tap water/surface water available to me. Does the ProOne filter these out at least significantly? Or are these the "disinfection byproducts" you mentioned? 1,2,3-Trichloropropane Bromodichloromethane Chloroform Chromium Dibromochloromethane Haloacetic acids (HAA5)† Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)† Radium Nitrates
Many of these are disinfection byproducts: Bromodichloromethane Chloroform Dibromochloromethane Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) I'd recommend a reverse osmosis system which should be able to address not only the disinfection byproducts, but the chromium, radium and nitrates as well
Another great lab test video thank you so much. do you have a video showing your number one recommended gravity fed filter I would 100% watch and appreciate it. Thank you so much.
We try to test water sources that we know have fluoride. You can see all the systems we've tested and made videos about so far include fluoride as one of the analytes tested. That said, I hear your request for a video compiling info about the best countertop filters for fluoride reduction. Adding it to the list!
I don't. We saw barium reduced with the other 3 filters we tested at the same time, with the same water sample. This could suggest the increased concentration post-filtration in this test was coming from the unit itself. More testing would of course be needed to verify and determine if this is a pervasive issue
Great video, I am curious to hear your thoughts on ProOne's advertised length of life on the filters. The website states the filters last from 1000-1200 gallons depending on the product. But the ProOne testing data states they are only lab tested for 200 gallons. How do they determine the life of the filter?
Filter life is directly correlated with the type and concentration of contaminants in the water being filtered. The more contaminants the filter needs to remove, the faster the filter will hit capacity, causing a shorter lifespan.
That makes total sense. But how does one determine if the subject filter is still filtering efficiently? The Berkey red dye test is the only quick test I'm aware of. Would 1,000 gallons of city tap water or 200 gallons of river water be a good rule of thumb?
@@bobyager8641 Unfortunately there is no quick rule of thumb. Testing is the only way to know for sure. Obviously lab testing is a bit expensive just to verify if a filter is working. You could use at-home test strips which will detect the presence of a handful of the most common contaminants, and they are much cheaper than lab testing
Will you be doing a retest on this one? I’m really stuck between the waterdrop king tank and the proone. I feel like waterdrop isn’t as well known therefore, no lab tests and results. But your test on it came back really good for the waterdrop compared to the proone 🤔 makes it harder to choose. I’ll be using it for regular tap/city water.
I may do a retest in the future, but not specific ETA as of now. I'd probably go for the Waterdrop over this one, since our data showed the ProOne doesn't do so well with disinfection byproducts.
I did not. Country of origin is not a factor we consider in our scoring system. Thanks for the request of the 4 Patriots filter, I've got it on the list for consideration in a future project.
@@waterfilterguru The country of manufacture matters to me. China poisons, and I try to buy American if I can. Hard to find anything that isn't a scam in todays world.
@@waterfilterguru It wouldn't hurt to include it. Might make difference. I prefer Americans killing me rather than foreigners. I appreciate you doing this, so I subscribed. But Boobtube tells you that, from what I have heard. No hurry on the review, unless they are crap I am keeping them for a while.
Wait, What?! Are the filters introducing Barium and Strontium or not? You also say there are better options for filtering city water but leave us in the dark as to what they are. Please let us know. Thanks
Barium and Strontium did increase in detection post-filtration. I'd recommend a countertop reverse osmosis system with remineralization for filtering city water - RO provides much more thorough contaminant reduction than any gravity-fed system. The Aquatru geni.us/chlQv5ocontinues to hold its spot as the best countertop RO we've tested. Here are some more resources: All our Aquatru testing data: waterfilterguru.com/aquatru-review/ The top countertop filters we've tested: ua-cam.com/video/rAeRcqfXnRo/v-deo.html
@@waterfilterguru Thanks. I just installed the Pelican PC600 but it doesn't remove "fluoride" from my city water. I considered RO, but didn't want to remove the good minerals.
The ProOne pitcher uses the exact same filter technology as those in the stainless steel systems (just a smaller size). As you can see at 1:06, the filters didn't perform that great in reducing disinfection byproducts, which are only an issue in treated city water. That said, since you are only looking for a system to use with city water, you may want to consider something else. I'd recommend checking out Clearly Filtered geni.us/VsUZHW1 or ZeroWater geni.us/g7NtSZ
Interesting that you said if you want this for a SHTF/prepping situation of in filter water , then this is the way to go. But if your using it to filter tap water, there’s better option… Why the separation? City water should already be filtered, and if SHTF, none knows how long the water system will be running( or managed) to keep the water in the faucet clean enough to drink… Why wouldn’t this be a good option to filter tap water?
The difference in this case is disinfection. City tap water is disinfected at the treatment plant, destroying pathogens that pose serious health risk. The disinfection process creates byproducts which this filter did not do a good job of removing. Other systems we've tested have shown better results. Untreated surface water often contains these pathogens which are addressed at the treatment plant, so in an emergency situation we need a filter that is capable of dealing with these contaminants. Ceramic media, like is used in this system, is a proven method to physically remove microbiological contaminants and was proven effective in our lab testing.
Great review! I'm looking for a gravity fed system to have on hand for emergency preparedness. Do you recommend the ProOne or AlexaPure as best for this purpose? Thanks!
Hey Brian, thanks for the video. Wonder if you can help with a couple of questions - Is the white outer part of the filter made of ceramic? And is the blue bottom part of the filter also made of ceramic or is that plastic? Also the black thread and nut at the bottom of the filters looks like plastic, it is that correct?
These are great questions! Yes, the white outer shell of the filter is ceramic. The blue bottom bracket is plastic. The threads and nuts are also plastic.
Would you recommend this type of filter for the filtration of well water? I am planning to move into a fully off grid situation with no electricity (i.e. grid, solar, wind or hydro) or propane power, so I need a filter that doesn't rely on a power source.
It all depends on what contaminants are present in the well water. This system may or may not be sufficient to filter the water for drinking. Have you had the well tested yet?
@@ashleypeeler7313 I would like to know as well please. @waterfilterguru You also had mentioned above that their might be better options for treated city water? Thank you!
@@waterfilterguru Might be time for a recap since you have covered all the popular ones with a side by side comparison that summarizes all these videos?
Thanks so much! Was considering these for my Berkey at home but they are pricey and don't last long. Your review confirms this isn't a good fit for me.
Out of curiosity, where are you getting that these don't last long? We have been using them for two years and I have disagree with that statement. Ours is just a countertop gravity fed set up too and one 5" filter last us about 5 to 6 months filling it up at least once and day and some days twice a day. I listened twice and didn't hear him allude to that. You can scrub these off a couple of times with a pot scrubber which they always include in with the filter. Simply use until after cleaning the water still runs extremely slowly to where it is almost no drip at all and you'll know the filter is maxed out.
Wow! This is insane! Thanks for this. That filter is exactly the one I use in my small ProPure. I have city water in Mn and thewater tastes Aweful so I bought my small pro pure filter.
@@waterfilterguru it absolutely Does! I have been using it for a few years. I was lucky when pro pure was selling the little countertop stainless steel containers. I bought it for about 100 dollars and use the heck out of it. I wish they still sold the one I purchased years ago. I wish I had purchased two of them. The ceramic filters are expensive, But they last for months. It is a nice compact size and fits on my counter top. I may do a quick video showing it and I will tag you in it. It will be a couple weeks before I upload it.
Both these and the Water drop King Tank fluoride filters completely eliminated fluoride in our testing. Berkey had an issue in our first test, but worked better and completely eliminated fluoride in our second test. We did not test filter compatibility between units
Excellent review- I was debating between the ProOne and the Epic pitchers. Does the ProOne pitcher perform as well as the counter top that you used in your tests?
