I'm very pleased overall with this water filter, now that I've been using it for a few months, and I think it was a good purchase. I rent an apartment and it has a "designer" faucet that would not accommodate the inexpensive faucet-mounted filters I had always had before, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise since it forced me to look for something better. An under-the-counter unit was not an option because there was nowhere to put the spigot (I use the sprayer quite a bit so I wasn't going to remove that) and I did not want the kind of countertop or refrigerator filter container that I had to keep refilling with water because that seemed like a hassle I didn't need. This was ridiculously easy to install once I went to a local hardware store and picked up a longer threaded adapter than the one provided: just unscrewing the aerator, screwing on the adapter, and screwing on the filter's aerator/diverter - the longest part of the process was the initial flushing/saturation of the filter, which takes several minutes (catch the water in a bucket and use it to water plants; it's not safe to drink as it may contain dust from the carbon filters, but it's fine for plants). I used cable ties to secure the hoses to the underside of the faucet without pinching them and snipped off the excess length so it is all as neat as possible and I cannot catch the hose on anything. The water department in my town does not add fluoride (there is naturally-occurring fluoride, calcium fluoride, which is supposedly not as potentially harmful as the added type, sodium fluoride, and no I'm not getting into that debate with anyone) or chloramines to the water, making my filter-shopping a lot easier; this unit is not designed to remove either of those, but it does clean up a pretty impressive range of other yucky things. Our water does have a relatively high radon content, since it comes from a fast-moving river full of granite boulders passing through many granite gullies, and although I have not had it tested ($$) this unit is supposed to remove radon which was a point in its favor. I was also looking specifically for a unit combining granulated carbon with KDF-55, which this one has and much more. The filter unit is not overly attractive; I would have preferred a plain cylinder, since sitting right next to the sink it catches splatters and splashes and the vertical ridges make it less easy to wipe clean. It takes up about the same amount of space next to the sink as a 2-liter soda bottle. Although the dimensions are in the product specifications, it seems bigger than I imagined it would be - I guess I thought 1-liter soda bottle? The faucet-mount filters I have had put out a rather pitiful dribble and it took what felt like forever to fill a pot. This unit has a good solid stream and fills a pot or pitcher surprisingly quickly. It does drip a little after the water's turned off, and occasionally a few hours after it's been used it'll "burp" and let out a little water which can be a little startling, and messy if you don't keep the spout over the sink. I set it on the sink itself, next to the faucet, so that the spout can be pushed back out of the way and still be safely over the sink to catch any of this unintended water production. I have not had any problems with the diverter button thingy malfunctioning as some reviewers report, although I've only been using it for four months. Still, I have been careful to be gentle with it. Unlike many filtration systems, the New Wave Enviro doesn't strip all the minerals out of the water so if allowed to evaporate, such as from a flower vase, it can leave a film behind, especially visible on clear glass. My town's water is considered "very soft" (low mineral content) but it still leaves marks; I use denture-cleanser tablets from a dollar store to remove it. But, that's why the water tastes particularly good from this filter - minerals are one of the things that give water flavor. Weird thinking of water as having flavor in a good way, usually when we think of water having a taste it's something we want to get rid of! But that's why spring water tastes good and distilled water tastes flat, distilled water has all the minerals removed. The water from this unit has a very clean, crisp taste. I no longer buy spring water (sorry, Poland Spring) or water flavorings like Mio, because my filtered water tastes good enough to drink straight. It also makes good tea, which both I and my kombucha SCOBYs appreciate! My spider plant no longer has brown tips to its leaves, which can be caused by poor water quality. If, for some reason, I haven't needed to use the filter in a day or two, I let the water run for a count to ten before putting my container into the stream in order to flush stale water out of it. Since I live alone, New Wave Enviro says I can go 18 months without changing the filter (actually it probably would be still effective after that, but it's possible that the filter media can deteriorate and dump contaminants back into the water, so they recommend 18 months as the maximum) - when I was shopping I saw filters nearly as expensive that needed to be changed every few months! Filter cost and replacement rate definitely factored into my decision-making process, there were some where the initial purchase cost was quite a bit lower, but the annual cost of the filters sent the price far, far higher. Although this would not meet the needs of many potential users because it does not filter out fluoride or chloramine, it does everything I need it to do and I feel I got good value for my dollar. Edited to add: As a few other reviewers have said happened to them, the little diverter button thingie broke a few months ago (it's now March 2015) and doesn't stay popped out all the time, I have to hold it to fill a container. I am not particularly stressed about this so I am not bothering to subtract a star, but I'm sure it may send others right round the bend so I did want to note that that it happened.
