PUR CRF-950Z 2-Stage Water Pitcher Replacement Filter, 3-Pack
|
List Price: Our Price: $16.10 You Save: $5.89 (27%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
|---|
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of PUR CRF-950Z 2-Stage Water Pitcher Replacement Filter, 3-Pack
Customer Review: My "Wall of Shame"
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased the "new model" Pur 2-stage filter without the U-shaped usage indicator. I was very interested in the "change" in design and how it affected usage. I use the Pur water pitcher in a very unusual manner that is NOT typical of most users. Firstly, I use a Premium 10-Stage water filter manufactured by Enviro-Products as a pre-filter for my little Pur 2-stage water pitcher! I only water run through the little Pur Water Pitcher because I think that the final product that I get tastes a little better that than when I don't use it. It's very subjective, but that's how I feel!
I have run the old Pur Filters with the U-indicator on a daily basis for as long as a year without replacement. Obviously, I would not recommend this for anyone, but understand that it ONLY sees pure pre-purified water. After purchasing the "newly designed" Pur 2-stage filter I noticed that after approximately 60-days, water flow was being significantly reduced to a point where it was alarming to me. I couldn't be a matter of the filter media being clogged because it ONLY sees perfectly clean water.
We'll out comes my little Dremel cutting tool, - - and I carefully remove the top dome in a effort to determine the source of the problem. Low and behold the whole top section of the filter is crammed with a product that appears to be Cellulose fibers similar to what you would find in a single stage filtered cigarette. Anyway, Pur is using this cellulose type product as a "roughing filter" or strainer before the water reaches the lower filter media. The fiber, whatever it is, has swollen to the point where it will no longer past ANY WATER. How about that, - - a couple of months of use and the water filter is useless!
I further checked on the technical attributes of Cellulose fibers and discovered that they have a strong affinity for water and that they swell up when exposed to water and then shrink when allowed to dry out. I find it particularly interesting that Pur would choose to use a cellulose type filter as a roughing filter (and clogging agent) in front of the other media within their device while full well knowing that it would eventually choke off the water supply to the filter in a relatively short period of time and render it useless!
The only thing that's left for you to do with your clogged filter is to go out and purchase another one that will also clog in a short period of time. I really feel sorry for the "poor Pur" people and all the new replacement filters that they keep selling to uninformed consumers. ie. "suckers"
Shameful, - - really shameful. Yes, I'll place them on the "Wall of Shame".
One Star!
I've made modifications to my Pure 2-stage filter, but that's another story!
Customer Review: It's OK but doesn't filter out flouride
Summary: 3 Stars
I generally like pur better than britta. I think the water tastes better and it's supposed to be cleaner.
I used to have a faucet mount pur filter which I really liked but now I have a new sink which you cannot attach one to. So I had to get the pitcher type.
The water tasted OK but I don't think it's as good as the faucet mount one. I also discovered after I bought the pitcher and these filters that these filters DO NOT filter out flouride which I am not happy about.
So I think this filter is OK (better than britta's) but I really wish that it would filter out flouride. Hopefully pur will come out with one that does that.
Added-18 Dec. 2006.
Update a few months later.
The pitcher filter worked OK with the original filter pack and with another 3 pack that I bought. Then I bought another 3 pack a few months ago and it REALLY SLOWED DOWN when the meter said it was only half finished. I'm talking really slow--3 hours to filter a pitcher of water as opposed to 20 minutes when new. All 3 filters in that pack were the same way. Very lame.
I figured that maybe I'd gotten a bad batch so I wrote PUR asking about it but they never responded. (So much for customer support or relations.)
Then a few weeks ago I ordered 2-3 packs from amazon. As other reviewers have noted, the filters I was sent are not the ones advertised! These new ones don't have a meter. Instead they have a little plastic/paper dial that you stick to the side of the pitcher and you mark the start date so that you know how old the filter is. This is a pretty lame gimmick. The regular filter meter would gauge actual water used and not how old the filter was. If you make 20 pitchers a day your filter will obviously wear out faster than if you make 2. Time has nothing to do with it.
I decided to try the filters anyway since I'd already paid for them. At first they worked OK but within a week it was really, really slow. Again, a week old filter takes at least 3 hours to filter one pitcher of water. That's not really worth dealing with is it?
I'm not going to keep wasting my money on these filters if they are going to wear out this quickly. At this rate it's cheaper to actually buy bottled water!
It seems that with the removal of the filter life meters and the reduced life of the filters PUR has really decided to cut corners and make an inferior product. It's a shame. Pur was #1 for so many years but now it seems like they're just making junk. They've lost a long-time customer too! Bye bye Pur!
Customer Review: Ambivalent...overstates how long the filter will last.
Summary: 2 Stars
I know...There are already over 400 reviews for this product and the chances are that I'll add to this discussion are slim to none. Despite this, I'll proceed.
For years I've thought to myself...at what point does the filtration slow down so drastically it takes over 4 hours to filter one pitcher of water? I drink a lot of water throughout the day so once this slowdown occurs, I have to make sure I keep filtered water stocked to account for the lag. I've lived in the same place for 6 years and have used PUR filters for about the last 10 years. I still prefer PUR to Brita as I appreciate not having to dodge little black filter flakes.
