About My Site...
An in-home review of several shower filters tested under real world conditions. Tests include before and after total residual chlorine levels using a digital chlorine meter to measure the results. The shower filters are tested for their ability to remove total residual chlorine in an actual residential shower unit. This review puts various manufacturer's claims to the test. Find out what they don't want you to know.
Don't buy a shower filter before reading this review.
Tested Shower Filters ...
The following is a brief explanation of each manufacturer’s chlorine shower filter solution. Please visit each site of interest to you and read the “company line” about their products. Any questions should be directed to that manufacturer’s web site or customer service telephone number.
The shower filters found on this page are listed alphabetically from A to Z.
- Utilizes KDF (Kinetic Degradation Fluxion) & GAC (Granulated Activated Charcoal) as its main filtering media. Other minerals or media may be utilized to increase effectiveness. (Soften, deodorize, reduce surface tension, etc.)
- KDF technology in this filter is considered very good to excellent within its recommended water temperature range for the removal of free chlorine.
- In addition to chlorine and related odors, this filter claims to remove various synthetic chemicals & VOC's.
- GAC filter will help remove odors and improve the taste & feel of your shower water. Higher water temperatures will reduce overall effectiveness.
- Effectiveness is directly related to the quality of water being filtered. Lower quality water will generally reduce filter life.
- The build quality of this unit appears to be very good.
Test Notes:
This shower filter produced a significant amount of black water when it was first turned on. We assume this to be caused by charcoal dust being initially flushed out of the shower filter. You can expect mild to moderate staining of your shower stall and wall tile, which will require immediate cleaning. Its actual chlorine removal effectiveness is considered to be average based on this review. This shower filter is also very large which caused problems with our shower caddy. We were forced to remove the caddy in order for this shower filter to be installed correctly.
We made an attempt to contact these folks via email but never received a reply.
UPDATE
I received a phone call from a representative of "A***sana" today. He seemed to be quite irritated with me, to say the least, for posting the results for his shower filter in my review.
His main concern was the statement, "We made several attempts to contact these folks via email but never received a reply". He had a very good point. I have since reworded this statement as you see it now. I, in fact, contacted all manufacturers at the same time with the exact same "heads up" email letting them know what I was planning. I also included a rough outline of this review as a MS Word document for review and feedback. Apparently they never received it or chose not to respond for one reason or another.
Updates will be posted as this drama continues to unfold. Stay tuned...
UPDATE
I just discovered something really interested regarding this company's advertising methods. On various web sites, they make mention of having been awarded best buy certifications for a couple of their products. One award makes claims it was voted best buy from Consumers Digest Magazine for a drinking water filter . The other is an endorsement from Cosmetology Today Magazine for their shower filter . I've been doing a little digging and can't find much credible information on either of these two magazines. I did find a web site for Consumers Digest Magazine but there isn't much information to be found other than an email link to request detailed subscription information. I was, however, able to find a couple of references to this magazine at Wikipedia.com and Answers.com. I have my own theories about this sort of thing, but check it our for yourself and let me know what you think.
- Utilizes KDF (Kinetic Degradation Fluxion) & GAC (Granulated Activated Charcoal) as its main filtering media. Other minerals or media may be utilized to increase effectiveness. (Soften, deodorize, reduce surface tension, etc.)
- KDF technology in this filter is considered very good to excellent within its recommended water temperature range for the removal of free chlorine.
- In addition to chlorine and related odors, this filter claims to remove hydrogen sulfide & radon.
- GAC filter will help remove odors and improve the taste & feel of your shower water. Higher water temperatures will reduce overall effectiveness.
- Effectiveness is directly related to the quality of water being filtered. Lower quality water will generally reduce filter life.
- The build quality of this unit appears to be very good.
Test Notes:
This shower filter produced a significant amount of black water when it was first turned on. We assume this to be caused by charcoal dust being initially flushed out of the shower filter. You can expect mild to moderate staining of your shower stall and wall tile, which will require immediate cleaning. Its actual chlorine removal effectiveness is considered to be average based on this review.
We made an attempt to contact these folks via email but never received a reply.
- Utilizes KDF & Crystalline Quartz as its main filtering media. Other minerals or media may be utilized to increase effectiveness. (Soften, deodorize, reduce surface tension, etc.)
- KDF technology in this filter is considered very good to excellent within its recommended water temperature range for the removal of free chlorine.
- This shower filter claims to be effective at removing chlorine and related odors with no claims as to its effectiveness at removing other compounds.
- Quartz filter will help remove odors and improve the taste & feel of your shower water.
- Effectiveness is directly related to the quality of water being filtered. Lower quality water will generally reduce filter life.
- The build quality of this unit appears to be very good.
