We compared two all-steel gravity-fed water filters that promise no plastic contact and year-long filter life.
Portland: I had never understood why people liked those big metal gravity water filters. Brands like British Berkefeld and Berkey had become popular. They seemed to show up at doomsday prep gatherings and wellness retreats. I tested many different water filters for over a year. These big tanks looked more like status symbols than useful tools. They were big, metal, and industrial-looking. If you saw one, you knew that person cared about wellness or survival.
The big issue for me was microplastics. Most water filter pitchers are made of plastic that does not contain BPA. New studies say people who drink bottled water take in many extra microplastic pieces. People who love wellness now worry about plastic water filters. Newer gravity filters have none or almost no plastic parts. I tested two of these newer filters. The Boroux Legacy Water Filter System costs $419. It is a good-looking metal filter from a person who used to sell Berkey filters. The Rorra Countertop System costs $549. It has smart features like sensors for water and filter levels.
During testing I looked at how easy they were to set up. I checked plastic content and how much chlorine they removed. I also looked at what is dissolved in the water. I read all the test results and certifications for each filter. Gravity-fed filters became popular with the Berkey brand. Berkey started in 1998 as a seller of British Berkey filters from many years before. New legal problems for Berkey have let different brands become more popular.
These big multi-gallon filters are huge. They hold at least one gallon and take up lots of counter space. But they are also hard to fill and slow to work. My first tests show that big metal filters may not clean water better than small plastic pitchers. Small pitchers fit in fridge doors and may work better at first. The big filters also leave water at room temperature since they don’t fit in fridges. But each is easier in some ways. The big jugs can hold enough water for a whole family’s daily needs after one refill. This can be simpler than always refilling small pitchers. Most pitchers need new filters often. The Boroux says its filters only need changing once per year.