I don’t know of the situation in your area, but in the not-so-great northeast the overall quality of tap water leaves much to be desired. Some degree of urban sprawl has afflicted much of the landscape, with the resulting runoff gradually adding things like benzine and a host of nasty ick from former tanneries and textile mills to the local aquifer. The community in which I currently reside uses town wells to provide water for the public system. Running the tap is often like opening a bottle of Clorox - if the microbes don’t kill ya’ the chemicals will.
Punctuational Semi-Colon Cleanse . . .
If that isn’t enough to ruin your day, the latest mantra for paranoid suburbanites is the one known as
Detoxification. My recent late-night foray into a glowing TV wasteland included the typical surfing expedition - do I
really need a
Magic Bullet disposable blender?. Same holds true for
The Shark vacuum and the
Showtime Rotisserie - “Set it and forget it”. Forget it sounds right up my alley.
But on a more entertaining front, the perpetual
PBS Beg-a-thon™ has become a 24/7 event. Suddenly, a perky woman in a smartly-tailored, fund-raiser-gray tweed suit is telling me about the benefits of sweating as the pathway to ridding my rippled physique of all the goo I’ve collected in the process of living. And in exchange for this frightening bit of oddity, won't I please make a show of support with a pledge to
WGBH? Next comes the even more devastating news that
filtered, not just bottled water is the only safe way to hydrate one’s temple of toxins. My alarmist within took the bait. Detox, here I come.
Water you gonna do?
Having fully realized my plight of the misinformed, I sought to remedy this glaring oversight with New-Age wisdom. I began by researching the
Brita Slim Pitcher - the most logical vessel in which to filter my Maine-sourced premium bottled spring water. I have owned the bulkier, rounded version used to filter tap water for cooking, but I needed something that would fit into my funky
Danish refrigerator and still leave room for the science projects and out-of-date condiments that chill there.
Purchased at
Amazon.com, my trusty UPS guy pitched the poorly-packed box onto my doorstep less than 36 hours after placing the order. Contained within were the following plastic parts: a clear pitcher, a white filter reservoir, the white snug-fitting leak-proof top, a filter cartridge in a sealed plastic bag, two filter-change date stickers and a multi-lingual User’s Guide.
Hello, in There.. there..
there . . .
A lift of the box top reveals the clear, oval-shaped cylinder that serves as the pitcher, measuring 10 inches in height, with a 4 inch width and a 9 inch span from contoured handle to spout. The product specifications claim a 40 ounce usable capacity - with the upper reservoir in place, I was able to filter a maximum of 44 ounces before overfilling commenced. The enclosed filter cartridge is the standard type used in the majority of Brita pitchers and dispensers that are available everywhere. Just align the tab to the groove and press into place at the bottom of the upper reservoir.
The User’s Guide is a simple 17 x 12 inch sheet of paper folded like a road map that tells you the dos and don’ts in English, French and Spanish. Both the pitcher and filter cartridge are assembled in Canada. The unit comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The manufacturer recommends cleaning all parts in warm, soapy water before assembly. After washing one’s hands, the filter can be removed from its plastic bag, soaked upright in clean, cold water for at least 15 minutes and installed. As is the case with all new pitchers or periodic filter renewals, the first two pitchers of filtered water produced should be discarded.
The Customary Disclaimer . . .
Although
Brita filtering pitchers are certified by the Water Quality Association to be effective in the removal of lead, benzine, cadmium, mercury, copper, zinc and chlorine, they are not designed to purify water that requires disinfection or is otherwise microbiologically unsafe.
What’s wrong with this picture... er.. pitcher?
My larger round
Brita has an upper reservoir that makes significant contact with the pitcher when installed; maintaining a snug fit in any pouring position. The
Brita Slim Pitcher’s upper reservoir design allows a scant half-inch of contact which makes it inclined to pop-out when achieving the horizontal plane required to pour the last third of the contents. This turns a simple task into an aggravating, two-handed operation. However, the snug fit of the unit’s cover makes pouring possible with unfiltered water remaining in the upper reservoir.
If the overall design was sufficiently field-tested and remedied, this would be a five-star product. Had I purchased this at a retail store where I could have looked it over before plunking down my cash, I would have passed in favor of one whose parts stayed-put. My
Amazon Prime membership includes free two-day delivery, so I paid a total of $11.87 (US) for the
Brita Slim Pitcher. I’ve seen these offered for as much as $23, so if you do decide to buy, be careful not to overpay. I will adjust to its flaw rather than return it, as it does serve my original purpose with its space-saving design. A borderline recommendation, at best.
Brita LP
1221 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612
1-800-24-BRITA
brita.com
LuckyVitamin. com
