Review by Justin Smith
After several years of using the same, small, 6-cup Brita pitcher for water changes in my room, I decided it was time for something bigger. The original pitcher only filtered enough water for me to fill about 3 bowls for my smaller animals and I was tired of having to make 10 trips to the kitchen to refill it. In a previous trip to wal mart I noticed that they had some bigger filter systems for sale. Well it was finally time to upgrade and now I found myself looking at the options on the shelves, settling on the Pur Max Ion 30-cup filter.
I should preface this by saying that the original 6-cup filter pitcher I had used for a couple years prior never gave me any issues! I used the water from that for chondros, dart frogs, tadpoles, and all my other snakes. At no point did I have any health issues from using the filtered tap water from the pitcher. City water and/or well water may vary in quality due to a long list of reasons. Since I wasn’t sure exactly how “clean” my city was I opted to try out the pitcher filter.
One of the main reasons I really like this filter (aside from the 30 cup capacity) is that it’s big enough to hold plenty of water but small enough to not take up a ton of space. Mine is currently nestled next to my green tree python rack at the ready for water changes. The overall dimensions on this model in particular are 10.38” x 15.38” x 5.75”. The slim profile makes it easy to find a space for it in a room since it is long, kinda tall, and relatively thin. Being big but not too big also means that this filter isn’t heavy even when full. In the event that you forget to take the lid with you when filling, this model has a fixed divider that helps break up “waves” and prevent splashing or sloshing. The water dispenses via a little nozzle that you simply pull forward, a nice little touch.
The entire unit can be bought at Walmart, Target, most home improvement stores, or online for around $26. Filters are very simple to replace but a box of three will set you back around $16. According to the paperwork that comes with the Max-ion, a single filter should last between 2 and 3 months so $16 for between 6 to 9 months worth of filtration, I think it’s a low cost option. Overall for the low cost of a lot of these units, the longevity of the filters, and the benefit of not having to buy gallons of water regularly, I highly recommend looking into either the Max-ion model or even one of the smaller ones if you think the 30-cup is overkill.
Get yours ->