I use these filters with the oval pitcher. I've been keeping track of how often I fill it, and at nearly half way to the 40 gallon benchmark is actually when the speed of filtration slows from a good clip to a snail's pace. I don't know why this happens, so quickly...I'd expect to get 75% to the 40 gallon mark before the huge slowdown occurs, but this is apparently wishful thinking. By the time the filter is 75% used, it takes over 6 hours to filter the pitcher.
I'd ask that PUR re-evaluate their claim that this is a useful product up to 40 gallons. If you have to wait 6 hours to filter a glass of water, I'd say it's time to get a new filter.
My second complaint is what so many others before me have pointed out. They did away with the handy dandy indicator and instead decided, based on consumer feedback (yeah, right), that the sticker was a better idea. This is utter hogwash. Everyone's water usage varies...if you buy a lot of bottled water (as many people in the city do), your usage may be less than someone who uses this exclusively to fill a canteen. The 60 days the sticker claims the filter will last is more than double the time it takes for me to filter 40 gallons using the same filter. Speed of filtration is also a good indication of how close the filter is to the end of its life, but 60 days is rather generous...from the point of view of my usage, the sticker is completely, utterly useless. The indicator took into account usage vs. just time (and was therefore not only more accurate, but just plain accurate). Getting rid of the indicator was just a stupid, stupid, stupid, did I mention stupid thing.
It may be time for a change from PUR.
Customer Review: Another outstanding Pur product - Good price for 3-pack
Summary: 5 Stars
I have owned Pur pitchers for a while now after switching from Brita. I highly recommend the Pur Pitchers and Pur filters for the ease of set-up, ease of use and outstanding tasting water! As a runner, I drink a lot of water (5-6 24oz bottles a day) and am very picky over my quality of water and water taste. Coming from Brita filters, I am now a firm believer in Pur Filters as they easily out-perform and out-taste Brita with our well water here in Gainesville, FL and our new house in West Palm Beach.
At set-up, I followed the directions on the box for preparing the filter for 1st use and it went without a problem. Each filter change has been exactly the same, no bad filters. Good filter flow. I still own both Brita filters (for the sink, want to upgrade to Pur) and Pur (water pitchers) and I can easily tell the difference in water taste. The Pur filters are 2 stage filters (while the Brita filters I have are not) and the quality of taste is worth buying Pur over Brita. I now use my Brita filter for cooking water only and use Pur for all my drinking water needs. Because of how much I love the Pur water, I now own several Pur pitchers including a smaller normal pitcher that my husband takes to work with him and the larger fridge pitcher. No complaints with these filters, each have performed great for us.
Highlights:
* Clear difference in taste and noticeably better than Brita. Takes horrible West Palm Beach city water and gives you sweet, crystal clear water that does NOT leave an after taste. Unbelievable! Side by side using new filters, my Brita could not compete. Does the same with average Well water.
* Easy set up. I followed the filter directions to a "T" and have NO flow problems with any of the filter replacements. 2 stage filters will always run slower than a 1 stage, if you are coming from a 1 stage Brita to a 2 stage Pur.
* Great price for a 3 pack. Depending on how bad your water is and how much water you drink, these filters easily last 1-3 months. You can taste when they are ready to be changed and even in my household of constant water drinkers, my filters last roughly 2 months before I feel the need to change them.
* Each filter is individually packaged which is nice to keep the future replacement filters fresh, and not dried out.
Customer Review: Over Priced & Barely Does The Job! 2.5 Stars - Customer Support is Lousy!
Summary: 2 Stars
Updated April 2008 -
* Pro's - You can find them just about everywhere, it can compete with Brita.
Filters are easy to load.
Blue/Clear/Grey colored pitchers look nice and come in different sizes.
* Con's - Filters are Over-Priced & Over-Marketed on how good they are!
Filters do not PERFORM as marketed, especially in 'hard-water' area's!
Filters have to be "prepped first", before you can use them properly, so make sure that
you have a gallon of store-bought filtered H2O on-hand, to any prevent contamination.
Filters ONLY do not last more than 20 days in Hard-Water area's.
Filters no longer have the 'Use Indicator' on the top, I believe that Pur made this move,
in order to spend less on the filters.
Pitchers start looking "corroded" after 6-months of use.
Customer Support is non-existent.
First of all, we live in a "Hard-Water" environment and I'm talking about City water! This Pur 2 stage pitcher works fine & better than some of the other ones, and believe me we have used all of them.
The MAIN PROBLEM that we have been experiencing is NOT so much with the
plastic pitchers, but it's the Pur 2-stage FILTERS ... They don't work very well in 'hard-water area's' period!
They Only last not more than 20 days for just common things like making coffee every am or filling up the tea kettle or for just making a pitcher of sun tea! It's ridiculous that these 'Plug-In type' of filters not only don't last the referenced 60 to 90 days as per literature, but it's only a Stage-2 water filter, instead of a Stage-3 or 4 even!
And Yes, we have tried Brita & Honeywell too!
We don't even use this water for drinking purposes, we all use bottled H20.
For the high cost that we all pay per filter, we should be getting a better product, instead of one where PUR has been cutting corners.
I have Contacted PUR corp multiple times all thru 2006 & 2007, and GUESS what Folks? Yep, they have NEVER responded to any of my inquiry's!!!!
We would be interested to know if there are any Alternatives or solutions
that someone else would like to recommend please!