Berkey Water Filter Review
When I first heard about Berkey Water Purifiers I wondered how such a simple looking filtration system can actually work, and to be honest I still don’t quite “get it”. The company that makes Berkey filters has been around for about 200 years. The filters are pretty famous in most parts of the world and work in some pretty nasty environments.
I got my hands on a Berkey Light water filter system and have put it through the paces. Read on for a review of the Berkey Light water filter system.
When I review a product one of the first things I like to do is build a list of questions… and then try to get the manufacturer on the phone. Sounds easy… but it usually isn’t easy to get a human on the phone these days. I can tell you this, Berkey doesn’t try and hide their phone number and when you call them they know their stuff.
I am not a big fan of plastics made of harmful chemicals like BPA, and was concerned about the Berkey Light Water Filter’s container. Long story short, the person at Berkey let me know that the shell of the Berkey Lite is 50-mil thick and is made of BPA-free copolyester. Dig further and you can find this info about copolyester, “New Eastman Tritan™ Copolyester is Ideal for reusable food and beverage containers, this new generation copolyester contains no bisphenol-A (BPA) and provides improved dishwasher durability.”
The first thing I did after assembling the unit was to run some food colored water through the filter to see what would happen, Berkey claims the filter will even remove the small food coloring particles. They were right… red water in the top compartment came out clear in the bottom compartment after filtering. Pretty cool.
One of the items that I like is that the unit is very simple. It doesn’t need electricity, short life filters, water pressure, or a PHD to operate… it just works. The unit comes with two black Berkey filters, a top tank with cover, a bottom tank with spigot, and a base. It takes about 5 minutes to set up completely. The filter works off of good old fashioned gravity… you pour water in the top tank and wait for gravity to do its thing.
In terms of costs… the filters come in many different sizes and shapes and all are priced fairly. The other thing is the filters are so cheap to use. The filter elements are cleanable and last for thousands of gallons.
I ran some nasty San Jose tap water through the filter and was skeptical that the strong chemical taste would be removed by a gravity water filter 
system. I couldn’t believe it… the water came out smooth and great tasting. I had to make sure that it wasn’t just my palate so I started torturing my friends. Long story short, I made several friends do blind taste tests of normal tap water, Berkey water, and a famous bottled water brand (sounds like sparrow bed). Not one person liked the tap water… it is pretty bad. Almost everyone else favored the Berkey with few exceptions.
I am sold… Berkey water filters work!
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February 25th, 2010 at 11:51 am
It’s always good to read an honest review. Yes, I am defending the Berkey products because they are really good. At the same time consuming filtered water is helping the environment.
February 25th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Agreed. Not a big fan of filling the landfills with plastic bottles that were used for 5 minutes. Plus it tastes pretty damn good after being filtered by my Berkey.
August 19th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Bought my Berkey water filter fromDisaster Stuff and it has been awesome. They shipped it the same day I ordered and they had a unadvertised instant rebate that they guy applied to my cart while I was shopping. Pretty cool.
September 25th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
[...] Berkey Water Filter Review From Gadget King [...]
January 20th, 2011 at 6:33 am
I tried to use the berkey system, but the water tasted terrible. It was no better tasting than what came from the tap. Berkey even sent new filters saying the first ones must have been contaminated. There was no difference…the water was not drinkable! I really wanted the system to work, but if the water does not taste good, what good is it?
The company is very hard to deal with and doesn’t return calls promptly. Sometimes it takes a week and then it is at 8:30 pm. I would not recommend this product or the company to anyone. Do your research on RO water. It does not leach minerals from your body like Berkey claims.
January 20th, 2011 at 9:18 am
Sue – Interesting. I find the exact opposite. In fact we have done blind taste testing at home (was funny) between tap water, bottled water, and Berkey Water. Berkey almost always won and tap water almost always lost. Our tap water tastes horrible until we filter it with the Berkey.
January 22nd, 2011 at 2:26 pm
I found the company not the greatest to deal with. No notice of shipping or how it was going to be shipped. After repeated emails and phone calls, finally told it was at my local PO and had been for almost 2 weeks. It was my fault I had not picked it up. PO didn’t leave a notice in my box. Still running 1st and 2nd “loads” of water through. The taste is a little different, but as long as it is pure, then I guess I am OK.. I am a full time RVer and use a lot of different water systems, so it will be nice to have the same water no matter where I go.
January 25th, 2011 at 10:20 pm
Working as an emergency management instructor and response team member safe water is not always available. This system has proven 100% effective for me and it is efficient. It is economical compared to many other systems. It has kept my canteens full when ever needed for myself and a few others at the same time. I have a canteen so I removed the bottle from the kit and put a foam wrapped second filter in the kit if needed. Just watch that the wet filter does not freeze but this is the case with any portable water filter system.
February 4th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
The standard berkey filter removes only larger particulates and the
black berkey elements are made of activated charcoal.
Berkey has published no evidence tthat their filter can remove
viruses which are usually several orders of magnitude smaller than
bacteria and parasites/cysts.