I am an avid outdoors person and use Sawyer products. But, I'm not knowledgeable on systems such as this. I live in a rural area and my water comes from a well. I have nothing connected to the incoming well water, so what im drinking, cooking, bathing, is straight well water. Our water is high in calcium. I was looking at the Berkey and the Pro 1. Without having my water tested, in your opinion, which would be better? Or, is there even a better brand im not aware of that would be better? Thank you for taking the time to make, edit, and upload these videos, they are very helpful.
It's hard to provide any specific recommendations without lab testing data. This is where I'd recommend to start. Testing is vitally important (especially for well water) so you can ensure to target the right treatment based on the specific water issues at hand. Without testing data, you may or may not end up purchasing capable equipment.
Hi thanks for reviewing the gravity filters! With the Pro one filters not filtering phosphorous is it safe to use them for 70 foot deep untreated well water near small farming cornfeilds?
I just responded to a couple of your other comments - apologies for the delay. Without knowing exactly what contaminants are present, its hard to say whether or not the ProOne would be sufficient. As a first step, I highly recommend lab testing your well water to get a complete, full understanding of the water issues at hand. I recommend and use Tap Score for lab testing - hands down the best I've come accross, check it out bit.ly/3kJcnnp
I assume that you know this but pro one filters are only NSF 42 certified and do not claim to be NSF 53 certified. The key difference between NSF certification for water standard 42 and 53 is that standard 42 focuses on aesthetic impurities like taste and odor (mainly chlorine), while standard 53 focuses on contaminants that can pose a health risk, such as lead and other heavy metals; essentially, 42 is for how water looks and tastes, while 53 is for its potential health effects. Consequently this video is providing some misinformation to viewers that could potentially be harmful to them particularly when you’re using NSF 42 filters on river water giving people the impression that these filters can handle river water, which is not true.
When I made this video, ProOne was still claiming their filters were capable of reducing microbiological contaminants (like those found in river water). It looks like they've since updated their product page to remove this wording, likely due to what happened with Berkey. However they are still showing lab report data on another page with reduction rates of bacteria, parasites and other microorganisms prooneusa.com/proone-lab-report/ The intent of my video is not to spread misinformation, but rather inform folks on how the filter performed in my real-life testing compared to the claims the company was making at the time. Additionally, ProOne filters are certified to NSF/ANSI 42 for _materials requirements only._ They are *not* performance certified for chlorine or particulate reduction under that same standard. Unfortunately some manufacturers rely on the public's ignorance in this area to present their products as if they are certified for performance. I talk all about that in this video ua-cam.com/video/pOOvhhrYlpw/v-deo.htmlsi=9AiiuepTOkuA6zD1&t=391
@@waterfilterguru thanks for your reply. Agree that the NSF 42 certification is only with respect to components. Based on your testing, it is apparent that ceramic can reduce some metals and other contaminant levels. However, there are videos on UA-cam telling people to switch to ceramic claiming that they are NSF certified (versus Berkey which are only third-party tested to meet or exceed NSF 53) but neither mentioning that ceramic pro one is NSF 42 nor that it’s only certification 42 of the components versus NSF 53. Not a spokesperson for Berkey. Just want to be informed consumer for something (water purity) that could be a critical depending upon the circumstances.
I just got 2 filters from them. The 7 inch. When i opened one package up all appeared well. The 2nd one i opened a half of teaspoon worth of "sand" looking stuff fell out the bottom of the filter. Immediate red flag. I installed both paying attention where the "sandy" one was placed. I filled up top chamber and waited. I lfted top champer up and the suspect filter was trickling water out at a high rate of speed compared to the other one. I can't get hold of a human at customer service. Not happy.
@waterfilterguru Ok, just got the replacement filters. I bought a 2 pack of 7 inch filters. 1 was bad. Customer service was good, just had to wait 1 day or 2 between emails. I was presently surprised when they sent me 2 filters to replace 1 bad one. That's good buisness. I hope they are both good. I haven't opened them yet. I will report back if any problems.
So what are the better choices that clear disinfection by-products from tap water? I have choramines in my water. I am in Toronto, Canada so I have ALL the crap in my water including fluoride. What would you recommend? Thank you
I'd recommend a countertop reverse osmosis system, rather than gravity-fed system. RO provides much more thorough contaminant reduction. Check out the Aquatru geni.us/chlQv5o
@@waterfilterguru Thank you. I will look into that. What about Clearly Filtered? It seems to be removing everything and I prefer "simpler" methods if possible. Not that crazy about destillers or RO unless absolutely necessary. Regarding RO I believe that there are certain things that it does not remove like volatiles, pharmaceuticals etc.
While neither of these contaminants were analyzed in our initial test, we can make a couple assumptions: 1) Activated carbon is currently one of the best methods to address PFAs in residential applications, and AC is one component of the media in these filters. We can extrapolate that they will reduce some % of PFAs. 2) Ceramic media can block suspended particles down to 0.5 microns in size. Microplastics can range from 1 -5,000 microns in size. So the ceramic media should be capable of reducing a large % of microplastics present. However if there are nanoplastics smaller than 0.5 microns, some might get through
I've got this project scheduled and prioritized! Make sure you're subscribed so you get notified when I upload the video www.youtube.com/@waterfilterguru?sub_confirmation=1
Glad you liked it! It depends. There is no 'one size fits all' solution. It all depends on what contaminants are in the source water being filtered. Have you had it tested? Do you know what contaminants you are dealing with? That said, for treated city water reverse osmosis will provide the most broad contaminant reduction.
@@loveguitars Check out a countertop RO system! These are meant exactly for folks who are not able to install a more permanent solution (ie. if you are renting). I love the AquaTru bit.ly/3w7nsB5 but you could also consider the RKIN U1 if you want more features bit.ly/3QJDNFo or even the Waterdrop N1 if you want a more basic system waterdropus.pxf.io/vnGOPW
There are typically no health risks from healthy minerals including sodium, potassium and magnesium. We just wanted to call out the discrepancy in our test results and speculate on the cause
So are there any recommendations for filters that do remove the disinfection by-products? As I do have a pro one filter But if there's something that works better I would love to get some suggestions so I can look into them further Thanks!😊
The Waterdrop King Tank filters performed well in our testing waterdropus.pxf.io/m53ze7 however we've not tested compatibility between the two system tanks
My well water is extremely hard. Mostly calcium and magnesium. Gives me eczema and makes my hair gross. I have to wash my hair and face with bottled water. You said it increased these minerals? So it wouldnt be right for me?
Please see our hypothesis explained at 2:54 again. We suspect this anomaly was due to our testing process, and these substances are not coming from the filters themselves. That said, your best bet to treat hard water is at the point of entry with an ion exchange water softener - that will help with the skin and hair irritation 😉
I have well water, yes its high in iron, but i have a iron filter on it, it gets a big majority of it, it is hard water, i clean the coffee maker maybe 2 times a year, the well contractors recommend a water softener, but the only thing is you see a slight ring in the toilet, but it gets cleaned often, other than that they claim my tap water is better than the city water they test often.
One of main issues caused by hard water is the scale that builds up in the plumbing and water using appliances, like the water heater and dishwasher, making them less efficient.
Thanks for the great review, but why is the Proone listed as the best gravity filter on your website if it has this performance issue (and Waterdrop, for instance, doesn’t)?
Waterdrop King Tank performed the best with city water, and overall in our scoring system geni.us/M8bSq however the ProOne would be best for emergency preparedness or filtering untreated surface water geni.us/0T5W8 I've got Aquacera on my list for the next time I do a round of gravity filter testing!
Thank you! It depends on what type of water you want to filter, and the contaminants that might be present. For emergency preparedness and filtering untreated water, ProOne hands down for their ceramic filters. Berkey have revoked their claims for microbiological contaminant reduction. For treated city water though, Berkey performed better in our testing as ProOne didn't do very well reducing disinfection byproducts.
