Perhaps more importantly, Rorra, Boroux, and Culligan have shed nearly all plastic from their devices, especially in areas that come in contact with filtered water. Boroux in particular has taken the extra step of attaining certification for microplastic filtration. If microplastics are a big concern for you, the new generation of gravity-fed filters does quite a bit to alleviate these worries.
-
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
-
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Boroux
Legacy Water Filter System
WIRED/TIRED
WIRED
- NSF-certified microplastic and particulate filtration
- Independent testing shows yearlong filtration of PFAs, heavy metals, chlorine
- Gosh, it’s handsome
TIRED
- Big, bulky
- Setup and filter priming is tedious
Of the three new-school gravity-fed systems I tested, the Boroux is my Goldilocks choice among usability, aesthetics, filter life, and extensive third-party testing. It’s also obtained international certifications to NSF criteria (in this case, through the WQA) for particulate and microplastic removal, in addition to lead-free manufacturing.
Independent third-party testing showed efficacy against chlorine, PFAS, and lead. And my own testing showed its efficacy in chloramine-treated water systems, reducing total chlorine by more than 95 percent. The water tasted good. And the Boroux is also the prettiest water filter system I know, which matters quite a bit if it’s going to live in your kitchen for years.
Boroux also sells supplemental fluoride filters, for those worried about fluoridated water. I wasn’t able to test the efficacy of this, because I live in Portland, Oregon, the largest metropolitan area in America without fluoride in its water. But independent, third-party testing backs up these claims.
One reason for Boroux’s performance is simple: Boroux’s filters are a trusted technology, functionally identical to the original Berkey black filters made with a mix of activated carbon and antimicrobial silver. In fact, they’re made by the Berkey filters’ original manufacturer, Clearbrook, which also separately sells its own filters.
Berkey is not currently selling those filters. The company is instead embroiled in a long fight with the Environmental Protection Agency, which issued a stop-sale notice in 2023 on Berkey’s classic black activated-carbon filters, saying the company’s antimicrobial claims meant the Berkey water systems were being sold as unregulated pesticides. Berkey’s maker, New Millennium Concepts, has since been fighting this order in court, but has also endorsed a filter called the Phoenix that I’m in the process of testing.
