If you're like me, you probably drank out of the hose when you were a kid. Maybe even straight from the stream you were swimming in ... but then you got older and learned about bacteria, viruses, had Montezuma's Revenge once, and other things that make your tummy upset – or worse – from contaminated water.
Waterdrop sent me two systems to have a go at: the X12 under-sink water filter and the M6H countertop water filter, and I've put both of them to work.
To start, the X12 under-sink setup requires installation. It's not quite as easy as plug-and-play, but Waterdrop has gone out of its way to make it as simple as possible. You could have a plumber chuck it in there if you're not the DIY type. Once I had the motivation to actually do it, it only took me about 30 minutes to install from start to finish. The kit comes with everything you need except your tools. The only tools you'll need are a 1/4-inch drill bit, a 1-inch step-bit, and a Phillips screwdriver. You will be making a large hole in your counter or sink, so there's that ... Measure once and cut twice!
You will need an outlet under the sink or close to it, as it requires power. I didn't have one, so I punched laterally behind the cabinets under the counter and ran power from behind the fridge.
First things first. As soon as I had it all installed, the instructions say you have to let it flush the system for 30 minutes. That was the worst part of the whole install, in my opinion. Water isn't cheap where I live, and the conservationist in me felt guilt while watching 24.9 gallons of water at 0.83 GPM just go down the drain (94.3 liters at 3.14 L/min).
My house is on city water, and frankly, it tastes like rocks. Not that I can pin down exactly what flavor "rock" is, but I'm sure you know what I mean. It's not bad. But it's not particularly good, either. Kind of like Arrowhead bottled water, I guess. I really don't like the taste of Arrowhead.
The first taste test from the filter actually surprised me – it tasted good. Like Dasani or Aquafina bottled water (those are both my favorites). I wasn't expecting the flavor of the water to change, to be honest.
The X12 has a couple of things going on inside:
First is the F2 pre-sediment filter and carbon block. It catches any crud that might be in your pipes, like sand, rust, dirt, etc, then gets forced through a solid block of carbon. That's what starts pulling out VOCs (volatile organic compounds), odors, and even chlorine. The box says the filter is good for up to six months or 550 gallons (2,082 L), whichever comes first.
Next is the F3 reverse osmosis (RO) membrane that does most of the filtration work down to 0.0001 µm. It reduces total dissolved solids (TDS), PFOS/PFOA ("forever chemicals"), lead, arsenic, and even fluoride. Waterdrop says this particular filter is good for up to two years or 2,200 gallons (8,328 L), but they are pricey.
After water passes through the RO filter, it goes through the F1A activated carbon filter and an alkaline mineral post-filter. Boom, there's where the delicious taste comes from. The alkaline post-filter adds in some Ca and Mg to the mix and changes the PH to right about 7.5, which is a good thing. Again, Waterdrop rates the filter for about 12 months of usage or 1,100 gallons (4,164 L).
Lastly, when you hit the go button to dispense your filtered water, it passes through a UV/LED sterilizer on the way out.
Couple things to think about:
The X12 is 18.2 inches tall, 6.25 inches wide, and 16.72 inches deep (46.2 × 15.9 × 42.5 cm). It easily fits under my sink, but your mileage may vary.
Twice in the last year, the city has issued boil notices to all the residents. Once was for a cracked main somewhere, and the other time was because of flooding from severe rainfall. I did some research, wondering if the X12 was "good enough" to handle a boil notice ... I'm no scientist, but all signs point towards "Don't do it, Joe, just boil the dang water." Sure, the RO can handle most viruses and bacteria, and the UV germ-killing death ray does its job too, but if there's some sort of legitimate microbial threat, I wouldn't take the chance.