Thanks for the video. There is one info I cannot get anywhere, so if someone has an answer it would be great ! Do you know if we can adapt a berkey filter in a proone jar ?
I have the Berkey Travel Water filter system. Is there an alternative filter to use with the Berkey that is more cost effective? I would also like to have the water that has been filtered through my Berkey tested to see if it is filtering as it should. I am concerned that I might have damaged the fluoride filter by turning it more than 8 turns when assembling the system. Would it be acceptable to use the link for having tap water analyzed to test my filtered water? I just need the assurance that my Berkey is doing its job.
It depends. There is no 'one size fits all' solution. It all depends on what contaminants are in the source water being filtered. What is the application? What type of water are you trying to filter? Have you had it tested? Do you know what contaminants you are dealing with (in addition to pharmaceuticals and ferric iron aka rust)? What type of system (POU vs POE) are you looking for?
I use a few, which vary depending on the situation and need. Here are just a few: AquaTru geni.us/chlQv5o RKIN U1 geni.us/9lWS Clearly Filtered pitcher geni.us/VsUZHW1 Epic The Answer geni.us/h6Eb Keep in mind that what works best for one water situation might not be ideal for another. This is because water quality can vary dramatically from region to region, city to city and even within the same neighborhood. It's always recommended to test your water before purchasing and water treatment equipment 😉
Have you tested any OR systems? I read where the whole house OR arnt good for clean water cause of the settlements in the hot water tank and that you cant use hot water. So was wondering about sink OR systems
I'm assuming you mean 'RO' (reverse osmosis) systems? If so, yes we have tested a few. You can find all the videos in our Product Testing playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLDqZ4wajyRIC2ji0iERZf35uFwyQE5vji.html&si=xhcmdK9XGDVzh8px
Hi, thanks for your water filter information you said in your video if you want to treat or filter town water there might be a better option than the pro one. Can you advise where to go we have tapwater here and we want to run it through gravity fed filter with the best results. One of our biggest biggest issue is fluoride. Thanks Marc
I know you said you're looking for gravity filters, but I'd hands down recommend a countertop RO system like the Aquatru geni.us/chlQv5o over any gravity system for overall superior contaminant reduction. Otherwise, the Clearly Filtered pitcher geni.us/VsUZHW1 and the Waterdrop King Tank waterdropus.pxf.io/ZQ3Kqg gravity systems did well with fluoride in our testing
Your channel is amazing! I am so glad I found it. Instantly subbed. When I was searching for a replacement for my Berkey I was constantly being met with and recommended Doulton/British Berkefeld. Any hope on seeing them get tested for their gravity fed system? Also possibly their under-sink system? If my water was equal to your water, what's your go to.. an RO system or gravity fed? Current top choice for each system? Would love to see ranked videos for each category on your personal preference! Keep it up.
Hey thanks for your comment, glad to hear our videos are helpful! We've had a number of requests for Doulton/British Berkefeld, so we definitely have them on our project list. I always tend to recommend RO over gravity-fed filtration. RO simply provides more broad contaminant reduction and thorough filtration, but of course it has it's drawbacks as well. Thanks for the request to see products ranked by category! This is the kind of feedback that really helps me prioritize what I should work on. Did you see our Best Water Filter Pitchers video where we tested and ranked 8 pitchers based on our data-driven scoring system? ua-cam.com/video/Pkncz7PoBFs/v-deo.html any feedback on the style/ way the data is presented in this video would be much appreciated 🙂
I had a TDS meter that measured 298 total dissolved solids in my tap water but measured 305 in my Pro one filter. Any idea as to why that could be? I also only use one filter whereas I see you have two installed so not sure what I should do. Honestly, I’m thinking about returning my filter since I’m still within the 30day mark. Just disappointed about it, which includes the smell and taste isn’t all that great
A TDS measurement alone isn't enough information to say one way or another. Check out this video to learn all about what TDS meters measure, and what they don't ua-cam.com/video/yHvdYWXiVzI/v-deo.html That's such a slight increase, I wouldn't be worried about it. Perhaps it has to do with mineral buildup inside the system and filters, coming out in the filtered water (like was the case in our test 2:53)
Do their gravity filters remove rust? Cant seem to find it or may have missed it. If not, do you have any recommendations? Got rust in the well water and would love a gravity system as a nice back up
Yes ceramic filters should be able to reduce rust. Since rust (oxidized iron) is a suspended particle in the water, it will be physically blocked and removed by the small pores in the ceramic filter.
@@waterfilterguru What ceramic filters do you recommend just for overall good tasting well water? Getting exhausted doing hours of research and rabbit holes that some filters may "leach aluminum" or that the Pro one I see is only "component certification"?. Thank you very much for reply.
@@YardPrep00 Ceramic filters alone won't necessarily improve the taste of water. The most effective method to improve taste is to filter with an activated carbon filter. Are you the owner of the well? When was your well last tested by a certified lab? What contaminants/ water issues need to be addressed besides ferric (oxidized) iron?
@@waterfilterguru Yes, out on an acreage. Water is fine just traces of rust in the water. Looking for a good gravity filter setup basically incase of SHTF
Gotha. I'd go for the ProOne then - just make sure to also have a method of disinfection prepared as well. On that note, did you see my recent video about emergency SHTF water prep? ua-cam.com/video/Btqqwd_cLiA/v-deo.html
🔥 Check out ProOne here ➡ geni.us/proone-big
After 9mo. do you have any new data on the potential leakage of disinfection biproducts? Thanks
@@RonGageMusic I do not, we've not retested yet
I assume that you know this but pro one filters are only NSF 42 certified and do not claim to be NSF 53 certified. The key difference between NSF certification for water standard 42 and 53 is that standard 42 focuses on aesthetic impurities like taste and odor (mainly chlorine), while standard 53 focuses on contaminants that can pose a health risk, such as lead and other heavy metals; essentially, 42 is for how water looks and tastes, while 53 is for its potential health effects. Consequently this video is providing some misinformation to viewers that could potentially be harmful to them particularly when you’re using NSF 42 filters on river water giving people the impression that these filters can handle river water, which is not true.
@@randysmith3990 Thanks for your comment, but the video is not providing misinformation. At the time this video was recorded, ProOne was claiming their filters could be used to remove bacteria, parasites and other microorganisms from untreated surface water sources. It looks like they've since removed those claims from their website (most likely because they saw what happened to Berkey). They still show testing data for bacteria, parasites, and other microbiological contaminants found in untreated water though....prooneusa.com/proone-lab-report/
It should also be noted that ProOne filters are only _partially_ certified to NSF/ANSI 42 for _materials requirements only_ unfortunately some manufacturers mislead consumers like this in order to sell their products. I've discussed this in detail in this video ua-cam.com/video/pOOvhhrYlpw/v-deo.htmlsi=iAiU6XFQpgPGL_J-&t=391
Anyway, ceramic filters are one of the oldest methods for addressing pathogens in water. That said, ProOne should get certified for performance.
DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM. They no longer ship items or reply to email
So few reviewers actually test in a lab and even fewer publish the receipts with links to the lab reports. Keep up the good work!
🤙🤙🤓🤓
He's the king when it comes to water filter reviews. Everyone else falls short... this was a very in -depth video on this water filter
great reviews, it’s funny to see real lab results and a lot of products don’t really remove Flouride, i’m glad this one does!
Glad it was helpful!
We just bought one during their annual -25% off holiday sale on gravity units. Love 100% removal of fluoride, chlorine, bacteria + more. Great assembly instructions + customer service.The Traveller+ unit holds 2 gallons less 2 cups of water, with two 7 inch filters in it. To start, run about 4 or 5 batches through it, the filters will gradually hydrate + allow more water through. It takes about 2 1/2 hours (maybe less) to run about 2 gallons through it.
