we installed and then lab tested 10 of the most popular shower water filters from your requests and then ranked them from best to worst based on our datadriven scoring system we evaluate six key performance data points with contaminant reduction being the most important factor and therefore given the most weight with these shower filters we specifically wanted to look at a product's ability to address chlorine disinfection byproducts and water hardness since these contaminants pose the most health risk and aesthetic effects from either dermal or inhalation exposure chlorine is the most widely used disinfectant which is added to water at Municipal treatment plants to kill microorganisms and make water ptable it can cause dryness exacerbate existing skin conditions and make hair more brittle disinfection byproducts are created when the disinfectant chemical typically chlorine interacts with naturally occurring organic matter in the water these byproducts can be found in varying concentrations in almost all publicly treated water systems and have been linked to a number of serious health effects including cancer exposure to dbps is increased in the shower because they can be absorbed through our skin or inhaled by breathing water vapor more weight was given for a product's ability to address disinfection byproducts since these pose a more serious health risk water hardness is made up of dissolved minerals Prim primarily calcium and magnesium and while it doesn't pose serious health risks when we shower in hard water the minerals are deposited on our hair and skin and can cause additional dryness and irritation in addition to contaminant reduction our scoring system looks at a number of other factors that contribute to its overall score including filtration rate design quality ease of setup and maintenance ongoing costs and company policies and if you're interested I'll leave a link to the full explanation of of our scoring system down in the description so we tested all the shower filters with the same municipal water source using simple Labs tap score product we started in the morning by taking our Baseline unfiltered water tests and then proceeded to install and test each filter throughout the rest of the day and our goal was to maintain as close to the same conditions as we could for each filter including the temperature of the water and while testing with the hot water might have been a more accurate representation of how we all shower we decided to test with the cold water instead the disinfection byproducts we were most interested in testing are highly volatile and dissipate quickly into the air especially from hot water testing the cold water provided the most accurate data on dbps in each of our water samples showing us how each of the filters address these contaminants our unfiltered Baseline test showed us that our shower water had four types of trihalomethanes which are a category of disinfection byproducts three of these were were detected at concentrations above the health guideline level which is based on the most conservative Health protective benchmarks in the industry while the fourth was initially detected below the lab's reporting limit we also conducted a couple of on-site tests one using test strips which showed about two parts per million of chlorine and a titration test which detected eight grains per gallon of water hardness we conducted these same tests with each of the shower filters as well uranium lead and arsonic were also detected above the health guideline level while dermal and inhalation exposure can occur the primary route of exposure to these Metals is through ingestion which is why we were more concerned in assessing a product's ability to reduce disinfection by products starting off at the bottom of the list in last place is the shower stick which achieved an overall score of just 7.37 I do want to preface by saying this was the only product we tested that could effectively add grass water hardness reducing it to nearly zero the kdf filter eliminated chlorine but was not effective against disinfection byproducts which significantly lowered the overall score additionally arsenic uranium and Lead all remained above the health guideline level as well and we actually observed a 14% increase in lead concentrations there was also a 7,7 25% increase in fluoride but even so it remained within the hgl now it's important to know note that this was most likely incidental and due to fluctuations in the water as the day progressed and not necessarily that these contaminants are being added to the Water by the filter itself in the case of fluoride you can see that the tests conducted earlier in the day only detected 04 parts per million then the concentration increased starting at 2:30 p.m. and continuing the trend with the last two tests in the day we also observed a 46% increase in sodium which can be attributed to the ion exchange process which addresses water hardness and swaps calcium and magnesium with sodium ions the filter is not certified which contributed to its low contaminant reduction score of just 6.32 on a more positive note it had one of the fastest filtration rates of all the filters we tested coming in at 2.32 Gall per minute so it received top marks in this testing category and despite its bulky ugly design it is made of solid sturdy plastic giving it a pretty average design score of 7.8 compared to the other shower filters we tested the shower stick had a more involved setup process due to its weight and bulkiness and requirement of installing two separate filters because of this it got the lowest setup score of 8.5 and the maintenance will be more challenging as well because the ion exchange resin needs to