So, I bought this unit last year and started using it in June of 2016. I live in a place (desert southwest) where the water quality can be "iffy," and so, previous to purchasing this, was buying water out of the vending machines they have all over town (note: in some parts of the United States, they don't have them, but here in the desert southwest, they're everywhere. Typically, it's 25 cents a gallon, or, in some cases, you can fill a 5 gallon bottle for $1.00. I only mention this because I've been to other parts of the U.S. where they don't have these machines. They give good quality water.... reverse osmosis, carbon filter, and UV purified; so when talking about the water quality this unit gives, that's what I'll be comparing to).

So, my thinking was this: if the Zen unit gives you a water quality pretty much just as good as the vending machines for less than 25 cents a gallon, it would be worth it.

I did some quick math before ordering, and decided it would be. Plus.... there's another factor to consider. Taking your empty water jugs and DRIVING to the water dispensing machine to fill them up. That's a cost factor I also considered. Not to mention the time to do so.... coming and going in traffic, etc.

Even though I am only one person, I opted for the 6 gallon dispenser. I think it was actually a few bucks cheaper than the 4 gallon model at the time, so that's what I did.

When I was driving to and from the water dispensing machines, I was using the purified water I purchased ONLY to drink. With the dispenser, I use it for more things..... the pets, making tea and coffee, etc. (note to people making Kombucha tea.... you don't want to use water with chlorine in it!). So, those are some other factors to consider too.

When I got the Zen unit, I decided that whenever I would fill up dispenser, I would use a gallon jug, and then keep a running tally on a sheet of paper. That way, at the end of the year, I would know how many gallons I used.

Between June 1st, 2016 and September 8th, 2017, I used 452 gallons of water. My cost of the unit PLUS one replacement filter (the ceramic filter lasts a year... the "5 stage filter" only lasts 6 months, so I had to buy one of those in February) was a total of $99.29. That makes the cost -- for the first "year" of ownership (you'll note that I stretched the filter life out a little longer than the recommended year) comes to an average of 22 cents a gallon.

So, when you consider the time in the car, hauling BIG water jugs (mine were 3 and 5 gallon bottles.... and they weigh a LOT when full!), and constantly making sure you have quarters on hand.... The "first year of ownership" having water from the Zen unit was cheaper.

Just today, I thoroughly cleaned the unit and replaced both filters (altogether -- maybe about 45 minutes tops). Now that the unit has paid for itself, I am projecting an average cost for the 2nd year of ownership to be about 11 cents a gallon (that's basically just the cost of the replacement filters needed for one year -- one ceramic filter and two "5 stage" filters).

Yes, you DO have to take it apart and clean it every now and then. That is a MINOR hassle (funny how getting in the car to go get water when you need it is a "different" kind of hassle..... right? LOL). But.... truth be told, I kind of got lazy the last few months and just kept filling it up and letting it do it's thing.... and didn't clean it for a couple months.... and the water STILL tasted good!

Truth be told, I think it's a great product..... and I think it DOES give great quality water. I've done a lot of research on water filtration and water quality, and R.O. will probably always be my favorite method..... but..... for those who do NOT want to install an R.O. unit (in order to make clean water, they also waste water in the process... that's another factor to consider)...... I think you'd really be hard pressed to do any better than this unit.

I read a LOT of reviews before I purchased this. I DO NOT KNOW if the "knock off" 5 stage filters work well or not (people say the threads don't always match up right). BUT..... they can be had for cheaper than the replacement filters that are made by the Zen folks. As they say, YMMV ("your mileage may vary"). Also, people complained it was slow to drip through. Yes, I understand that. With this unit, you need to "plan ahead" a little. I usually top off the upper tank before retiring at night, and that way, there's always water to make coffee with in the morning.

I don't have an axes to grind here.... I didn't get a free product. I don't work for a water filter company. But I think this is a great product, it's environmentally friendly (when you consider other options.... driving to a water machine, or using an R.O. filter that wastes water as part of its filtration process), and I think it gives really good quality water.

Having said that, I do add a little lemon juice and trace minerals to my drinking water. I am a firm believer in trace minerals. Plus, they do add a nice little "taste" as well.

If you live in a part of the country where you have truly EXCELLENT quality water (i.e., from snow melt or other pristine sources), you may not need a unit like this. But I do, and I'm glad I made the purchase.

I hope this info helps you make your decision.

Be patient and take your time putting this filter together because it truly provides superb tasting water that is perfectly filtered. And in response to the reviews that were critical of how long the water takes to filter through: LOAD UP THE TOP CONTAINER BEFORE YOU GO TO BED!

I don't understand how anyone could give this water filter anything less then 5 STARS. It is an attractive water filter, easy to set-up and makes clean crisp tasting water.

My city water is absolutely terrible. It's routinely pink, purple, or tan colored. Rarely ever clear. I used to buy about six to eight gallons of spring water every trip to the store. It was annoying and difficult to carry, so I decided to try a countertop filter. After some research, I decided to try this one. The setup takes a while--I ran through two entire cycles before drinking any as I saw recommended in other reviews. A couple days later I also discovered it had a very slow leak from the spigot either due to not having it tight enough or a small raised bump of plastic that my dad was able to knock off and even out. After that, I've had no more leaks.

I've had it since March now, and I absolutely love it. I do find that taller glasses and bottles are difficult to fill even when it's sitting on a base, but I just started keeping a 2-cup measuring cup right next to the dispenser. It's great to be able to make a pot of soup or noodles and have enough filtered water on hand to use. Today I scrubbed the reusable ceramic prefilter for the second time, and this time I took some pictures. The gunk that it caught in just three to four weeks is ridiculous, but I'm so glad that it was caught on the filter and didn't end up in my water. I'm also glad that it does have a ceramic filter that's reusable and washable, I would go broke replacing the main filter if it went straight into it. Overall, I love it and definitely recommend it.

It takes about the whole night to filter it and it kinda taste like tap water after. Other than the length of time it takes and the taste it's great :)