Right on! 🤙
When you say 4 or 5 batches, do you mean fill and empty the whole thing that many times?
Thank you so very much for letting me know that this was available and for the work that you do. Another great job. Cheers! 😊
You're very welcome!
I have been looking for someone who actually went through the effort to testing the water.
I feel a lot of other videos were made just to get you to use their link.
The comparison chart you did was really helpful.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the review. I will have to listen to this again and take notes. I see now why it takes you awhile to do a review. Very much appreciated. Will probably get my own sample done as city water varies greatly from varied locations. Keep up the good work.
Glad it was helpful :)
I would like to see a re-test on these filters like you did the berkey filters 😊 to see if disinfectant byproducts were in fact a fluke.
Thanks for your request! I'm very interested to do the same
Thanks bro, you're a life saver. I'm hoping the disinfectant byproducts were a fluke. The water from these filters tastes great and I'm glad they actually eliminate the Fluoride (unlike the AlexaPure I was using before). I already bought a year supply of these so I'm glad they'll do the job in an emergency (just in case).
Glad I could help, thanks for watching
I bought one and grabbed some basic tests and a TDS ( Total dissolved solids) meter. On the TDS meter however, the number INCREASED after filtration. My tap water is 44-45 and after filtration, it is currently at 74. So I can see the filter is adding something to the water. I called the company and asked, and the customer service person didn't provide anything helpful. She said, "that's not how our filters work". I'm thinking about posting a video based on that, and basic test strip results. I can confirm the filter is adding something to increase the TDS, total dissolved solids. I will add. I have cleaned the filter, followed the instructions in the setup, and noticed the initial flushes that are required with the system set up, gave very high TDS numbers. I tested just to see what the number was. It was 384 TDS. After the required flushes, it was 78. I also broke down the filter, and cleaned the outside again, and let it dry and the same results happened. I can conclude something in the filter is adding to the water. After watching this video, the lab results also showed an increase in certain things. The fact the company won't openly address that is concerning. I guess you have to weigh the dangers of bottled water, tap water, and this filtered water.
Great video. Thank you for doing this. I’m a bit disappointed, I was hoping that the ProOne filter would fill my need, but your data shows that it doesn’t.
I have city water with high chlorine and high fluoride and I’m looking for a gravity filter option that can eliminate both. I had a Berkey with fluoride filters but one of your other videos demonstrated that the fluoride filters for the Berkey were ADDING aluminum to the water.
I’m at a loss right now.
Have you seen our Berkey Test 2 video? ua-cam.com/video/1QL3McV20YM/v-deo.html
I did and I was not persuaded. Your first video was eye opening
@@dad2princesses896 It was the 100 gal of water that had to go through it to clear it. My gosh can we trust anything? Or is that saying something is better than nothing? It is so confusing.
Same here...there are so many days when I'm doing dishes or taking a shower and all I can smell is hotel pool 😳🤢🤢🤢
Thank you, good sir! Your work is much appreciated.
My pleasure!
Thank you for putting this together!
Glad you enjoyed it!
We have horrible city water with a biofilm problem. The biofilm grows in our pro one filters. Our filtered water tastes just like our unfiltered water. I was cleaning the filter every day and it was not helping. I added colloidal silver to the water pre-filter and that helped the taste greatly. I can’t keep doing that. I will have to find a better filter.
Have you reached out to your water provider about the biofilm issue? What are they doing to address the problem?
Biofilm? Ew!!! That is NOT okay!!! You may find the natural path silver wings more economical. High ppm.
Tap Score ! Thanks Water Filter Guru :) Great product review as usual, perhaps best yet !!!
Thank you Johnny!
I really would think another round of testing would have been done before publishing results. It takes time and money but you have no idea for sure why till then. From my experience, I would not buy from Pro One again. we bought them years ago. then bought them again. this time I tested with blue dye. at least one of 4 filters allowed blue dye through. Customer service was kinda sketchy and basically seemed that some amount of blue dye was ok. Dye particles are larger than all the things we are concerned about. So if dye is coming through, what else also is. Finally they agreed to a full refund and not an exchange. Pro One is getting their filters manufactured by a third party in the UK though that may have changed.
Ideally we'd have 10+ tests worth of data, the more the better
Yeah I tried ordering from them a year or two ago but the one we wanted was on backorder. I signed up for email when back in stock and instead of sending just one, they sent dozens. Over the course of 2 hours I lost count how many I'd gotten, just minutes (or even seconds) apart. I tried fixing it but their customer service was garbage. I reported as many as I could as spam and never looked back. It's a shame, because it sounded so promising.
Thank you so much for doing this lab test! I would particularly love to see a side-by-side independent lab test comparison that you have conducted for the ProOne Water filter pitcher & the Clearly Filtered water pitcher. Also, the plastic water filter pitcher may yield different results than the large metal containers. Thank you!
Thanks for your suggestion, we may be able to do this in a future project. That said, the filter element used in the ProOne pitcher is exactly the same as those used in the stainless steel units - the only difference being size.
Wow, thanks for the robust testing (100 gallons probably took a while to flush through it!) and also thanks for being forthright about testing shortfalls and possible sources of error. That causes me to trust a review more than someone that tries to seem infallible or definitive
Thanks for your feedback, this really helps validate the process we use for these testing projects is working as intended!
I appreciate the links to the tests!
I appreciate you watching!
I've searched online it feels like nearly everywhere, and no one can answer my question, but I thought you might be able to with how in-depth you go in your testing.
I recently purchased the ProOne gravity-fed water filter system (the one shown in this video), and despite thorough cleaning of the canisters and properly installing their water filters (following instructions to a T), our filtered water comes out smelling and tasting metallic. It also has a fine, black residue that settles in the bottom canister. We've used a PUR Plus water pitcher for years and never had our water taste or smell metallic pre or post filtration and also have never seen the black residue. We even tried purchasing a glass canister system and used it with the ProOne filters, thinking the issue was possibly due to the stainless steel, but nope - same issue despite being in glass. Any thoughts would be priceless. Thanks for all you do to share info on water filtration.
Hi thanks for the question! The black residue is most likely carbon media fines washing out from the filter. This is normal, poses no risk and should dissipate with time. You could remove the filters, get them filled with water, cover the hole in the stem and shake them then drain and repeat to try to speed up this flushing of carbon fines.
As for the metallic taste and smell, it's hard to say for sure without looking at testing data. Does the unfiltered water have the same taste and smell? Or is it only after being filtered through this specific system?
@@waterfilterguru Good to know about the carbon fines. We’ll have to give that a try.
The unfiltered water has no metallic taste or smell. We only smell and taste the issue after filtering through the ProOne filters. We have yet to try other brand filters (other than the PUR Plus dispenser I mentioned, which does not create this taste).
Also if the filtered water sits for a little while (like a few hours) the metallic taste and smell becomes more pronounced.
@@grapefields25 what is the pH of the water?
@@waterfilterguru Our city water report a few months ago states our water to be at a level of 9.14pH
In a grid down system we would boil the water first before we putting it through a filtration system . If possible.
Or after filtration. As long as it's disinfected before consumption 👍
We have city water and wanting to eliminate flouride. Thank you for this test!! Sounds like it’s what we want. 🎉
You are welcome!
I'd like to know why berkey filters never filtered floride without the extra thingy but these do..
Got my sub.
I love science based reviews 🙌
Thanks for the sub, glad you like the videos! Get ready for more coming
Hi! Thank you for this info. Which filter do you recommend more than this one for city water?
