 "What are these people talking about?" | 2007-04-19 |
| - Reviewed By dbushik |
| I've owned this item for about 18 months now and love it. Yes, I have experienced a small amount of leakage on occasion from the seal on the spigot. Very minor leakage, as in a few drops over the course of a week or more. The improvement in the quality of my tap water is well worth that small issue. I've experienced no mold or any other kind of sanitary issue at all. It is larger than a pitcher, and therefore not terribly easy to fill if you're yanking it out of your firdge and trying to put it under a tap. I use a plastic cup, filling it through the opening on the top while still in the fridge, and have no difficulty doing that. Maybe I'm just too thrilled by having such and improvement in the quality of my water as compared to the tap, and I'd be happy with any water filter, but I am amazed to see such negative reviews for a product I have been so satisfied with. |
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| "Previous version has worked for 10+ years, no mold" | 2007-02-05 |
| - Reviewed By User: AKWGDUONE2V9U |
I think some people are distorting reality on this product based on another problem in their refrigerator and blaming it on the Brita. I've used the previous generation of this product in all different parts of the USA in various refrigerators, and I've never experienced mold. I can't see why this design is fundamentally going to be different. My guess is people have a mold problem in their house/refrigerator and like any mold, it is seeking the moisture. CLEAN YOUR FRIDGE... ;)
I don't wash this once a week, more like once a month. The water doesn't pick up weird tastes or smells, but then again, my refrigerator is clean. I find it convenient to use, not so much to fill, but it still works as intended. The version currently for sale may have a leak problem, I can't say yes or no, but the one I have has not leaked in all the time I've had it other then once when I determined the spigot needed to be tightened.
All in all, if you are tired of filling up pitchers constantly, and find the full pitcher heavy and spill prone when you use it, this product is for you. Also, because you don't have to tip it, you can fill it with water and get a glass almost immediately even as the rest of the water is still filtering. In a Brita pitcher, you must wait for all the water to filter before you can even have a glass. This feature has come in handy when doing things like filling pet water bowls, fish tanks, etc.
I'd give it five stars, but I find it a bit cumbersome to fill. |
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 "Poor spigot design = leaking & inaccessible water." | 2006-05-28 |
| - Reviewed By kiko_m |
This product is markedly inferior to its main competitor, the Pur 2-Stage Dispenser. Specifically, I found two main flaws:
1. The spigot draws water from at least an inch and a half up from the base of the dispenser. As a result, quite a lot of water is left inaccessible for drinking, even after tipping over the dispenser.
2. Even more infuriatingly, the spigot's connection to the main housing is so poorly designed that it eventually starts to leak water all over the place. The first dispenser I purchased started to leak after 1 week. I dutifully exchanged it for another one, which proceeded to leak after about 2 weeks. It appears that the "O-ring" that connects the spigot to the main housing shrinks when it gets cold. . . a rather fatal flaw for an item intended for use in a refrigerator.
Despite being a lifelong Brita user, I exchanged this product for a Pur 2-stage dispenser. I am now converted and will never go back. The dispenser is rock solid, and the water even tastes better! |
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 "This has been working superbly for me over the past 4 months." | 2006-02-26 |
| - Reviewed By amanate |
I've been happily using this produt for the past 4+ months. It is fantastic! This is the most hydrated I have ever been. Seriously.
Came to this page today to see what the capacity was and skimmed the other reviews for the first time! I hadn't even thought of the mold concern and that makes sense.
I selected this one because I got tired of refilling the smaller pitchers all the time and wanted something that would provide a lot of water.
My current water goal is to drink a quart for every 50lbs rounding up. I'm 165 lbs so am trying to drink a gallon a day! Needless to say, I am not at this level BUT I'm still drinking enough water that I'm refilling this 1-2 times a week. Perhaps having all this through-flow of water is keeping my mold situation down?
Running water vs. stagnant water (same idea for the body! keep that water flowing!)
I don't keep this in the refrigerator!!! You would think that the warm temperature of my bedroom would increase the appearance of mold but nope, no problem (conversely, perhaps mold already in others' refrigerators is getting into their Britas!)
Anyway, this Brita has changed my life... the water tastes great -- this Chicago suburban tap water was O.K. but in tea/coffee there was a funky taste now eliminated by the Brita. You can fill up the main reservoir and then fill the top portion too so that water will drip down into the main unit as you draw from it and make room.
This unit isn't the digital readout kind, not that that's important to me. I am the only one in my family who uses this so I figure one filter will go a lot longer. Anyway, the last digital readout thing I had was just a 2 month timer, not a fancy measurer of filter quality. So this 2 month sticker is just fine.
When you get down to the last dregs of water, you do have to tip the Brita to get it out. But that's only if I'm feeling too lazy to get up and refill the thing. It's not a big deal for me since it's not stuck in a fridge (although that worked perfectly when I originally had it in the fridge).
But although I haven't had a visible problem with mold, I will be sure to clean this unit periodically as that is sound/sage advice. Probably for the pitchers as well!
But you would think that of anything sitting around for days or weeks (or months?), water is probably going to take on the least garbage. No, this may not be as airtight as other containers (I'm assuming) and, like I said, perhaps I am drinking it quickly enough that the water does not stagnate. I really have no idea how long water is supposed to last in such a scenario...and our starting-waters probably differ significantly.
Nevertheless, I feel ever-grateful to this unit and will continue to use it until it is no more or until I can buy a fancier one.
;)
thanks! |
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| "One word - Mold" | 2005-10-19 |
| - Reviewed By brl772 |
Throughout the years I have used and owned many different versions of the Brita Pitcher Water Dispenser. All of these filtered water containers have been great. The only complaint I have ever had with these filters is size. The Brita Ultramax Water Filter Dispenser was supposed to answer this problem. Unfortunately due to bad design, it introduced a multitude of problems that never existed with past Brita products.
Pro:
Size: This water dispenser can definitely hold a lot of water. (Ironically, this is really a disadvantage; as you will find below.)
Con(s):
Mold: If you do not let this filter dry within a maximum of two days, you will get mold. This mold will probably make you ill (sore throat) (Conversely if you look at it from another point of view - it will strengthen your immune system). To avoid this problem, the water dispenser should be washed every week at very least (to safe you should wash it more often). I have never had this problem with Brita's other products (I have friends who never washed their Brita pitchers for months, and there is not even the slightest sign of mold when they do wash it).
Left Over Water: Due to the faulty design of the product, there will be left over water both above the filter and below it. Besides turning the product upside down, you cannot dispense all of the water. This is just stupid and hints at the lack of quality assurance testing of this product. Not surprisingly, this helps further contribute to mold growth.
Conclusion:
Save your money and buy Brita's other well designed pitchers or even Pure's pitchers. (The key word is pitcher.) You will only waste time and possibly your health with this poorly designed product. |
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