Brita 42378 Deluxe Water Pitcher
by Brita
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Our Price: $49.99 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $34.00 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Brita 42378 Deluxe Water Pitcher
Customer Review: Good enough for young, broke apartment dwellers
Summary: 4 Stars
This Brita is ideal for my personal situation: 3 other (just as broke) roommates, highly suspect NYC tap water, and old water pipes. We needed something to purify the water, make it taste better, and not cost an arm or a leg.
We bought the container for about $30 back in November 2004, and we bought a pack of 4 or 6 replacement filters for about $20 extra. We've gone through 2 filters so far (one that came with the Brita, and one new filter) although I suspect we should replace the filters more often (as we are big guzzlers here). Split amongst 4 people, that's only about $13 each for probably about 8 months of good quality water - each month, that comes out to less than $1.50.
Granted, there are better quality water filters out there that remove more impurities than a Brita filter. But, usually those require hooking up the water pipes to a central filter, and shelling out close to $200...too much effort and $$ for an apartment.
And why not those Pur water filters you hook onto the faucet itself? A lot of my friends have complained about those faucet mounts never fitting well enough around the faucet, causing leaks and sprays. Brita may be more low-tech, but it's just alot easier.
We do refill the pitcher constantly, but it takes less than 3 minutes for all the water to filter. And, because my roomates and I don't like ice-cold water, we like to keep the pitcher outside...plus, we can transport from room to room.
So, if you live in your own home and are serious about water filtartion, buy a high end water filter you hook up to the entire water system. Otherwise, Brita is a good alternative.
Customer Review: the taste is worth the trouble
Summary: 4 Stars
Having owned multiple pitchers from Brita, I would say the biggest problem with them is that they are made of slick, unevenly-weighted plastic parts. This makes them hard to use and easy to accidently drop, especially when they're filled with water. The plastic in the lid and reservoir is especially weak and these parts can easily snap in half (becoming unusable) if dropped, even on a carpeted surface.
Other common, but lesser criticisms:
- Pitchers may not fit well in your refrigerator
- Pitchers need to be cleaned periodically to fight mold, but are NOT dishwasher safe
- Pitchers unsuitable for families that go through a lot of water quickly (opt for faucet mount)
All that said, the pitchers do actually work. Many people successfully use these pitchers to make their terrible tap water taste better (myself included). If you can train yourself to handle them extra carefully, and remember to clean them and refill them you should be fine. And yes, you have to change the filter about every two months, but you only need six to last a year (one comes with the pitcher and you can get a 5-pack for about $30). If it still sounds like too much trouble though, pitcher filters probably aren't for you; from what I've heard, pitcher filters from other brands suffer the same drawbacks.
Customer Review: Top Brita Pitcher but also Consider the Brita 35530 Ultramax Dispenser
Summary: 4 Stars
Overall this is one of the best pitchers Brita offers. Its defining characteristic is its extra large capacity (reducing the number of times you have to refill it)
PROS:
It is Brita's largest pitcher (with a 10 cup capacity)
It is very quick and easy to refill (you don't have to remove the entire lid like on the older models)
CONS:
The pitcher can get VERY HEAVY when full because water is heavy (this might be a problem for children, elderly, etc.)
The reviews are true (you have to wait for water to sink to bottom before you use it or else the lid falls out and you get water all over the kitchen counter)
BOTTOM LINE: It is my favorite Brita pitcher because of its extra large capacity, but I would consider Brita 35530 Ultramax Dispenser in conjunction with this or as an alternative since 10 cups of water can get heavy and Brita 35530 Ultramax Dispenser is easier to use.
Customer Review: A Good Investment
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been using this for 4 months now and am very pleased with it. I'm not spending $15-$20/mo for bottled water and contributing to the landfill.
Although the water tastes fine to us now, it took us a few days to get used to it; it definitely didn't taste like bottled water. Also, I was lucky to notice the teeny fine print stating not to use water over 75 degrees. Our "cold" tap water in the summer here in the desert is much warmer than that. So I've had to keep a separate bottle of tap water chilling in the fridge to use in the Brita pitcher.
I haven't had any mechanical problems: nothing leaks, everything fits together well, nothing broken. BTW, the replacement filters here on Amazon at $13.82/3-pack is a good deal--even a few bucks cheaper than Wal-Mart if you buy 2 to qualify for the free shipping.
Customer Review: Makes water taste great but...
Summary: 4 Stars
This definitely makes tap water taste great, my family is drinking more water and we are saving money by not buying bottled water.
A couple of drawbacks are as follows: When full the pitcher is heavy to lift and may not fit well depending on how your refrigerator is made.
The top of the pitcher and filter can fall out when pouring if you try to pour a glass of water when the pitcher is less than half full.
A bit cumbersome if you drink a lot of water to wait for the water to run through the filtered section and if you are a family you have to stay on top of making sure you have water in the pitcher.
As far as taste and quality of water it is excellent.