It depends. There is no 'one size fits all' solution. It all depends on what contaminants are in the source water being filtered. Have you had the water tested? Do you know what contaminants you are dealing with?
Great video. Now I need to look for a AquaCera AMB filter test.
We've got it on the list 😉
@@waterfilterguru it’s an interesting filter. It has a solid core in the middle that all the water has to pass. I broke an old one apart and took pictures of your interested?
@@Labukh84 wierd he didn't answer you...
Did u do testing toward the end of the filter life to see if it is still highly effective?😮
Not yet - lot's of requests to test all filters at the end of their expected filter life though! Will be working on this in the future
Really great explanation of the results. Thanks for sharing!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you. I have a ProOne Counter top for 5 years. Last year is the first time I was unable to find water filters for the ProOne. Do you have any clue if this company is still doing business. I decided to purchase the Clearly Filtered an am happy with it. I have been using it since October as I was unable to purchase the ProOne filters. So thank you for the review on Clearly Filtered. Now which water countertop would be as good or better than ProOne. Thank you for all your reviews. They help us a lot.
Yes, you can order ProOne replacement filters here geni.us/gkhhl
@@waterfilterguru I appreciate your response but the filters are nowhere to be found. I usually order from their site, but they have been out of stock since forever. None of my calls are returned as well. Thank you anyway may have to research on what to purchase to replace my ProOne.
We just switched to Pro One filters from Berkey after learning that Fluoride filters were adding aluminum dioxide to our water. We loved the taste of Berkey. Almost sweet like Sparklets Water. now after 4 weeks and many cycles, the PO filters just taste sub par to Berkey. Likely the re mineralization but found a Reddit thread of many that complain about the different taste of Pro One. Maybe do a taste test of them all vs only test results please!?!
What remineralization are you referring to? Neither ProOne or Berkey include media to remineralize water
@@waterfilterguruI understood the ceramic filter also contains calcium and magnesium that leech into water during filtration process.
@@dwaynem.7025 nope, see 3:02 for the explanation and hypothesis as to why we saw increased detections of some minerals post-filtration. I think it was our testing process, and using a different water source with higher concentrations of hardness minerals to prime the filters to 100 gallons before testing with a different water source. We do not suspect the increased concentrations of minerals were coming from the filter elements themselves.
so... for filtering city water... which one do you think is best on a cost/benefit analysis? and for filtering "boil water advisory" or random stream water, which one would you suggest?
Depends, what contaminants are present that need to be addressed?
For city water, I tend to lean towards reverse osmosis, because these systems target the most broad range of contaminants.
To be prepared for a boil water advisory or filtering untreated surface water, the ProOne or another system with ceramic filters would be a good choice.
Thanks for this update!
Which city tap water was used for the tests?
Thanks for watching!
You didn't answer his question...
What is your favourite gravity-fed filter? New subscriber. Hope you do the British Berkefeld one soon. Thanks!
Though I don't have a video yet, I do have an article comparing the gravity filters I've tested: waterfilterguru.com/best-gravity-water-filter/
British Berkefeld is in the works!
I had ordered a Berkey then read that it’s not meant for use with water softeners from well water but this ProOne should be ok. Do you know if this is the case before I order one? Thank you!!
It depends on what contaminants are in the well water. The ProOne ceramic filters will physically filter microbiological contaminants that are larger than the filter's pores, which Berkey carbon filters are unable to do. That said, proper disinfection is always recommended for raw water that may be contaminated with pathogens. The pro one filters may or may not be sufficient for addressing other contaminants like dissolved organics, inorganics and metals.
Thank you for your help with this!
@@SoxR04 You're welcome
Thanks for the video. So what ARE the better options you mentioned?
Waterdrop King Tank waterdropus.pxf.io/ZQ3Kqg
Berkey with black filters only tinyurl.com/bdfrzxsb
@@waterfilterguru Thanks
@@waterfilterguruwhy Berkeley filters with black filters only as opposed to with the added fluoride filters?
@@Davo198 the Berkey PF2 fluoride filters leached high levels of activated alumina media in our testing
@@waterfilterguru oh wow. Thanks for clarifying
Below are some of the containments that exceed greatly the health guidlines or my tap water/surface water available to me. Does the ProOne filter these out at least significantly? Or are these the "disinfection byproducts" you mentioned?
1,2,3-Trichloropropane
Bromodichloromethane
Chloroform
Chromium
Dibromochloromethane
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)†
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)†
Radium
Nitrates
Many of these are disinfection byproducts:
Bromodichloromethane
Chloroform
Dibromochloromethane
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
I'd recommend a reverse osmosis system which should be able to address not only the disinfection byproducts, but the chromium, radium and nitrates as well
Really like to see a review for microplastics and PFAs that ProOne is claiming they can remove
Thanks for the request! I'd love to see how it performs with these as well
Another great lab test video thank you so much. do you have a video showing your number one recommended gravity fed filter I would 100% watch and appreciate it. Thank you so much.
I don't have a best gravity water filters video yet, but thanks for the request!
Subscribed! Thank you for your work. Would be great to see a video on Doulton filters.
Coming soon!
@@waterfilterguru Yes!🙌
In your opinion, what system tested the best for gravity fed?
Waterdrop King Tank for City Water geni.us/M8bSq
ProOne for river water geni.us/0T5W8
I love your channel and content, keep up the great work
Thanks for the feedback!
Pro One says they're releasing their G3.0 filters soon. I'd like to see this test redone once it comes out and compares.
Thanks for the request
Can you do a video on counter top fluoride water filters?
We try to test water sources that we know have fluoride. You can see all the systems we've tested and made videos about so far include fluoride as one of the analytes tested.
That said, I hear your request for a video compiling info about the best countertop filters for fluoride reduction. Adding it to the list!
Thank you. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, will do!
Do you have a hypothesis for the reason there was a doubling of the amount of Barium in the water?
I don't. We saw barium reduced with the other 3 filters we tested at the same time, with the same water sample. This could suggest the increased concentration post-filtration in this test was coming from the unit itself. More testing would of course be needed to verify and determine if this is a pervasive issue
Great video, I am curious to hear your thoughts on ProOne's advertised length of life on the filters. The website states the filters last from 1000-1200 gallons depending on the product. But the ProOne testing data states they are only lab tested for 200 gallons. How do they determine the life of the filter?
Filter life is directly correlated with the type and concentration of contaminants in the water being filtered. The more contaminants the filter needs to remove, the faster the filter will hit capacity, causing a shorter lifespan.
That makes total sense. But how does one determine if the subject filter is still filtering efficiently? The Berkey red dye test is the only quick test I'm aware of. Would 1,000 gallons of city tap water or 200 gallons of river water be a good rule of thumb?
@@bobyager8641 Unfortunately there is no quick rule of thumb. Testing is the only way to know for sure. Obviously lab testing is a bit expensive just to verify if a filter is working. You could use at-home test strips which will detect the presence of a handful of the most common contaminants, and they are much cheaper than lab testing
Did you test the river water before putting it through the filter?
Yes, links to the lab reports are in the description
Will you be doing a retest on this one? I’m really stuck between the waterdrop king tank and the proone. I feel like waterdrop isn’t as well known therefore, no lab tests and results. But your test on it came back really good for the waterdrop compared to the proone 🤔 makes it harder to choose. I’ll be using it for regular tap/city water.
I may do a retest in the future, but not specific ETA as of now. I'd probably go for the Waterdrop over this one, since our data showed the ProOne doesn't do so well with disinfection byproducts.
You didn't say where it was manufactured. I would love for you to test the 4 Patriots filter.
I did not. Country of origin is not a factor we consider in our scoring system.
Thanks for the request of the 4 Patriots filter, I've got it on the list for consideration in a future project.