Berkey also has not published comprehensive test results such as are
commonly provided for RO filters. I would guess the reason they
have not published such information is that their filter, unlike RO
units, is ineffective against most dissolved contaminants or even
very small particulates such as viruses. The lack of any such
published data of their filter’s efficacy is why they cannot be sold in
California.
Berkey is essentially selling a filter that they do not provide
comprehensive specs for and claim that a TDS meter will not
quantify its efficacy. So, that leaves a typical user with no way to
test the effectiveness of the Berkey filter. I certainly would not trust
Berkey any more than I would a municipal water company, and
probably much less since at least the water company publishes their
test data.
Berkey’s advertising material claims their filter is effective on a
variety of contaminants, but they do not specify the test conditions
(concentration of contaminants in the feed water among other
things).
The test data they released from reputable labs only address a
handful of contaminants (the substances that are the easiest to
remove such as E. coli and chlorine–using the activated
charcoal/black berkey elements)
Also, how does the Berkey filter distinguish between “healthful” and
“unhealthful” minerals/metals/substances? What it comes down to is
the Berkey filter will remove a portion of the substances that are
attracted to activated charcoal if the black berkey option is used, and
a portion of the substances attracted to alumina if the
fluoride/arsenic option is used. If neither option is used, all it does is
remove the larger particulates. (It’s funny that a “minute”
unquantified amount of aluminum compound (presumably mostly
aluminum oxide otherwise known as alumina) introduced by their
fluoride filter is harmless, but a minute amount of fluoride and other
substances is a serious health hazard.)
There is no evidence the Berkey filter with or without the optional
elements is superior to any RO system. Since Berkey does not
provide comparable test data, we have no way of knowing with any
certainty though basic chemistry and the data from a simple TDS
meter strongly suggests the Berkey filter is not effective against
dissolved contaminants.
February 24th, 2011 at 6:11 am
We recently purchased this same unit. We find it works exactly as promised. We are on a well with brown rusty water, which smells and is unfit to drink. We were spending alot on bottled water. Plus, we have two water conditioners which can barely keep up with our water for use even just for bathing or clothes washing. Now we drink this water. It goes in discolored and comes out perfectly clear and clean with no bad taste whatsoever.
March 9th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
There’s nothing different from this than a pur water filter. I guess people like the big bottle or something. I dunno. I’d get an RO if I wanted SAFE water. Activated carbon is a great filter, but I have high hardness water and I need that taken out so my coffee maker lasts. Also use it to clean things like LCD’s, and I’d like to be sure I’m not just erecting an bacteria habitat. This kind of filter appeals to someone that buys a lot of incense. ha
April 27th, 2011 at 7:24 am
I don’t understand why an independent party or Consumer Reports simply do a straight out test to see how effective the Berkey is in comparison to RO or Aquasana or AquaPure or other gravity filters. Are there zero lab tests that aren’t paid for by Berkey themselves that can confirm their findings/claims? If Berkey is simply activated charcoal (as the black berkey looks like from the exterior) and if it’s no different from a pur pitcher water filter then it should be easily confirmed via an independent lab test. Couldn’t someone at home with access to a lab or scientific background simply confirm that the black berkey is straight out activated carbon by taking a small sample? Just some questions I’m sure other people have had…
April 27th, 2011 at 7:28 am
I guess my comment above was to see if there was anything besides anecdotal taste tests and the lab tests provided by Berkey themselves on the website… It seems odd that one this popular doesn’t have more information or could/would not be tested for California that’s all.
April 27th, 2011 at 11:10 am
We have had the Royal Berkey for about a year. I didn’t used to drink much water, because I did not like the taste. Now I am a water fan, My Berkey makes it clear and clean, I would say my first few glasses tasted odd, but I am now sure that I needed to get used to the lack of chlorine, rust from pipes, etc.
The best anecdotal proof I have is the pets want Berkey water now, too. We now cook with it because the flavors of the food are improved. When I find myself needing to drink “normal” water from someone’s tap, I always cringe, because it just is foul to me now. YAY Berkey! We used to have a Brita Pitcher, which is just activated charcoal, but it did not improve the water quality as the Berkey does.
May 30th, 2011 at 5:10 am
Tennyson Lee,
Your comments are ingenuous. Their filters remove smaller particles. Their website does list all the contaminants the filter blocks to include viruses. and lists where and who the tests were accomplished by.
California is my state and we are too extreme when it comes to environmental issue especially when it starts effecting livelihoods. As far as not being able to sell in California, They adopted AB 1953 / SB 1334 & 1395 / HSC Section 116875, commonly referred to as the “no lead law” this measure has forced Berkey to suspend shipment of water purification systems to the state of California until certification in acquired.
Give the company a fair shake. Everything I’ve read, They seem to produce a top notch filter/purifier that has been tested and proven by many people over time. My friend and I have done quite a bit of research and he decided on the Berkey Filter. He says he’s very happy with his purchase. I haven’t bought mine yet, but at this point, I’m leaning in the direction of purchasing a Berkey system. I’m just more skeptical than most and don’t like to jump into anything too quickly. I had a Pur water filter and it didn’t impress me at all and broke after two months. I recently purchased an under sink Kenmore water filter from Sears and so far, it seems to be working out pretty good but it is not portable, that is why I need another one. The berkey just might fit the bill. We shall see….