The business end of the X12 (the dispenser) looks super modern and nifty. It has a spinny dial on it to choose the exact amount of water, in ounces, that you'd like dispensed. That spinny dial is also the button you depress when you're cleared for launch. And it does launch. The water pressure comes out so high that I'd wager the dispenser would take flight if it weren't bolted to my sink. You quickly learn to start the stream first, then put your cup underneath, else you and everything in a three-foot radius will get sprinklered. I searched all the usual avenues and found that that was a common complaint with the X12, but pretty much the only complaint as well, so there's that. On the plus side, it only takes a few seconds to fill your cup!
And because the dispenser looks so high-tech with its blue lights and LED display, it gives the impression that the button should be touch-sensitive, but it's not. It's a firm depress to turn it on and off, and if you don't depress the button perfectly, it can be a little tough to press sometimes. More than once, I've tried to use the back of one hand while holding a sippy lid and a sippy cup in the other, only to put way more force than necessary into the button that still didn't do button-things. As with anything high-tech, if the power goes out, so does your filtered water.
Also, in the few months I've been using the water filter, it isn't always consistent with its measurements. I know this from filling up hundreds of baby bottles. Sometimes six ounces comes out as five or seven. Sometimes eight ounces comes out as more than the capacity of the bottle. But overall, 95% of the time it works 100% of the time.
At the time of writing, the price is marked down from US$1,336.99 to $936.99. We're a family of five, and I'd say we go through two or three gallons (7.5-11.5 L) of drinking water per day. I did some maths, and I estimate that it would be between $1,000-1,500 per year if I were buying bottled water by the gallon. So theoretically, the X12 would pay for itself in just over a year or so. Take into consideration that you'll be spending $31 every six months for the F2 filter, $33 every year for the F1A filter, and a whopping $160 every two years for the F3 RO filter.
Yes, we were drinking the tap water before this filtration system, but not enjoying it. And honestly, the better-tasting water has encouraged me to drink more water now.
The countertop unit:
The $429 Waterdrop M6H is an entirely different beast that solves the same problem in a very different way, but also adds instant hot water on demand capabilities.
First off, it's huge. Well, it's not really, but it feels huge when it's sitting on your countertop at 15.9 inches tall, 9.3 inches wide and 14.5 inches deep (40.4 × 23.6 × 36.8 cm). Still, it only got a couple of weeks of usage before the wife had had enough of it hogging up precious countertop. I didn't blame her. That being said, we've moved to a new house this last week, and the X12 was left behind, donated to whoever resides there next ... so the M6H has made a reappearance!
The new house's water tastes like 84-year-old pipes – but also has twice as much counter space as the last one and more electrical outlets to plug the M6H into!
Unlike the X12 with its three separate filters, the M6H has a single replaceable $60 filter (that's good for a year or 1,100 gallons) that's marketed as 7-stage filtration. Basically, it's a sediment stage (PP cotton), pre-carbon stage (chlorine and stuff), scale inhibitor (reduces scale around the RO), RO stage (0.0001 µm), activated carbon filter (makes it taste yummy), more PP cotton, and finally the final UV/LED.
I have mixed feelings about the M6H. For one, why didn't they give it a better name? Do you know how many times I had to write "M6H" before it was committed to memory, and I stopped double-checking whether I typed it correctly or not?
Also, it still takes up a lot of counter space.
The tank on the back holds 135 ounces (4 L) – just shy of a full gallon – of tap water in one partition, while the other partition holds 50 ounces (1.5 L) of wastewater (we'll get to that in a minute). The ready-to-drink glass pitcher holds 40 ounces (1.2 L) of deliciousness.
This is where I get annoyed ... I have to empty out the wastewater and fill up the reservoir four, five, six times a day. And though it fits neatly under my cabinets, the tank on the back needs to be lifted straight up for removal and put straight down to replace it, meaning I have to pull the unit out, dragging its 22 lb (~10 kg) carcass across my counter in what feels like every single time I walk into the kitchen. I swear, it feels heavier than that. Especially when there's still some water left in it.
