Almost zero effect
Warentest checks water filters: “Save your money”
Drink tap water straight from the tap? Usually this is not a problem.
© Patrick Pleul / Picture Alliance
Water filters should push tap water to new levels of taste. But Warentest considers their use superfluous, sometimes even harmful. These are the reasons.
In Germany nobody actually has to buy water in the supermarket. The water from the tap is of such high quality that it is a wonderful alternative to mineral water. Drinking tap water is not only harmless to health, unless it flows through lead pipes, but also cheap and ecologically sensible.
Because according to the consumer center, the climate impact in Germany from mineral water is almost 600 times higher than from tap water. Important to note: Before drinking, let the water run until it comes cool and fresh from the tap. Tap water should be even better if it flows through a filter. At least that’s what the manufacturers claim. But is that true? Stiftung Warentest did the test. The result is sobering.
water filter? Superfluous!
Warentest tested eight water filters. Do they really soften the water? Is there less limescale? After just a short use and only a few filtered liters, the testers could hardly detect any effect. Not one filter has softened enough. The use was thus “hardly justified”. It doesn’t help that the filter jugs are available from a paltry 13 euros. Warentest knows no mercy and rigorously judges the water filters. The testers advise: “Save your money for water filters. Not a single one is recommended.”
Only one water filter leaves the test with a satisfactory rating: Brita. This model actually made it to the test winner with a grade of 3.5. That alone speaks for itself. The majority of the filters are just sufficient. Warentest rated the Yucona as the worst. The water filter has to be satisfied with a defective, after on the one hand it has already filtered poorly and on the other hand it has also carried mold into the water.
Also read:
– Stiftung Warentest: These are the best mineral waters
You can find the complete test for a fee at test.de