June 9th, 2011 at 12:55 am
My wife purchased a Berkey Water filter. She wanted to use it in Jakarta, Indonesia where the water is contaminated with E. Coli and other substances. After watching it in use, I wouldn’t risk my life with this system. I would rather have a system that is whole house in line with the plumbing. Too many things can go wrong with the Berkey Water system. First the system we have is the all metal system where you can’t see into the chamber. At any given time, a leak can develop between the upper chamber and lower chamber through the filter washer or a leak can form through the hole plugs & washers that are used to stop water from passing through the unused holes when optional extra filters are not used. Am I to trust my life with this polluted third world country’s water with a system that a leak can start and I would never know. Do they think I am going to put a color dye into every fill up of water?
Upon installing the hole-plugs, I found that it had a nice fit and I was able to hand tighten the nut to the post of the plug. The diameter and threading of the plug was larger than the filter element’s nut and post. I can make the hole-plugs nice and tight. On installing the filter elements however, when you try to hand tighten the nut, it eventually over tightens and then the nut slips and becomes loose again. You have to retighten the nut again hoping that it won’t be too tight where it will slip and become loose and also hoping you don’t under tighten the nut where water will leak through. Why couldn’t they design the diameter of the shaft and nut of the filter element with the same larger threading as the hole-plugs so you can have a nice torque of the nut without it slipping.
Lets move on to the next poor design. The spigot. At first it didn’t leak and then a few days later it leaked. Water seeps between the hole in the container and where the spigot passes through the side. They give you one flexible rubber washer, which is supposed to go on the inside, and one stiffer, rigid thin washer, which goes on the outside. Well the spigot has a flat surface which mates to the wall of the chamber, that has a curved surface. Guess what happens, a leak. Even if the washer can conform to the curved wall of the chamber, water still leaks through the threading of the nut. What kind of design is this? Water is obviously passing through the nut and threads to the outside of the container. Couldn’t they have a permanent, welded on threaded port for the spigot, which you can seal with Teflon tape if you had to just like home plumbing? For the overpriced cost of this unit, it seems homemade, with little thought?
After watching real world use of the Berkey water filter by my mother in law, filling up the upper chamber, I noticed some of the contaminated water spills or drips on the outside of the upper chamber. This water eventually runs down the sides of the upper chamber and then through the airspace or gap where the upper chamber meets the lower chamber. This contaminated water then enters the lower chamber of the supposedly clean filtered water. This is another poor design. I know Berkey stated they need the air to seep out of the gap to let the gravity water feed in. Well it’s too easy for contaminated water to enter the lower chamber. Nothing is safe about this design.
I should have saved my money on the Berkey water filter and bought a bottle of antibiotics instead. Now I need both.
July 11th, 2011 at 7:15 am
I have the portable stainless unit and love it. I only wish it would come with a spicket that was as durable as the unit it self.
September 8th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
GOT A CROWN BERKEY TODAY AND I WAS TOTALLY DISAPPOINTED BY THE TASTE. AFTER READING ALL THE RAVE REVIEWS ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL BERKEY WATER TASTES I AM BEGINNING TO THINK MOST OF THESE REVIEWS ARE MADE UP BY PEOPLE SELLING BERKEYS. WATER FROM MY REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM TASTES VERY GOOD. BERKEY TASTE GETS 2 THUMBS DOWN. SINCE I AM TOTALLY UNDERWHELMED BY TASTE OF BERKEY FILTERED WATER I SUSPECT ITS NOT DOING ALL THAT HOT OF A JOB OF FILTERING CONTAMINATES EITHER.
September 13th, 2011 at 4:22 am
We were drinking RO water (store bought) for the last 7 years. Last month we bought Royal Berkey with 2 black and 2 PF-5 (bottom) filters.
Unfortunately, the water does not taste good. Maybe its the hard water in Iowa (cedar rapids), but still I don;t like the taste of it. Also, its been leaking ever since. I am ready to go back to RO.
Do your research before buying it.
September 13th, 2011 at 4:31 am
Most of the people who are giving good review for the Berkey are the Resellers. Watch out.
September 13th, 2011 at 4:34 am
The best way to use Berkey is to use the rain water instead of the city tap water. If you have a house you can harvest the rain water from the roof gutter and other places and use it in the Berkey.
October 20th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
I used 5 black berkey filters and they all leaked, and had to be returned.
Don’t trust this company. My opinion is that they are knowingly selling leaking filters.
As I said, 5 filters and they all leaked.
February 11th, 2012 at 6:19 am
After using a Berkey filter I decided to get a reverse osmosis system as an alternate purification source. The system came with a water purification meter. (I should have gotten the meter a long time ago). Anyway, what I found was the water out of my tap registered 25 on the meter. After running it through the osmosis system the meter registered
15. I then ran the tap water through the Berkey filter and the meter registered 65. The Berkey filter made the tap water less pure. Very disappointed!