And that's another thing: the 50-oz waste water is always full before the tap water tank has run out completely. Waterdrop says it's a 3:1 pure/waste ratio, so every single time I empty and fill it, I'm pouring about 2 quarts (1.9 L) ... basically four 16.9 oz water bottles down the drain four to six times a day. The X12 is the same 3:1 ratio, however, as it's plumbed directly into the drain under the sink, I don't see it happening ... and you know the old saying: "Outta sight, outta mind." Technically, a 3:1 pure-to-drain ratio is actually pretty efficient for an RO system, but it still makes me sad to think of all the wasted water. I could probably save it for watering plants ...
At least the removable tank has a really convenient handle built into it.
The pitcher is pretty neat. It's actual glass, so it feels expensive. The bottom of it has a one-way valve that couples perfectly with the M6H. Once the tap water tank is full, you set the pitcher into the cradle, and like magic, it starts filling from the bottom after a few seconds. It takes all of 30 seconds to fill the pitcher. The downside to that is the dribbles underneath. I have to wipe it up at least once a day, else dribbles turn to puddles, turn to pools. Not a massive issue, by any means, but annoyingly repetitive. Same with the rear tank, as the reservoirs are pushed and pulled from the bottom as well.
The hot water feature is pretty neat. Using the touchscreen, you can choose from 113 °F (45 °C – think baby bottles) up to a mouth-scalding 203 °F (95 °C – think instant oatmeal). I've only used it for baby bottles and Cup 'o Noodles so far, but it has settings for coffee and tea and whatever else you might need hot water for. The first ounce or two isn't always at your selected temperature either, so a 113 °F bottle might actually end up being more like a 98 °F (36.7 °C) bottle when all is said and done. The screen also has a lockout feature to keep pesky kids from burning themselves and making a mess on the counter.
It also has NFC built into it, but because both myself and my phone wear tinfoil hats, I didn't test it (NFC is permanently disabled on my phone). I did look it up, though, and it looks like it's nothing mission-critical ... just some how-to videos and manuals.
The wife says it could benefit from a bigger pitcher (I agree) and a bigger tank (that I'm not sure about – it could be problematic as it starts getting to be on the heavy/awkward side). I think rolly-wheels would make it much more manageable, as I'm willing to bet everyone who has one faces the same annoying fact that they have to move it to fill/drain it.
So, to sum it all up, I think the X12 is pretty legit. I don't have any fancy equipment for testing the purity of the water and whatnot. I'm just a regular consumer talking about my consumer experiences with it ... and I like it. The water not only tastes better, but it tastes good. It comes out clear every time. It was easy to install and has been maintenance-free for the last ~3 months. It's not cheap, but it is really convenient. And I'm a man of convenience. Even replacing the filters is super simple, as they easily twist out, just like a Britta.
I've already measured out under the sink in my new house, and the X12 will fit ... so I think there's another one in my future.
The M6H takes a little bit more ... OK, a lotta bit more work to keep it ready for a glass of water, but here and now, it's providing me 2026-pipes-tasting water, and this makes me happy. I tried to give it away to two friends already, and both have declined based on its footprint, taking up counter space, but I sure am glad I have it in the meantime.
Both systems carry NSF/ANSI 58 certification for "reverse-osmosis system performance" and NSF/ANSI 372 certification for "low-lead materials," which a lot of cheap filters aren't certified for. There's actual third-party certification behind Waterdrop's RO system, so you're getting what you pay for.
So which one is better? For me, it's definitely the X12. I'd rather have filtered water available on demand without refilling tanks constantly, emptying waste water constantly, or giving up precious counter space. But that only works if you own your place – or at least have permission – to drill into the sink or countertop. If that's not an option, at least the M6H gets you much of the same RO-filtered taste, plus instant hot water – which the X12 does not – without making permanent changes.
The X12 is the one I want long-term. The M6H is a great option when DIY plumbing isn't an option.
Product pages: Waterdrop X12 (Amazon) and Waterdrop M6H (Amazon)
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