be regenerated with a complex manual five-step process the kdf filter cost just a fraction of a cent per gallon and these factors combined to give it a maintenance score of 8.75 shower sticks variable shipping fees and stringent requirements for returns reduced the overall company score to just 7.9 the lowest of all the filters we tested however the 12-month warranty is pretty decent next up the aqua sauna shower filter was second to last in our testing with an overall weighted score of 7 points 86 it provided better reduction of dbps than the shower stick including a 73% reduction of total thms however the score was negatively affected since there were still concentrations present above the hgl post filtration this one also eliminated chlorine in our testing but it's lacking a certification for chlorine reduction which is something we'd expect from a more established brand like aquaa additionally the contaminant reduction score of 6.8 6 was pulled down by an increase of copper by 58% and zinc by a massive 4,924 per to 3.77 parts per million which exceeds the health guideline of 2 PPM we believe this is due to the kdf media used in the filter which is made of copper and zinc Alloys but it's still concerning that such a substantial amount of zinc leached from the filter it's also expensive at around $120 with the shower head or $100 without even though it doesn't have any special features or treatment capabilities that makes it unique from its competitors however setup was easy taking less than 5 minutes awarding the filter with a score of Nine the design of this model also makes it easier to maintain the filter hangs down from the base of the fitting that's attached to the shower meaning you can unscrew it without having to detach the entire showerhead that also meant it didn't extend the length of our shower head as much as others because the filter hangs underneath rather than being installed in line aquaa received a great score of 9.75 for maintenance which was boosted by its affordable ongoing cost of just over half a cent per gallon it received a score of 7.8 for design and we noted that the filter felt sturdier than many of the other plastic filters on this list now it's good to note that 7.8 is actually the highest design score of any of the filters we tested which was influenced by the fact that that none of them hold a certification for material safety aqua's company policies received an 8.6 because of its great 90-day guarantee and decent 180-day warranty but was slightly hindered by its variable shipping fees now you might have seen the Jolie filtered shower head on social media where it's heavily promoted especially to women it did slightly better receiving an overall score of just 8.23 it got a 7.71 for its contaminant reduction reducing 100% of chlorine but not addressing disinfection byproducts or water hardness in fact a couple of dbps actually increased although this is likely due to fluctuations in the source water and not that the dbps are coming from the filter itself still this means this filter is not effective against these chemicals which negatively impacted its score the filter is not performance certified even though the product page states that it far exceeds NSF 177 certifications has been tested in multiple labs and one of the FAQs claiming that the filter is NSF certified now I couldn't find any evidence of certification from the NSF wqa or iatm mod it got a score of 7.2 for design and it does look more modern and attractive but it's not worth the $165 price tag it comes with a custom Hefty for installation but this alone and a lack of any special unique treatment capabilities does not justify the inflated cost it got a nine for its easy setup and a 9.5 for maintenance although the filter has a shorter lifespan of around 3 months it's easy to change and still affordable to replace at 1.2 cents per gallon I should also note that while cheap in terms of ongoing cost 1.2 cents per gallon is still more expensive than most of the other shower filters we test tested we measured the flow rate at 2.2 Gall per minute one of the highest we recorded which gave it a 10 in this category Jolie received a fairly low company score of 8.35 and while its free shipping and 60-day returns were good there is no warranty beyond the returns period canopy is another brand just like Jolie that became popular among women which can be contributed to successful social media marketing campaigns and after testing both it honestly seems like one brand is a copycat of the other I'm not sure which but it did only slightly better than Jolie earning an overall score of 8.25 this is another unjustifiably expensive product with a $150 upfront price tag and just like Jolie an average contaminant reduction capability which got a score of 7.71 it eliminated chlorine but hardness in total thms actually increased post filtration again we believe this is due to fluctuations in the dbps in our water throughout the day and canopy was the second to last filter we tested at 350 p.m. it's not that the filter itself added more disinfection byproducts but rather it was unable to successfully address them the manufacturer also misleadingly claims the filter can reduce magnesium and calcium carbonate which contribute to water hardness our testing actually showed calcium increased by 16% magnesium by just under 2% and total hardness by 12% they also indicate the filter can reduce harmful microbes bacteria or fungi so while it's true that kdf 55 media does have bacteria static properties it's intended to control the buildup of bacteria in the filter media not to reduce bacteria or other microorganisms in the treated water it's important to understand the difference and