@@waterfilterguru The country of manufacture matters to me. China poisons, and I try to buy American if I can. Hard to find anything that isn't a scam in todays world.
That's fair. All I was saying is that country of origin is not a factor in _our_ scoring system waterfilterguru.com/how-we-test-water-filters/
@@waterfilterguru It wouldn't hurt to include it. Might make difference. I prefer Americans killing me rather than foreigners. I appreciate you doing this, so I subscribed. But Boobtube tells you that, from what I have heard. No hurry on the review, unless they are crap I am keeping them for a while.
Wait, What?! Are the filters introducing Barium and Strontium or not?
You also say there are better options for filtering city water but leave us in the dark as to what they are. Please let us know. Thanks
Barium and Strontium did increase in detection post-filtration.
I'd recommend a countertop reverse osmosis system with remineralization for filtering city water - RO provides much more thorough contaminant reduction than any gravity-fed system. The Aquatru geni.us/chlQv5ocontinues to hold its spot as the best countertop RO we've tested. Here are some more resources:
All our Aquatru testing data: waterfilterguru.com/aquatru-review/
The top countertop filters we've tested: ua-cam.com/video/rAeRcqfXnRo/v-deo.html
@@waterfilterguru Thanks. I just installed the Pelican PC600 but it doesn't remove "fluoride" from my city water. I considered RO, but didn't want to remove the good minerals.
@@alexc2234 Many modern RO systems either include, or have the option to include a remineralization filter. Makes remineralizing easy peasy
@@waterfilterguru Thanks so much. Now I have to decide if I rather have fluoride, or barium and strontium in my drinking water :)
Great review! Thank you
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
Great video!
Was leaning toward the smaller PurOne pitcher, but this is strictly for city water. Suggestions?
The ProOne pitcher uses the exact same filter technology as those in the stainless steel systems (just a smaller size). As you can see at 1:06, the filters didn't perform that great in reducing disinfection byproducts, which are only an issue in treated city water.
That said, since you are only looking for a system to use with city water, you may want to consider something else. I'd recommend checking out Clearly Filtered geni.us/VsUZHW1 or ZeroWater geni.us/g7NtSZ
@@waterfilterguru Thanks! Watched your video on the ClearlyFiltered pitcher and ordered from your link!
Interesting that you said if you want this for a SHTF/prepping situation of in filter water , then this is the way to go.
But if your using it to filter tap water, there’s better option…
Why the separation? City water should already be filtered, and if SHTF, none knows how long the water system will be running( or managed) to keep the water in the faucet clean enough to drink…
Why wouldn’t this be a good option to filter tap water?
The difference in this case is disinfection.
City tap water is disinfected at the treatment plant, destroying pathogens that pose serious health risk. The disinfection process creates byproducts which this filter did not do a good job of removing. Other systems we've tested have shown better results.
Untreated surface water often contains these pathogens which are addressed at the treatment plant, so in an emergency situation we need a filter that is capable of dealing with these contaminants. Ceramic media, like is used in this system, is a proven method to physically remove microbiological contaminants and was proven effective in our lab testing.
@@waterfilterguru so out of all the water filtration systems you tested similar to ProOne, which one is better in your opinion ?
@@dream_chaser7569 For treated city water, Waterdrop, Berkey, and Alexapure all performed better.
For untreated surface water, I'd go with ProOne
Thanks for doing this!
Sure thing! Thanks for watching
Great review! I'm looking for a gravity fed system to have on hand for emergency preparedness. Do you recommend the ProOne or AlexaPure as best for this purpose? Thanks!
I'd personally go with ProOne due to their ceramic shell filters
Hey Brian, thanks for the video. Wonder if you can help with a couple of questions - Is the white outer part of the filter made of ceramic? And is the blue bottom part of the filter also made of ceramic or is that plastic?
Also the black thread and nut at the bottom of the filters looks like plastic, it is that correct?
These are great questions!
Yes, the white outer shell of the filter is ceramic.
The blue bottom bracket is plastic. The threads and nuts are also plastic.
@@waterfilterguru thanks a lot for clarifying Brian 🙏
Crazy how so many of these filters have so much plastic in contact with water!
@@Davo198 happy to help!
Would you recommend this type of filter for the filtration of well water? I am planning to move into a fully off grid situation with no electricity (i.e. grid, solar, wind or hydro) or propane power, so I need a filter that doesn't rely on a power source.
It all depends on what contaminants are present in the well water. This system may or may not be sufficient to filter the water for drinking. Have you had the well tested yet?
What is the best gravity fed water system in your opinion for city water?
It depends, what contaminants are in the water that you need to address?
@waterfilterguru we are looking to filter out flouride and lead. We would also like a system that we could also filter river water if we had to.
@@ashleypeeler7313 I would like to know as well please. @waterfilterguru You also had mentioned above that their might be better options for treated city water? Thank you!
@@waterfilterguru Might be time for a recap since you have covered all the popular ones with a side by side comparison that summarizes all these videos?
@@mnj5089 Thanks for the suggestion!
Thanks so much! Was considering these for my Berkey at home but they are pricey and don't last long. Your review confirms this isn't a good fit for me.
Out of curiosity, where are you getting that these don't last long? We have been using them for two years and I have disagree with that statement. Ours is just a countertop gravity fed set up too and one 5" filter last us about 5 to 6 months filling it up at least once and day and some days twice a day. I listened twice and didn't hear him allude to that. You can scrub these off a couple of times with a pot scrubber which they always include in with the filter. Simply use until after cleaning the water still runs extremely slowly to where it is almost no drip at all and you'll know the filter is maxed out.
It all depends on the quality of the influent (source water) being filtered 😉
Wow! This is insane! Thanks for this. That filter is exactly the one I use in my small ProPure. I have city water in Mn and thewater tastes Aweful so I bought my small pro pure filter.
Thanks for watching. Does the proone make your water taste better?
@@waterfilterguru it absolutely Does! I have been using it for a few years. I was lucky when pro pure was selling the little countertop stainless steel containers. I bought it for about 100 dollars and use the heck out of it. I wish they still sold the one I purchased years ago. I wish I had purchased two of them. The ceramic filters are expensive, But they last for months. It is a nice compact size and fits on my counter top. I may do a quick video showing it and I will tag you in it. It will be a couple weeks before I upload it.
Would like to see a test of the Dry Element
Got it on the list! Thanks for the request
So it this filter cartridge the best for removing fluoride out of city water for a gravity water system?
Will these cartridges fit the Alexa pure?
Both these and the Water drop King Tank fluoride filters completely eliminated fluoride in our testing. Berkey had an issue in our first test, but worked better and completely eliminated fluoride in our second test. We did not test filter compatibility between units
Excellent review- I was debating between the ProOne and the Epic pitchers. Does the ProOne pitcher perform as well as the counter top that you used in your tests?
The pitcher uses the exact same filter element as the stainless steel unit, just a smaller size
If these filters don't have aluminum oxide in them, how exactly are they removing fluoride?
Bone char GAC most likely
I am an avid outdoors person and use Sawyer products. But, I'm not knowledgeable on systems such as this. I live in a rural area and my water comes from a well. I have nothing connected to the incoming well water, so what im drinking, cooking, bathing, is straight well water. Our water is high in calcium.
I was looking at the Berkey and the Pro 1. Without having my water tested, in your opinion, which would be better? Or, is there even a better brand im not aware of that would be better?
Thank you for taking the time to make, edit, and upload these videos, they are very helpful.
It's hard to provide any specific recommendations without lab testing data. This is where I'd recommend to start. Testing is vitally important (especially for well water) so you can ensure to target the right treatment based on the specific water issues at hand. Without testing data, you may or may not end up purchasing capable equipment.
