Brita 42632 Riviera 64-Ounce Water Pitcher and 1 Filter
by Brita
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Brita 42632 Riviera 64-Ounce Water Pitcher and 1 Filter
Customer Review: Horrible design
Summary: 1 Stars
I have been using Brita pitchers for almost 15 years, and have used quite a few different ones. Recently I had to replace one (which got dropped and cracked). There were only a couple of models available in our local Kroger store, so I ended up with this model. And I have been cursing Brita ever since. (That's after I wrote to them and got an idiotic non-sequitur response.)
Here are the main problems I have with it:
1. The lid is formed with two parts--the part that opens up and the front part that is supposed to stay on the pitcher while one fills it up. Well, the front part does NOT stay on the pitcher. So every time I refill the pitcher, I have to attempt to snap the front part back in place. But the front part of the lid does not fit well with the filtering compartment, so it takes a couple of minutes (of hating Brita) to get the lid sort of back together.
2. The back portion of the lid--the part that opens to allow faucet water to go in--is difficult to open. I usually use two hands to press it in order to make it work. My children have stopped filling up the pitcher now--they can't get the top to open (although the front portion will willingly fall off at the most unexpected moment.)
3. This model may look sleek, but it is not the easiest to be picked up. Something doesn't feel right with the balance between the handle and the reservoir. I think the upper portion of the pitcher curves out too much--it is aesthetically pleasing, but ends up putting too much weight on the top-front of the pitcher, while the handle is designed in such a way that one can't comfortably hold the pitcher at a point on the handle to maintain a sense of balance. You can see, from the picture, the handle's distance to the main body narrows down considerably as it gets to the top.
The idiotic letter from Brita would not have mattered much, had I been able to find alternative models. After much searching online, it seems that Brita has pretty much abandoned all of its tried-and-true models in favor of the more aerodynamic-looking models (except for the "Classic" round model). So perhaps Brita has gone the direction of HP (the computer/printer company). I guess all good things must end somehow.
Customer Review: Terrible, Not Debatable
Summary: 1 Stars
If you read most of the good reviews they all glow about Brita in general, good tasting water, looks cool. None of this is actually helpful to rate THIS pitcher. Some items are not debatable:
(1) The digital filter meter is worthless. All it does is measure the time from when you bought the pitcher to approximate when to change the filter. Have a PDA? A calendar? Put in the date to change the filter and don't mess with this, changing this thing when the battery runs out, a total pain.
(2) The design makes it very easy for water on top in the unpurified area that should drain into the lower purified water to mix together. If that doesn't happen in the pitcher it will happen when pouring water. Unless that top piece stays in place and is water-tight all over, the water in the top chamber will mix with the water in the bottom chamber. It's called gravity and the top area isn't designed well to keep the seal at all.
(3) I've never had algae. I don't think it's the pitcher. That still doesn't mean this is any better than a cheap pitcher in the store or the one your discount drug store sells that uses the same type of cartridge.
(4) The top cover is not designed to stay on well. Some report theirs stays on. I don't believe them. Even if it does and they can hold the pitcher to prevent it from happening often, do you really need to waste your money on THIS pitcher. No need to gamble. Get another one.
Customer Review: Sure it's pretty. Can I drink "pretty"?
Summary: 1 Stars
Other reviewers have said the same but I will reiterate:
--Filter timer is a joke. It only counts time, not gallons filtered. I don't need this because we already own several calendars.
--Sectional lid must have been designed by the marketing department. They fit together awkwardly and fall off easily. If you try to pour a class of water with even a little still left in the upper chamber, the whole assembly falls apart as you are pouring.
--Lower compartment easily contaminated by unfiltered water.
--My unit grows ALGAE in it after about 10 days. You would think that I must leave it on a sunny window sill, but I don't. It lives on the kitchen counter and I live in the Pacific Northwest where it is cloudy 9 months out of the year. So, anyway, the unit has to go in the dishwasher once a week (hand washing doesn't cut it....algae grows right back). Previous Brita (we've had many) and PUR pitchers did not have this problem.
As a consumer I want to ask: What is so friggin hard about designing a decent water pitcher for cripes sake?!!!
Generally this pitcher demonstrates what is wrong with so many companies that make consumer products. They pay damn little attention to engineering a good product and put all their effort into giving it "purchase appeal" and marketing it.
Try something else.
Customer Review: major design flaws
Summary: 1 Stars
Sharp design, only problem is they put form over function when designing it. First problem, if the water hasn't drained completely from the upper (non filtered) basin, and you try and pour the pitcher, the unfiltered water pours out with the filtered water. Second problem, when you fill it up, if you let the water overflow the basin, the first thing it does is drain into the filtered basin. In the older round designs, the upper basin was water tight with the lid on, so you could pour out filtered water before the upper basin was empty. If you overflowed the upper basin the water would got over the side and not into the filtered basin. This allowed the user to set it under the sink and not have to stand there for 30 second to shut off the water. They took a definite step backwards with this design. It's really amazing that in the year 2005, such bad product design is still making to the store shelves.Customer Review: Don't buy this pitcher!
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought this item in March 2007 Brita Chrome Pitcher. I liked the look of the chrome and the slim design of the pitcher. Last week, I took the sensor off and placed it on my counter top so that I could wash the pitcher. I splashed a few drops (yes, drops) of water onto the "sensor" (really only a glorified timer) and now the sensor no longer functions. Pretty useless for a sensor that is designed for use on the top of a water pitcher. It was too wimpy to stand up to a couple of drops of water. So, in my opinion, do not spend the extra money for the "timer." There is nothing Smart about this "Smart" pitcher.