The Berkey manufacturer has filed a lawsuit against the EPA seeking to stop it's unjustified persecution of Berkey Water Filters based on the EPA’s decision this year to treat Berkey Water Filters as though they are pesticides, rather than water filters. The EPA has already ordered the closure of Berkey's largest warehouse. Please see our blog post for the details.

Berkey Water Purification Systems Compared with other Water Filters

The table below compares the Big Berkey water purification system with 3 other well-known water filtration systems. On all fronts the Berkey water purification systems win hands down. Berkey Water Filters are not only the most powerful at removing contaminants, but they are also the most cost-effective. The chart below does not take into account that the Berkey Water Filters can last for more than 10 years without having to be replaced, which makes the difference with the other brands even more pronounced.

ModelBig Berkey w/2 ElementsAquasana Countertop Filter AQ-4000Brita Faucet FilterBrita Filter Pitcher5
Retail Price£ 429£ 50£ 149£ 17(avg)
Replacement Filter Cost£ 105/22,700 liters£ 35/ 2000 liters£ 45/
6 months
£ 5.25/
4 weeks
Cost/Liter.4 p./liter1.7 p./litern/a3.5 p./liter
Replacement Filter Cost/Year1£ 10,60/yr.£ 70/yr.£ 90/yr.£ 63/yr.
1st Year Cost2£ 325£ 85£ 195£ 80
2nd Year Cost£ 0£ 70£ 90£ 63
3rd Year Cost£ 0£ 70£ 90£ 63
4th Year Cost£ 0£ 70£ 90£ 63
5th Year Cost£ 0£ 70£ 90£ 63
5 Year Total Investment£ 325£ 365£ 554£ 332
Aluminumup to 95%NoNoNo
Copperup to 95%NoNo>96%
Ironup to 95%NoNoNo
Leadup to 95%>99%>99%>98%
Mercuryup to 95%>99%No>95%
Pathogenic Bacteria> 99.99999%NoNoNo
Cysts> 99.99999%>99.99%>99%No
Parasites> 99.99999%>99.99%NoNo
E.Coli> 99.99999%NoNoNo
ChlorineBDL3>99%>99%>96%
MTBEBDL3>99%NoNo
THMsBDL3>99%NoNo
Nitrates & NitritesReduced4NoNoNo
VOCsBDL3>99%NoNo
AlachorBDL3>98%>99%No
AtrazineBDL3>97%>92%No
BenzeneBDL3>99%>98%No
LindaneBDL3>99%>99%No
Radon 222BDL3NoNoNo
  1. Based on water usage of 57 liters per week.
  2. First year cost includes the purchase of the initial system.
  3. BDL(Below Detectable Level): Chemicals or contaminants reduced to below the limits of the laboratory's ability to detect.
  4. The level of reduction is dependent upon the number of competing contaminants in the source water.
  5. Manufacturer recommends that no more than 7.5 liters / day should be filtered for best results.