So filtration isn't enough? We must boil as well either before or after filtration? That complicates survival mode😢
Yes, I always recommend a proper method of disinfection in addition to filtration. Chemical, boiling or UV
What about the doulton ultra fluoride filter?
Got it on my to-do list already!
Thank you !
You're welcome!
What do you use personally in your home for water filtration?
Reverse osmosis with remineralization always for drinking water
Hi thanks for reviewing the gravity filters! With the Pro one filters not filtering phosphorous is it safe to use them for 70 foot deep untreated well water near small farming cornfeilds?
I just responded to a couple of your other comments - apologies for the delay. Without knowing exactly what contaminants are present, its hard to say whether or not the ProOne would be sufficient. As a first step, I highly recommend lab testing your well water to get a complete, full understanding of the water issues at hand. I recommend and use Tap Score for lab testing - hands down the best I've come accross, check it out bit.ly/3kJcnnp
Dont worry about it Im grateful you answered! Your a smart honorable man with integrity. I will heed your advice! Thank you so much
I assume that you know this but pro one filters are only NSF 42 certified and do not claim to be NSF 53 certified. The key difference between NSF certification for water standard 42 and 53 is that standard 42 focuses on aesthetic impurities like taste and odor (mainly chlorine), while standard 53 focuses on contaminants that can pose a health risk, such as lead and other heavy metals; essentially, 42 is for how water looks and tastes, while 53 is for its potential health effects. Consequently this video is providing some misinformation to viewers that could potentially be harmful to them particularly when you’re using NSF 42 filters on river water giving people the impression that these filters can handle river water, which is not true.
When I made this video, ProOne was still claiming their filters were capable of reducing microbiological contaminants (like those found in river water).
It looks like they've since updated their product page to remove this wording, likely due to what happened with Berkey. However they are still showing lab report data on another page with reduction rates of bacteria, parasites and other microorganisms prooneusa.com/proone-lab-report/
The intent of my video is not to spread misinformation, but rather inform folks on how the filter performed in my real-life testing compared to the claims the company was making at the time.
Additionally, ProOne filters are certified to NSF/ANSI 42 for _materials requirements only._ They are *not* performance certified for chlorine or particulate reduction under that same standard.
Unfortunately some manufacturers rely on the public's ignorance in this area to present their products as if they are certified for performance. I talk all about that in this video ua-cam.com/video/pOOvhhrYlpw/v-deo.htmlsi=9AiiuepTOkuA6zD1&t=391
@@waterfilterguru thanks for your reply. Agree that the NSF 42 certification is only with respect to components. Based on your testing, it is apparent that ceramic can reduce some metals and other contaminant levels. However, there are videos on UA-cam telling people to switch to ceramic claiming that they are NSF certified (versus Berkey which are only third-party tested to meet or exceed NSF 53) but neither mentioning that ceramic pro one is NSF 42 nor that it’s only certification 42 of the components versus NSF 53. Not a spokesperson for Berkey. Just want to be informed consumer for something (water purity) that could be a critical depending upon the circumstances.
Thank you!! Very helpful❤
Glad it was helpful!
I just got 2 filters from them. The 7 inch. When i opened one package up all appeared well. The 2nd one i opened a half of teaspoon worth of "sand" looking stuff fell out the bottom of the filter. Immediate red flag. I installed both paying attention where the "sandy" one was placed. I filled up top chamber and waited. I lfted top champer up and the suspect filter was trickling water out at a high rate of speed compared to the other one. I can't get hold of a human at customer service.
Not happy.
Was the "sand" black?
@waterfilterguru
No Sir
In that case it's likely the ceramic shell is compromised. That should be covered under warranty, keep trying to contact customer support
@waterfilterguru
Ok, just got the replacement filters. I bought a 2 pack of 7 inch filters. 1 was bad. Customer service was good, just had to wait 1 day or 2 between emails. I was presently surprised when they sent me 2 filters to replace 1 bad one. That's good buisness. I hope they are both good. I haven't opened them yet.
I will report back if any problems.
@@tommcstacker4216 Glad to hear it! Keep us posted
Thanks for the info 👍
You bet!
So what are the better choices that clear disinfection by-products from tap water? I have choramines in my water.
I am in Toronto, Canada so I have ALL the crap in my water including fluoride. What would you recommend?
Thank you
I'd recommend a countertop reverse osmosis system, rather than gravity-fed system. RO provides much more thorough contaminant reduction. Check out the Aquatru geni.us/chlQv5o
@@waterfilterguru Thank you. I will look into that. What about Clearly Filtered? It seems to be removing everything and I prefer "simpler" methods if possible. Not that crazy about destillers or RO unless absolutely necessary.
Regarding RO I believe that there are certain things that it does not remove like volatiles, pharmaceuticals etc.
So is it better to use the proone or the berkey?
It depends, what type of water source are you trying to filter? What contaminants do you need to target?
Thanks for the great videos! How do these ProOne filters do with PFAS and microplastic filtration?
While neither of these contaminants were analyzed in our initial test, we can make a couple assumptions:
1) Activated carbon is currently one of the best methods to address PFAs in residential applications, and AC is one component of the media in these filters. We can extrapolate that they will reduce some % of PFAs.
2) Ceramic media can block suspended particles down to 0.5 microns in size. Microplastics can range from 1 -5,000 microns in size. So the ceramic media should be capable of reducing a large % of microplastics present. However if there are nanoplastics smaller than 0.5 microns, some might get through
@@waterfilterguru WFG for President!
Hi, could you please review the british berkefed filter, they are the very first and original one, wander if ther is a difference
Thank you
I've got this project scheduled and prioritized! Make sure you're subscribed so you get notified when I upload the video www.youtube.com/@waterfilterguru?sub_confirmation=1
Awesome Video! What are the best filter systems for city water? Thank you!🙏
Glad you liked it!
It depends. There is no 'one size fits all' solution. It all depends on what contaminants are in the source water being filtered. Have you had it tested? Do you know what contaminants you are dealing with?
That said, for treated city water reverse osmosis will provide the most broad contaminant reduction.
@@waterfilterguru Thank you. I have not had my water tested. I rent and cannot install a RO system. Any thoughts a a good filter system? Thank you.
@@loveguitars Check out a countertop RO system! These are meant exactly for folks who are not able to install a more permanent solution (ie. if you are renting). I love the AquaTru bit.ly/3w7nsB5 but you could also consider the RKIN U1 if you want more features bit.ly/3QJDNFo or even the Waterdrop N1 if you want a more basic system waterdropus.pxf.io/vnGOPW
But what’s wrong with added minerals like sodium potassium and magnesium for example? Aren’t these like electrolytes?
There are typically no health risks from healthy minerals including sodium, potassium and magnesium. We just wanted to call out the discrepancy in our test results and speculate on the cause
So are there any recommendations for filters that do remove the disinfection by-products? As I do have a pro one filter But if there's something that works better I would love to get some suggestions so I can look into them further Thanks!😊
The Waterdrop King Tank filters performed well in our testing waterdropus.pxf.io/m53ze7 however we've not tested compatibility between the two system tanks
My well water is extremely hard. Mostly calcium and magnesium. Gives me eczema and makes my hair gross. I have to wash my hair and face with bottled water. You said it increased these minerals? So it wouldnt be right for me?
Please see our hypothesis explained at 2:54 again. We suspect this anomaly was due to our testing process, and these substances are not coming from the filters themselves.
That said, your best bet to treat hard water is at the point of entry with an ion exchange water softener - that will help with the skin and hair irritation 😉
Just discovered your channel! Thank you for all the work you do. I have used the Zen Water System for many years. Have you ever done a test on them?
