Vitev PLUS vs Berkey – 2 great filters, 2 major differences
SUMMARY
Berkey takes up a ton of space on the counter, has to be manually filled and does not add additional minerals or antioxidants. It’s a great disaster preparedness filter.The Vitev PLUS has better filtration, adds vital minerals back, makes the water antioxidant, takes up no countertop space and is less than half the size.
OVERVIEW
We like Berkey. As a company, they are very similar to us. Family run business that started small, grew over time and make great products here in the US.When you start looking for a solution to your water issues, particularly if it’s related to filtration, you will most likely run across their gravity filters. Which means we get frequent questions about how we compare or what we do that they don’t.
Ultimately, it comes down to 2 main differences…one hidden and the other very visible.
MINERALS AND ANTIOXIDANTS
Berkey uses very similar filters to our PLUS so the contaminant removal is highly comparable, as long as you add on their additional fluoride pre-filter. That removal is standard on the PLUS. Their filters also allow the naturally occurring beneficial minerals through, which is good. When it comes to filtration, we both do the 2 most important things well.Get rid of the bad and let the good through.
But, and this is a big one, after our water is cleaned, we send it through a mineral cartridge. This provides a blend of magnesium, potassium and just a sprinkling of natural sodium to complement the naturally occurring calcium in your tap water. That way you have a glass with all 4 alkaline minerals. Those minerals, particularly the magnesium, also create an antioxidant reaction in the water providing benefits way above and beyond Berkey’s.
They’re clean, we’re clean and healthy.
OPERATION
If you want to see what it’s like with a Berkey in your kitchen, stack 2 5-gallon buckets on your counter. Or maybe get a cart or smaller table and set it up in your kitchen with the buckets on top. That’s the footprint a family sized Berkey will require. Sure, they’re shiny and will be a conversation starter, but you’re going to lose a lot of space.Then there is filling it up. You either need a long wand on your faucet to reach the top or you’ll be filling up another container over and over to pour with.
Then you have to also worry about the water that has been filtered sitting in the lower reservoir. All of the disinfectants like chlorine have been removed, so it’s prone to bacteria growth. You really should clean that reservoir frequently (much more than just with a filter change) to ensure that water you went through all the effort to clean doesn’t become dirty again.
Bottom line, Berkey is bulky and inconvenient. It’s great if you live off the grid and don’t have running water, or want one for disaster preparedness, but other than that, it’s not a good match for day to day normal living.
A better option is to hook our PLUS up under your sink and use the special customized faucet. Or, you can hook it up to your existing sink faucet using the provided Countertop version diverter valve.
No running out. No sacrificing half of your counter space.
The Vitev PLUS is just as clean and it provides a better mineralized, antioxidant water a whole lot easier.