PUR FM-3700 3 Stage Vertical Faucet Mount with Filter Chrome
Enjoy filtered water right from your tap by installing this Pur water Pur 3-stage vertical spout-mount water purifier FM370. It attaches directly to your faucet and installs in minutes without using tools. You can easily switch from unfiltered water to filtered water by turning the faucet mount to the up position. This filter reduces dangerous cysts, such as cryptosporidium and giardia, while decreasing all sorts of impurities, such as lead, mercury, asbestos, and chlorine. The Pur water 3-stage only works with standard faucets and will not work with pull-out faucets. The built-in filter life indicator keeps track of your filter life and it automatically shuts off when filter life runs out. A filter casing, one filter, and an automatic safety monitor gauge come with this product. The purifier’s filter measures 2-1/4-by-2-1/4-by-4-1/2 inches; mount measures approximately 3-by-5-by-6 inches. For consumer confidence, it is backed by a 5-year limited warranty. What’s in (Special Offers & Product Promotions…)
I’ve been a previous owner of a faucet mount PUR filter that lasted for over 4 years before it finally broke. I purchased this particular model thinking that it would also last, but I was disappointed. A couple of months later, it deveolped a hairline crack just below the filter indicator. I thought I just might have accidentally hit the housing, so I purchased the same model again. Well, this same crack appeared, and now I have contacted P&G. I am seriously thinking of purchasing a different brand.
I was pleasantly surpised to see just how easily this filter installed on my kitchen faucet. Although I had great tasting water before its installation, I feel better now knowing that the water is “cleaner” than before. There are only two drawbacks that I see, namely, the filter often gets in the way when filling a pot for on the stove, and the replacement filters are not cheap—they each cost about as much as HALF the price of the original filter system. I have had my filter system for a bit more than three months, and the replacement indicator just became visible…time to spend money for a new filter cartridge!
So this is my second PUR water filter mount. Both were this same model. Right out of the package they work great. It’s not entirely necessary as our water is already clean out of the faucet, but it does remove any particulates that may reside in the distribution piping and home piping, as well as removing the chlorine residual that is in most tap water. After about a year, coincidentally just as the one year warranty expires, the valve that bridges between the faucet and the filter begins to degrade. Now even when the filter is turned off, water still flows through the valve and through the filter thereby dramatically decreasing the lifespan of the filter since water is always flowing through it. This is a POOR engineering design that should have been addressed by this company. This is the reason why I’m giving it one star. I figured my first filter was just a fluke, but this problem was confirmed yet again on my second filter.
My recommendation:
1) Go for a faucet mount that you don’t have to physically turn to activate. I feel that the repetitive action of turning this up and down multiple times a day leads to premature fatigue of this product.
2) Don’t worry so much about ancillary features like lights, etc. The filter is what you should be concerned about since this is what is polishing your water.
3) Look for NSF Certification. NSF 42 is for aesthetic effects. Even better is the NSF 53 is for removing health related contaminants. NSF 58 is for reverse osmosis filters which removes even more chemicals than the 53, however I feel this is a bit overkill for a home filter.
4) Go for a product that has at least a 3 year warranty. That way you don’t have to keep spending $30+/- every year on the same darn product. I’m surprised that this product has a 5 year warranty when the same model in my local Home Depot only had a one year warranty.
After doing some more research, I’ve found this product here:
Bestfilters Countertop Superior Water Filter System – White – with 1 Micron Carbon Block Water Filter
Price isn’t too bad and it is certified for NSF 53. The KX Matrikx PB1 filter has an ABSOLUTE pore size of 1 micron, which removes giardia and cryptosporidium as these guys are larger in size than 1 micron. Be careful of filters that claim a NOMINAL pore size of 1 micron as these can let 20-30% of particles greater than 1 micron through.
Hope this helps.