Brita vs Pur Water Filtration Pitchers – 2018 Comparison Guide

In this Brita Vs Pur guide we’ll compare and contrast two of the most popular water filter pitchers in the market.

Drinking filtered water has the potential to help significantly improve your health. It does this by removing harmful agents, which include dangerous heavy metals, toxins, additives and built-up minerals. Through all these mechanisms, filtered water can help you to feel more energetic and to avoid a host of illnesses and health complaints.

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Quick Comparison Table

Let’s first see a quick comparison table of the main similarities and differences of the two products

NOTE:

• Brita Filter which reduces Lead by 99% : Brita Monterey Pitcher with Longlast Filter
• Pur Filter which reduces Lead by 99%: PUR Pitcher Replacement Filter with Lead Reduction

One of the simplest ways to get on board with the whole water-filtration movement, is to use a water filter pitcher.

Water filter pitchers like the ones we’ll discuss in this article are simply jugs that you can fill the top part with water which slowly decants through a replaceable filter into the bottom container.

As you do this, the water will pass through the special filter that is located between the top and bottom parts of the pitcher and that will help to grab onto the unwanted substances to help provide clean and healthy water.

The great thing about any pitcher like this, is that it makes the process of filtering water so easy. There is no expensive installation process and there is no need to pay for expensive filters regularly.

You don’t have to choose which taps you want to add the filters too, and you don’t need to deal with issues like strangely soft water in your shower that creates endless lather!

You can simply take this home from the store (or buy it online) and then start using it and benefiting from it from day one. If you find this is something that starts to provide a noticeable improvement to your quality of life, then you can buy more filters (which usually last around 2-3 months) and replace the old one.

So, in this comparison/review, we are going to look more closely at Brita Vs PUR water filters.

Brita and PUR are the two biggest manufacturers in this industry and so by comparing the two, you’ll be able to pick the very best choice in order to get the cleanest and best-tasting water AND to get the best product in terms of convenience and practicality.

General Comparison

Cup Capacity

Both Brita and PUR have pitcher models that will be able to fill up to 18 cups of water. These bigger models are actually called “Water Dispensers” and are much bigger and heavier than the normal pitchers.

The normal pitchers of both brands can hold the following cup capacity:

• Brita: 10 cup, 8 cup, 5 cup models
• PUR: 11 cup, 7 cup models

Selecting the right cup capacity will largely come down to how you intend to use the product. While the “Water Dispenser” model filters provide more water capacity (18 cups) for both brands, that means they are heavier. And that in turn means that they are designed in order to be kept on the sideboard in your kitchen or elsewhere.

When you consider that one of the big advantages of using a pitcher water filter for many people is the ability to use it anywhere in the home and not have to ‘choose’ a place to get filtered water… well this undermines that benefit to some extent.

Not a problem for most people who will just want to fill up their water in the kitchen when serving dinner – but a consideration nonetheless. Especially if your kitchen is on the other side of the house and you drink a lot of water!

The other consideration is how long it takes to fill and filter these containers. PUR will take a little longer compared to Brita.

Design

In terms of the design however, they both look fine and get the job done. You’re not going to want to place either of these on your mantelpiece – but then neither is offensive either. They are fit for purpose and that’s just fine. This reviewer does personally appreciate the transparent blue of the PUR unit though.

Filter Replacement Indicators

One quality consideration is the indication of when the filters need replacing. Both brands have this “feature”.

• The Brita has a sticker indicator that will tell you when the filter needs replacing.
• The PUR pitchers have an LED indicator showing when the filter needs to be replaced.

Filter Technology and Effectiveness

What’s more important than the look and the number of cups though, is just how well the products manage to filter the contaminants from your water.

The good news is that they both do a very good job here. The normal filters of both brands clean around the same types and numbers of contaminants although Pur claims that they reduce 21 different contaminants (per NSF certification) while Brita reduces 12 contaminants (per NSF) with the new LongLast filter.

The most important contaminants to get rid of in water include Lead and Chlorine.

The special PUR Lead Reduction filters will be able to clear out an impressive 99% of Lead and 97% of chlorine.

Meanwhile, Brita’s special Lead Reduction filter (LongLast) can clear out 99% of Lead and 95% of chlorine.

So, they each have strong filtration performance, though overall the PUR water  filter will be slightly better.

Honestly though? At these levels you’re hardly going to taste the difference. Show me someone who can differentiate between 2% of chlorine and I’ll show you a liar!

This might make PUR look like an edge winner, but keep in mind that those additional contaminants that PUR removes are likely to be things that you will come across less commonly.

The final thing to consider is how many gallons of water the products can cope with before you’ll need to change the filter. Both products here can handle 40 gallons, so that likely won’t factor into your decision. Though note that the larger PUR and Brita models are likely to see more water ‘traffic’ over time.

Conclusion: Which is Better?

So, which of these filters is the best?

If you want the very best filtration, then PUR wins the day with a slight difference compared to Brita in terms of Chlorine removal although both brands are pretty comparable in terms of filtration performance.

Brita on the other hand has more selection in terms of Pitchers Capacity as they carry also a 5-cup model which Pur doesn’t have. The most popular capacity models though are the 10-cup Brita and the 11-cup Pur.