I have the Brita and I would rate it pretty high. I think people who complain about the lid not staying on aren't snapping it into place. I've never had the lid fall off if I've snapped it on.

Those Water Dispensers are HUGE! They would take up too much room in my refrigerator. If you don't have anything in your refrigerator though, they might be a good way to go.

You should wash any of these in hot soapy water at least twice a month.

The mold in Chicago is that orangey-pink stuff. I'm sure most Chicagoans are immune to it in the very small quantities we might ingest, but you should clean it with bleach and rinse well with hot water.

I have to say that I've been thinking about replacing my Brita. One of the reasons is filtration and speed.

The Clear20 [I pronounce that Clear two oh, not sure if that's right] uses a solid block of carbon instead of the carbon granules the Pür and Brita filters use, which means it can remove up to 5 times more contaminants.

The real benefit to me is that the Clear20 processes water super fast. [If you've never owned a water pitcher before, waiting for the water to process can sometimes feel like forever]

drip

drip

drip

drip

"What about my LIFE!?"

The Clear20 has a valve that connects directly to the faucet. This type of pressurized system forces the water through the carbon block, filters the water, and does it all in about 40 seconds.

I’m going to do some more research on how easy the Clear20 is to use.

Here is a link I just found to the Clear20 website.

http://www.clear2o.com/default.aspx

Oh interesting Tom! You are such the master at this! The Clear2o pitcher is also available on amazon. However, Clear2o's replacement filters are three for thirty bucks. Whereas Pur's replacement filters are three for twenty bucks.

The Clear20 filters are more expensive because they are solid carbon and filter more contaminants, but I'm not completely sold on the Clear20.

You have to hook the valve up to the faucet which isn't as easy as lift a lid and filling the container. The initial cost for the pitchers is about equal.

The Clear20 site offers an Auto Ship option on the filters with free FED EX shipping. 1 filter is $15.99.

I've been loyal to Brita through 2 pitchers now. I won't switch to Pür from Brita. I do kind of recall that when I was shopping for water pitchers I deliberately chose the Brita over the Pür, but I don't recall why now.

I have a Brita and I like it. I think I just dislike Pur because it filters much slower.

Anyhow... The graffiti is from Charleston, SC - it's all over downtown and Daniel Island. My friend knows who does it, but its a secret. And it's not the only phrase.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oywiththepoodlesalready/

There is one that says:

This is your father's ipod. I
want you to have it. And
maybe one day, if its not
broken or corrupt, you can
give it to your son, if the
earth still exists.

Some are simple some are intense. I love them all.

Erin, ha! I thought that was an odd question once I hit submit. How could I ask WHO does it? But I like how there is a series to them. Anything that gets people to think.

I've been meaning to do a little series with buttons. Every month I want to wear a button that asks a different question. Maybe to stir up some conversation. Or even just to get someone to think. Now I just need the questions! haha. I already have the domain. www.monthlyquestion.com (although the website isn't up yet). It would be cool if other people wore the buttons too. Maybe some sort of subscription thing where people can buy a year subscription, and they get a new button every month. The website would also be a place where people can answer the question of the month. :-)

I just googled the phrases "do you really need any more stuff" "what are you passionate about" together in one search hoping to come up with a website that shows more photos of this person's work. Nuthing came up.

Searching each phrase on flickr didn't come up with anything either. Looks like you are the sole documenter of this series, Erin!

OH wait! I found another one on flickr by doing a search for: charleston graffiti:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/minervacat/2418423199/

I have the Brita Ultramax dispenser.. I've never had any issues with mold. I usually wash it out once every couple of months or so.

I mainly use it to get rid of the chlorine taste. I think they put enough in the water here that mold is afraid to even consider going anywhere near the *filtered* water.

1. Slower filtration = more stuff removed. More time for the water to interact and impurities to bind to the filter. As a chemist, I am not convinced that a solid block could work better than granules, since granules have more surface area to bind impurities.

2. My small Brita pitcher gets the orangy mold on it. So does my cat water dish. And my shower. It's Chicago water. My sister (the microbiologist) says it is pseudomonas and harmless. It sounds much grosser once it has a name :/ But black mold can be very bad.

3. Unless they state otherwise, filters are meant to remove chemical impurities, not sterilize the water--so any microorganisms in Chicago water will also wind up in the pitcher.

4. The larger the pitcher, the less often you refill it... the more time for stuff to grow in the (dechlorinated) water. To get around waiting on the filter for my small pitcher: if there is less than one glass of water left in it, I fill it before I put it back in the fridge. When I want water again, it's full.

Hope that helps! and PS- love the graffiti link!

OH WOW! Great insight, cat. Forget that sold block stuff. It's only for blockheads (sorry tom, you are not a blockhead, I couldn't pass up on that pun.) Granules are Great... and Groovy.

Good point on the smaller size too. I should go with the smaller size, cuz i really don't drink that much water at home anyways.

I'm not sold on the solid carbon filtering less than the granuals. That doesn't make sense to me. Just because the water on The Clear20 is forced through the solid carbon via pressure doesn't mean it will filter less contaminants than water that drips through granuals around which there is space.

I will say that the granual filter and pitcher is probably a good choice for your first water pitcher. Even though I use filtered water for my coffee maker and to fill a permanent water bottle, I don't drink more water than I did before the pitcher.

If you don't have room in your refrigerator for a pitcher, Instapure, the original faucet mount water filter invented in 1975, is a good choice for a NSF tested and certified system. Their F2 ESSENTIALS system is for Chlorine Taste and Odor, F5 COMPLETE removes 99.99% of microbial cysts, Giardia and Cryptosporidium, while their F8 ULTRA system provides maximum reduction of 53 contaminants.

But.. will it blend?