Water filters and water treatment compared

Water Filters & Technologies

Water filters compared: which water treatment is right for you?

Thomas Freitagapprox. 14 minutes25. Mai 2026

Pitcher filter, activated carbon block, reverse osmosis or distillation — which method really removes contaminants, and why purification and refinement are two different things: the honest EIGW comparison.

Table of Contents

Article Series · Teil 1

→ Continue to Part 2: Water filters compared (Part 2): water cycle, 7-st →

Why purify water at all?
Is bottled mineral water the solution?
Purification and refinement — two questions
Methods compared
Comparison table
Energetic methods: an honest look

1. Why purify water at all?

Tap water quality is under pressure in many regions. Nitrate contamination, drug residues, hormones, and microplastics have all come into focus as new concerns. Those who want to be on the safe side can further refine their water right at home — at the point of use.

2. Is bottled mineral water the solution?

🌍

Ecology

Plastic bottles + hundreds of km transport = significant resources

⚗️

Quality

Tests found residues, bacteria, heavy metals & microplastics

💶

Economics

Many times more expensive than treated tap water

The conclusion: those who want to improve quality are usually better off treating tap water on-site — ecologically, health-wise, and economically.

3. Purification and refinement — two questions to keep separate

🧪

Purification

Remove contaminants, residues, bacteria, nitrates, microplastics

✨

Refinement

Improve biophysical quality: structure, oxygen, conductivity

Important: A method that only changes structure does not filter contaminants — and a pure filter does not automatically improve biophysical quality. Those who want both must combine methods.

4. Water treatment methods compared

🫙 Pitcher filter (table filter)

Activated carbon granules + ion exchanger. Goal: taste improvement.

✅ Affordable, no installation, easy to use

❌ Low filter performance, bacterial growth, high running costs

🔲 Activated carbon block filter

Compressed activated carbon — significantly more effective than granules. Binds most contaminants, especially with a membrane.

✅ Good contaminant binding, high flow rate

❌ No nitrate removal, regular replacement needed, bacterial growth possible

💧 Steam distillation

Water is vaporised; steam condenses into highly pure water. Almost all foreign substances remain behind.

✅ Very high purity

❌ Enormous energy consumption, slow, complex cleaning. Only conductivity — pH & redox unaddressed

🏆 Reverse osmosis — strongest purification performance

Extremely fine-pored membrane — allows virtually only water molecules through. Removes heavy metals, pesticides, drugs, hormones, microplastics, chlorine, nitrates.

✅ Highest purification performance, less energy than distillation, also removes nitrates

❌ Produces wastewater, covers only conductivity — pH & redox require refinement

⚡ Alkaline water treatment

Electrochemical splitting into alkaline and acidic portions. No filtration — no contaminants removed.

✅ Alters pH value

❌ No purification, critically viewed as permanent drinking water

5. Comparison table: what can each method do?

Method	Contaminants	Nitrates	Microplastics	Conductivity ↓	pH value	Redox
Pitcher filter	⚠️ low	❌	⚠️	⚠️	❌	❌
Carbon block	✅ good	❌	✅	⚠️	❌	❌
Steam distillation	✅ very good	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌
Reverse osmosis	✅ very good	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌
Trink Dich Fit station	✅ very good	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅

The clear finding: Reverse osmosis is the most effective purification method — but only addresses conductivity. All three Vincent parameters (conductivity, pH, redox) are fully optimised only by the Trink Dich Fit water station. Plose, Lauretana, and Voss meet the Vincent criteria as natural alternatives.