Test Notes:
This shower filter is nearly identical to the Multi-Pure shower filter that is also included in this review. The cartridges are also interchangeable, leading us to believe they share the same manufacturer. Its actual chlorine removal effectiveness is considered to be average based on this review.
We made an attempt to contact these folks via email and finally received two telephone calls from one of the members of senior management. He made it very clear he didn't want anything to do with us or our review.
- Utilizes KDF & Chlorgon as its main filtering media. Other minerals or media may be utilized to increase effectiveness. (Soften, deodorize, reduce surface tension, etc.)
- KDF technology in this filter is considered very good to excellent within its recommended water temperature range for the removal of both free & combined chlorine.
- Chlorgon filter enhances the effectiveness of the KDF filtering media for removing free and combined chlorine while improving overall water quality.
- Close to 100% removal of chlorine, regardless of water quality or pressure. This filter is considered to be excellent for removal of all types of chlorine.
- Also claims to remove “trace amounts” of other impurities that may be found in the shower water.
- The build quality of this unit appears to be very good.
Test Notes:
This shower filter produced excellent results for the removal of both free and combined chlorine. Only two other shower filters (Vitashower SF-1 & VshowerUSA VS-1) in our review could match its effectiveness in this regard.
We made an attempt to contact these folks via email and received a very courteous and thought provoking reply. Their response seemed to hold our review in high regard and even said they applauded our efforts. Nice folks with a very good product.
The Sprite HOC Shower Filter is an excellent product for total residual chlorine reduction.
UPDATE
For anyone interested, I finally found some information on what Chlorgon actually is. It's some type of manufactured ceramic-type bead that has been impregnated with calcium sulfite.
So what's in Chlorgon? : A combination of calcium sulfite with a ceramic binder to form non-soluble ceramic sulfite beads.
It appears the Sprite uses a 50/50 blend of Chlorgon and KDF in their shower filters. The KDF addresses free chlorine neutralization while freeing up the Chlorgon to reduce certain types of combined chlorine.
I'll update this section if my research uncovers any other tidbits of information regarding Chlorgon.
UPDATE
I've been doing a little digging around and found out that sulfur based dechlorinating agents, while very effective at reducing free chlorine and chloramine, are not considered to be very environmentally friendly. Calcium sulfite is basically a mineral salt, prepared by reacting sulfurous acid with calcium hydroxide, and used as a filler coating pigment in paper manufacture. Sulfur based compounds have been used very successfully for many years by water municipalities around the world as a quick and cheap method of dechlorinating water prior to releasing it back into the environment.
I really can't say what this means as far as shower filters go, but I would assume any concentrations of sulfur based compounds to be far too low to be of any real concern for most people. I'll keep researching and let you all know what I find.
- Utilizes a combination of Japanese minerals, FIR (Far Infrared) Ceramics and GAC as its main filtering media. Other minerals or media may be utilized to increase effectiveness. (Soften, deodorize, reduce surface tension, etc.)
- The effectiveness of chlorine removal with this technology cannot be substantiated at this time, although some evidence would suggest this technology could be beneficial to those interested in natural or homeopathic type remedies related to general health issues stemming from negative ion technology.
- This shower filter claims to remove chlorine and related odors, radon and various heavy metals.
- Effectiveness is directly related to the quality of water being filtered. Lower quality water will generally reduce filter life.
- The build quality of this unit appears to be very good.
Test Notes:
This shower filter is, by far, the best looking of the bunch. It's the largest of all the shower filters in this review and also the most expensive. The technology behind this shower filter cannot be substantiated as of this review. More information will be released as it becomes available. Its actual chlorine removal effectiveness is considered to be slightly below average based on this review.
We made an attempt to contact these folks via email and received several emails in return. These folks were very eager to go head to head with the more established names in the shower filter market. Nice folks with an very unorthodox take on shower filters.
- Uses two types of Vitamin C as its primary method of neutralizing chlorine and chloramine; L-Ascorbic Acid and Sodium Ascorbate.
- Features a small amount of Vitamin E inside each cartridge which acts as a kind of preservative to potentially extend the potency and lifetime of the Vitamin C.
- Close to 100% removal of chlorine, regardless of water quality or pressure. This filter is considered to be excellent for removal of all types of chlorine.
- This shower filter claims to be effective at removing chlorine and related odors with no claims as to its effectiveness at removing other compounds.
- The build quality of this unit appears to be very good. This shower filter is designed to accept replaceable cartridges called VS-2.
Test Notes:
This shower filter produced near perfect results for the removal of both free and combined chlorine. Only two other shower filters (Sprite HOC & Vitashower SF-1) in our review could even come close to matching its effectiveness in this regard.
We made an attempt to contact these folks via email and received an overall positive response. They too were eager to go head to head with the traditional shower filters. Based on how well their shower filter did in our review, it's easy to see why.