We have not tested that one yet
I have well water, yes its high in iron, but i have a iron filter on it, it gets a big majority of it, it is hard water, i clean the coffee maker maybe 2 times a year, the well contractors recommend a water softener, but the only thing is you see a slight ring in the toilet, but it gets cleaned often, other than that they claim my tap water is better than the city water they test often.
One of main issues caused by hard water is the scale that builds up in the plumbing and water using appliances, like the water heater and dishwasher, making them less efficient.
Can you test Boroux? It's a Berkey "twin". And also don't use 3rd party testing. Why wouldn't they?
It's in the works!
Thanks for the great review, but why is the Proone listed as the best gravity filter on your website if it has this performance issue (and Waterdrop, for instance, doesn’t)?
We are currently in the process of revamping and updating many articles on the site. This is in the works
@@waterfilterguru cool, thanks!
So which is the best of the gravity water filters your tested? Also can you test tge aquacera gravity systems?
Waterdrop King Tank performed the best with city water, and overall in our scoring system geni.us/M8bSq however the ProOne would be best for emergency preparedness or filtering untreated surface water geni.us/0T5W8
I've got Aquacera on my list for the next time I do a round of gravity filter testing!
Another excellent review. If you were choosing between a Berkey and this ProOne, what would be your deciding factors?
Thank you! It depends on what type of water you want to filter, and the contaminants that might be present. For emergency preparedness and filtering untreated water, ProOne hands down for their ceramic filters. Berkey have revoked their claims for microbiological contaminant reduction.
For treated city water though, Berkey performed better in our testing as ProOne didn't do very well reducing disinfection byproducts.
Thanks for the video. There is one info I cannot get anywhere, so if someone has an answer it would be great !
Do you know if we can adapt a berkey filter in a proone jar ?
I've heard of folks doing it vis versa, but I've not tested doing this myself to verify if it works or not just yet
Hi, have you found the answer yet? I too am wondering of the Berkey filters are compatible with the Pro1
I have the Berkey Travel Water filter system. Is there an alternative filter to use with the Berkey that is more cost effective? I would also like to have the water that has been filtered through my Berkey tested to see if it is filtering as it should. I am concerned that I might have damaged the fluoride filter by turning it more than 8 turns when assembling the system. Would it be acceptable to use the link for having tap water analyzed to test my filtered water? I just need the assurance that my Berkey is doing its job.
Yes, we use the Tap Score Advanced City Water Test for all our testing projects, check it out here bit.ly/3HJrxAw (mytapscore.com)
Which filtration system would you say is best? Looking for something g that removes pharmaceuticals, rust too.
It depends. There is no 'one size fits all' solution. It all depends on what contaminants are in the source water being filtered. What is the application? What type of water are you trying to filter? Have you had it tested? Do you know what contaminants you are dealing with (in addition to pharmaceuticals and ferric iron aka rust)? What type of system (POU vs POE) are you looking for?
I want to know what water filter you use personally
I use a few, which vary depending on the situation and need. Here are just a few:
AquaTru geni.us/chlQv5o
RKIN U1 geni.us/9lWS
Clearly Filtered pitcher geni.us/VsUZHW1
Epic The Answer geni.us/h6Eb
Keep in mind that what works best for one water situation might not be ideal for another. This is because water quality can vary dramatically from region to region, city to city and even within the same neighborhood. It's always recommended to test your water before purchasing and water treatment equipment 😉
Were you guys down at the Riverdale Frisbee golf course?
Nope
Which do you think is the best for filtering city water based on these results if not the Pro One?
For treated city water, the Aquatru performed the best in our testing. Check it out here geni.us/chlQv5o
@@waterfilterguru Great thank you.
Have you ever testes the cheap distillation units?
Not yet, but we've had a few request from other viewers so this project is on our to-do list
Have you tested any OR systems?
I read where the whole house OR arnt good for clean water cause of the settlements in the hot water tank and that you cant use hot water. So was wondering about sink OR systems
I'm assuming you mean 'RO' (reverse osmosis) systems?
If so, yes we have tested a few. You can find all the videos in our Product Testing playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLDqZ4wajyRIC2ji0iERZf35uFwyQE5vji.html&si=xhcmdK9XGDVzh8px
Hi, thanks for your water filter information you said in your video if you want to treat or filter town water there might be a better option than the pro one. Can you advise where to go we have tapwater here and we want to run it through gravity fed filter with the best results. One of our biggest biggest issue is fluoride.
Thanks Marc
I know you said you're looking for gravity filters, but I'd hands down recommend a countertop RO system like the Aquatru geni.us/chlQv5o over any gravity system for overall superior contaminant reduction.
Otherwise, the Clearly Filtered pitcher geni.us/VsUZHW1 and the Waterdrop King Tank waterdropus.pxf.io/ZQ3Kqg gravity systems did well with fluoride in our testing
Your channel is amazing! I am so glad I found it. Instantly subbed. When I was searching for a replacement for my Berkey I was constantly being met with and recommended Doulton/British Berkefeld. Any hope on seeing them get tested for their gravity fed system? Also possibly their under-sink system? If my water was equal to your water, what's your go to.. an RO system or gravity fed? Current top choice for each system? Would love to see ranked videos for each category on your personal preference! Keep it up.
Hey thanks for your comment, glad to hear our videos are helpful! We've had a number of requests for Doulton/British Berkefeld, so we definitely have them on our project list.
I always tend to recommend RO over gravity-fed filtration. RO simply provides more broad contaminant reduction and thorough filtration, but of course it has it's drawbacks as well.
Thanks for the request to see products ranked by category! This is the kind of feedback that really helps me prioritize what I should work on. Did you see our Best Water Filter Pitchers video where we tested and ranked 8 pitchers based on our data-driven scoring system? ua-cam.com/video/Pkncz7PoBFs/v-deo.html any feedback on the style/ way the data is presented in this video would be much appreciated 🙂
I had a TDS meter that measured 298 total dissolved solids in my tap water but measured 305 in my Pro one filter. Any idea as to why that could be? I also only use one filter whereas I see you have two installed so not sure what I should do. Honestly, I’m thinking about returning my filter since I’m still within the 30day mark. Just disappointed about it, which includes the smell and taste isn’t all that great
A TDS measurement alone isn't enough information to say one way or another. Check out this video to learn all about what TDS meters measure, and what they don't ua-cam.com/video/yHvdYWXiVzI/v-deo.html
That's such a slight increase, I wouldn't be worried about it. Perhaps it has to do with mineral buildup inside the system and filters, coming out in the filtered water (like was the case in our test 2:53)
Did you cycle water through the systems before the test? It says the cycle water 2-3 times before use
This is explained starting at 0:27
Do their gravity filters remove rust? Cant seem to find it or may have missed it. If not, do you have any recommendations? Got rust in the well water and would love a gravity system as a nice back up
Yes ceramic filters should be able to reduce rust. Since rust (oxidized iron) is a suspended particle in the water, it will be physically blocked and removed by the small pores in the ceramic filter.
@@waterfilterguru What ceramic filters do you recommend just for overall good tasting well water? Getting exhausted doing hours of research and rabbit holes that some filters may "leach aluminum" or that the Pro one I see is only "component certification"?. Thank you very much for reply.
@@YardPrep00 Ceramic filters alone won't necessarily improve the taste of water. The most effective method to improve taste is to filter with an activated carbon filter.
Are you the owner of the well? When was your well last tested by a certified lab? What contaminants/ water issues need to be addressed besides ferric (oxidized) iron?
@@waterfilterguru Yes, out on an acreage. Water is fine just traces of rust in the water. Looking for a good gravity filter setup basically incase of SHTF
Gotha. I'd go for the ProOne then - just make sure to also have a method of disinfection prepared as well. On that note, did you see my recent video about emergency SHTF water prep? ua-cam.com/video/Btqqwd_cLiA/v-deo.html