also acknowledge that this type of wording can be interpreted the wrong way post filtration we saw a 32% increase in Copper and 8,797 increase of zinc but both fell within the hgl and are likely from the kdf media now more alarmingly arsenic increased by 93% and lead by a whopping 44% this significant increase of lead seems unlikely to be solely due to water fluctuations especially considering none of the other tests detected a similar Spike we're concerned about the possibility of the lead coming from the system itself but we' need to conduct more specific rigorous testing to confirm this hypothesis and to top it all off the canopy filtered shower head is not performant certified despite the manufacturer tested to NSF 177 standards statement anyone can claim to test their filter to NSF standards but I want to make it clear that independent testing is not the same thing as achieving official certification this one had the fastest flow rate of all the shower filters we tested at 2.33 GPM awarding it a score of 10 it was also super easy to install with a nine for setup and the filter's 3,000g capacity and 1.2 cents per gallon ongoing spend awarded it a 9.5 maintenance score it received a slightly lower design score compared to others due to its lack of certification and more flimsy feeling plastic coming in at 7.2 in terms of company policies hany got one of the highest scores 8.8 thanks to its 1-year warranty free us shipping on orders over $25 and 60-day returns period coming in the middle is the aqua Bliss sf100 revitalizing shower filter like canopy its weighted overall performance score came to 8.25 and this was largely because it also received the same contaminant reduction score of 7.71 there are a few disappointing results I want to highlight here first the aqua Bliss was the only filter we tested that didn't eliminate chlorine it only reduced it by 75% down to .5 parts per million and second it didn't affect the concentration of minerals in our water despite Aqua Bliss claiming that the filter infuses highquality minerals get gorgeous skin hair and nails honestly this claim is is a bit vague and confusing anyway as many healthy minerals that contribute to water hardness actually have unwanted topical effects on hair and skin Aqua Bliss also claims they use redox media in calcium sulfite to effectively reduce trihalomethanes but we only saw an incidental reduction of just under 6% and while it claims the filter reduces contaminants to make water feel softer we saw a less than 2% change the concentrations of minerals responsible for water hardness we observed a 60 7% increase in Arsenic post filtration and the filter isn't performance certified even though aquabliss claims otherwise its filtration rate was a bit slower than other filters we tested at 1.5 Gall per minute but it still received a 10 in this category and didn't noticeably affect our water pressure while its less sturdy plastic build contributed to its lower design score of 7.2 it was one of the most affordable to maintain with an ongoing cost of2 cents per gallon the filter lasts up to 6 months and swapping it out is quick and easy awarding a maintenance score of 9.75 the filter also did well in the setup category and the installation process was a simple 5minute job which gave it a nine Aqua Bliss got an 8.65 score for its company policies which was pulled down by its shorter 30-day returns period although we were pleased by its 12-month warranty and free shipping for orders over $20 while hello clean got the same contaminant reduction score of 7.71 yet again its overall weighted score was slightly higher than Aqua Bliss canopy and Jolie because it did better in the design in company policies categories which brought it up to 8.31 the filter offered basic chlorine reduction in our testing but it did not reduced the dbps or hardness minerals despite the company claiming that the activated carbon media in the filter reduces trihalomethane and insinuating that the product addresses water hardness hello clean hasn't obtained certification which negatively impacted its contaminant reduction score the filter has a flow rate of 1.58 GPM which is decent and awarded a score of 10 in this category its durable aluminum construction is a refreshing change from the typical plastic models with chrome overlays awarding it with a design score of 7.8 because it's installed in line it it extends the shower head down significantly which may be an issue for taller people installation was just as easy as with the other filters we tested and the unit got a setup score of Nine the filter lasts 6 months on average and has an ongoing cost of 1.5 cents per gallon making it the most expensive we tested but still affordable overall these factors combined to award it with a respectable 9.5 for maintenance the company's 90-day return policy and free us shipping on orders over for $75 earned it an 8.7 though the lack of a warranty beyond the return period slightly lowered the score taking the third spot is the berky shower filter which received an overall weighted score of 8.36 now before I get into the data it's important that you know that this is actually a Sprite filter the currently unavailable perace seal which has been private labeled information that's sometimes hidden in a wall of text or not even disclosed on the product page of many berky distributor websites so these Distributors claim that the filter addresses scale which is effectively the same thing as claiming to reduce hardness however our testing showed that calcium and magnesium were only reduced by 1% and total hardness actually increased by a minimal 0.27% this berky or rather Sprite filter does at least eliminate chlorine and its IAT