The VshowerUSA VS-1 Vitamin C Shower Filter is an excellent product for total residual chlorine reduction.
UPDATE
I have received an email from a gentleman today that claims Vitamin C dechlorination is dangerous because one of the byproducts that result from mixing Vitamin C and chlorine is hydrochloric acid. After conducting my own research I was able to find several sources of information that debunk this claim and prove Vitamin C dechlorination to be an effective and highly touted form of dechlorination.
Apparently this gentleman is selling non Vitamin C type shower filters through his web site, so his motives appear to be obvious. Here's a link to a very good article explaining Vitamin C dechlorination and its many benefits:
http://www.swwrc.wsu.edu/conference/Papers/Greg_Peterka.pdf
Check it out and draw your own conclusions.
- Utilizes KDFR & Crystalline Quartz as its main filtering media. Other minerals or media may be utilized to increase effectiveness. (Soften, deodorize, reduce surface tension, etc.) This is a private brand manufactured by RainShower.
- KDF technology in this filter is considered very good to excellent within its recommended water temperature range for the removal of free chlorine.
- This shower filter claims to be effective at removing chlorine and related odors with no claims as to its effectiveness at removing other compounds.
- Quartz filter will help remove odors and improve the taste & feel of your shower water.
- Effectiveness is directly related to the quality of water being filtered. Lower quality water will generally reduce filter life.
- The build quality of this unit appears to be very good.
Test Notes:
This shower filter is nearly identical to the Rainshower shower filter that is also included in this review. The cartridges are also interchangeable, leading us to believe they share the same manufacturer. Its actual chlorine removal effectiveness is considered to be average based on this review.
We made an attempt to contact these folks via email but never received a reply.
- Utilizes KDF & GAC as its main filtering media. Other minerals or media may be utilized to increase effectiveness. (Soften, deodorize, reduce surface tension, etc.)
- KDF technology in this filter is considered very good to excellent within its recommended water temperature range for the removal of free chlorine.
- This shower filter claims to be effective at removing chlorine, VOC's, THM's, pesticides, sulfur, heavy metals, hydrogen sulfide, iron oxide, dirt and sediment.
- GAC filter will help remove odors and improve the feel of your shower water.
- Effectiveness is directly related to the quality of water being filtered. Lower quality water will significantly reduce filter life.
- The build quality of this unit appears to be very good.
Test Notes:
This shower filter produced a significant amount of black water when it was first turned on. We assume this to be caused by charcoal dust being initially flushed out of the shower filter. You can expect mild to moderate staining of your shower stall and wall tile, which will require immediate cleaning. Its actual chlorine removal effectiveness is considered to be below average based on this review.
We made an attempt to contact these folks via email but never received a reply.
- Uses Vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid as its primary method of neutralizing chlorine and chloramine.
- This shower filter is of the disposable variety. The entire unit must be replaced once it is empty.
- Close to 100% removal of chlorine, regardless of water quality or pressure. This filter is considered to be excellent for removal of all types of chlorine.
- This shower filter claims to be effective at removing chlorine and related odors with no claims as to its effectiveness at removing other compounds.
- The build quality of this unit appears to be very good.
Test Notes:
This shower filter produced near perfect results for the removal of both free and combined chlorine. Only two other shower filters (Sprite HOC & VShowerUSA VS-1) in our review could even come close to matching its effectiveness in this regard.
We made an attempt to contact these folks via email and received an overall positive response. They too were eager to go head to head with the traditional shower filters. Based on how well their shower filter did in our review, it's easy to see why.
The Vitashower Vitamin C Shower Filter is an excellent product for total residual chlorine reduction.
KDF Oxidation Reduction "Redox" ...
I've found a couple of sources of information that claim the byproducts of KDF dechlorination (hydrogen peroxide & hydroxyl radicals) could be linked to oxidative damage to the cellular DNA in humans. Although it is a rather complicated and somewhat questionable process as it relates to KDF shower filters, they do a very good job explaining their theory on this phenomenon. I will investigate this matter further and report back with my findings.
The links below will take you directly to the web sites in question.
Free Radicals and Reactive Oxygen
If anyone can provide additional data regarding this phenomenon please email me with the information ASAP. As always, your correspondence is greatly appreciated and highly valued. This section will be updated as soon as new information becomes available.
Here's a quote from the KDF Fluid Treatment, Inc. web site regarding shower filters in general: "Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury cannot be removed with the amount of KDF used in a short filter body at a high flow rate, as exist in a shower filter. However, it is extremely effective at free chlorine removal.".
Tested Shower Filters ...
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All product names are trademarks of their respective manufacturer. The information found on this web site is derived directly from the manufacturers own literature or through actual in-home testing.