most certified to NSF 177 for chlorine reduction this contributed to its slightly higher contaminant reduction score of 7.83 but unfortunately it didn't do a great job with dbps where we saw only a modest 23% reduction similar to other systems this one is easy to set up and maintain with scores of 9 and 9.5 respectively this filter lasts longer than others we tested up to 20,000 gallons or around 12 months with an ongoing cost of just3 cents per gallon the unit's flow rate of 1.57 gallons per minute was pretty good awarding A score of 10 in this category design-wise it's made from an ABS food grade plastic housing that felt more solid compared to others but as with other systems its length was an issue extending the shower head down a lot and giving it a score of 7.8 berky's 8.5 score for company policy was based on the thir 30-day returns and free shipping on orders over $99 offered by the distributor as well as sprite's own 1-year warranty the Sprite slim line 2 took the second spot on our list with a score of 8.35 overall this filter is one of the most affordable on the list it eliminated chlorine and has an NSF ancy 177 certification from iapmo like many of the others it didn't do much for the disinfection byproducts or the hardness total thms were only reduced by 5% while total hardness actually increased by 1% we also observed a 13582 increase in zinc to 1.25 parts per million again likely due to zinc alloy in the kdf media setup was just as easy with this Sprite filter awarding it a score of Nine the filter has threads up inside the housing which shortens the overall length and prevents it from extending down too much like some of the others but while these features made setup easier the plastic housing felt a bit more flimsy compared to others coming in with a design score of 7.2 we recorded the unit's filtration rate at 1.65 Gall per minute so it got the top score of 10 maintenance is nice and easy with Filter Replacements required every 6 months or 10,000 gallons we calculated the ongoing filter replacement cost at just2 cents per gallon this makes it the most affordable UPF front and the most affordable in the long JM these factors combined to award it a 9.5 in the maintenance category sprite's company policy score comes in slightly lower than some at 8.35 again they offer a one-year warranty but their shipping policy is weak with variable shipping costs depending on location they do offer a 45-day return period which is slightly longer than some of the others the wed Duo secured the top spot with the highest overall score of 8.73 it performed the best in our testing being the only filter to completely remove not only chlorine but all the disinfection byproducts as well so why can this filter address the dbps when none of the others could well it's likely because it's the only shower filter we tested that uses a solid carbon block filter it's also NSF certified to standard 177 for chlorine reduction the only let down is that it didn't do much for water hardness we only saw a meager 2% reduction but at least wed doesn't claim to do so the setup was nice and easy due to the filter's no hassle design it received a nine and the Dual filter design with one filter at either end of the unit will make maintenance easy too we won't have to remove the shower head or the entire unit to change a filter all you have to do is unscrew the filter housings on each side this contributed to the Duo's higher maintenance score of 9.75 as well as its super low ongoing cost of just3 cents per gallon wed recommends replacing the filters every 5 to 6 months and the clear filter housings are helpful for quickly checking the signs it's time to change the cartridges while its horizontal design minimizes showerhead extension the lack of material safety certifications lowered its design score to 7.8 still this is the highest design score any of the shower water filters we tested received we measured its flow rate at 1 .43 GPM which is just a bit slower than all the others but it still received a score of 10 in this category W tied with canopy for the best company policies receiving a score of 8.8 it has the best warranty which is offered for the lifetime of the unit and they offer free shipping to most of the US the only letdown was its 30-day returns policy which includes a 10% restocking fee if you decide to return it for a refund ultimately most of the shower water filters we tested fell short in addressing the three primary water quality issues we were most concerned about while many manufacturers falsely claimed to reduce water hardness only the shower stick was capable of doing so and only the wedel duo effectively eliminated the more concerning disinfection byproducts it's really the only one out of all those we tested that I would recommend as a solution for safer shower wall however if water hardness is your primary concern a whole housee water softener is an easier more effective long-term solution but for renters or those looking for a point of use solution the shower stick does address water hardness but doesn't offer protection against disinfection byproducts it's important to test your water before buying any water treatment equipment so you can identify specific contaminants and select a system that addresses your unique needs knowing exactly what's in your water and the associated health risks can help you make informed decisions and ignore the fearmongering and misinformation we so often see in manufacturers marketing now if you want to avoid exposure to contaminants in your drinking water as well stick around and watch the next video to learn more about some of the best water filters we've tested 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