bit-tech Shopping: Pur CR-5000 2 Stage Water Pitcher with Flavor Cartridge

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3

Strengths: Well made / good flavor / clean water solution

Weaknesses: Filters and cartridges are pricey

Summary: Clean water you can taste - very impressed with PUR - I have been a user of Brita for many years and I like Brita - water out of PUR tastes different and flavoring is a nice touch to have - and if you don't like it - you don't have to use it - this is a great water pitcher - really like the way it is designed! Highly recommend!

Rating: 8

Time with product: 5 Days

Strengths: HOLDS ALOT OT WATER AND IS EASY TO POUR FILTER LASTS A LONG TIME DURABLE!

Weaknesses: BULKY TO STORE IN FRIDGE

Summary: NICE LOOKING UNIT AND IT HOLDS A LOT OF WATER DURABLE BUILT TO LAST NICE DESIGN GOOD PRICE [INEXPENSIVE TO BUY] IF PEOPLE WANT CLEAN WATER THEY SHOULD INVEST IN ONE OF THIS

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3 Days

Strengths: The water tastes the best of all. Rasberry flavor is a great addition for an excellent experience when plain water seems to boring. Easy installement, and convenient slim design.

Weaknesses: wish to have it in the bigger size

Summary: Recommend this product highly. I used to have Brita filter for faucet, but it was too slow and then i have to buy the separate container to keep my water in the fridge. This pitcher is 2 in 1. great stuff!!!

Rating: 8

Time with product: 8 Days

Strengths: *The only water pitcher filter system with flavor options.*Opt in or out of flavor with each glass, and control amount of flavor.*Convenient, sturdy design to fit in side door of fridge.

Weaknesses: *Amount of flavor difficult to precisely control.*Cost of buying both filter and flavor replacements.*Flavor replacements run out fairly quickly.

Summary: This is a very good and as far as I know unique water pitcher filter system that gives you the option of adding flavor to the filtered water. For each glass of water, you control whether and roughly how much flavor goes in the glass. This is a great feature for families with some who want just plain filtered water and others who want flavor. However, the flavor control option has some kinks that need to be ironed out in terms of controlling the amount of flavor that goes into a glass. Instructions say "for more flavor, just push the button more." I finally figured out that "more" in this context seems to mean "more times" not "longer." The button is conveniently located by your thumb as your pour, but still if you're the type like me who like more flavor, it's awkward to pump the button (not just hold it down) as you pour. Plus, the amount of flavor varies from glass to glass even when I attempt to pump the button the same number of times. The pitcher parts are easy to put together, but the instructions stink. Since most people who buy this product will be dealing with a flavor cartridge for the first time, they should provide more detail about how to insert it. The cartridge's little spout faces "out," the same direction that the water pours out, which seems obvious once you understand how it operates, but was not so obvious to me when I was putting it together for its first use. Like all PUR pitchers systems, filters have to be soaked for 15 minutes and rinsed for 10 seconds on first use. (The flavor cartridges are ready to go out of the box.) I've always wondered why they can't figure out a way to avoid this inconvenience, but it's minor. The amount of water that the pitcher holds is limited to 7 glasses (56 oz.) Maybe I just drink more water than the average Joe, but I go through a quart (32 oz.) of water during and after a jog, and 16 oz. every 2 hours or so while I sit at my computer working. So just for myself alone, the pitcher requires two fills per day. Maybe worth considering if you're comparing the faucet systems (which I don't think yet have flavoring?) If you have any environmentalist leanings, it's a little scary to read all the state-mandated certifications and warnings that come in the box with the pitchers. Apparently, disposing of these filters harms the environment more than I'd ever realized. That's a downer, especially considering research showing that filtered water often contains more contaminants that are more dangerous than plain tap water, because most people don't wash their water pitchers frequently enough. I wash my pitcher with soap and water once a day. Some people consider the whole filtration and bottled water options a commercial conspiracy to earn profits when the free version is just as good. Who knows where the truth lies. I had been leaning against replacing my (10 or so?)-year-old PUR pitcher and going with tap water. It was the flavor option that made me give in and try this. So far, I don't regret it. I like the flavored water much more than plain water. It costs more than free tap water, but a lot less than Gatorade. I'm not suggesting that the PUR's flavored water is just like Gatorade, which has electrolytes to replenish the body after exercise. But unlike Gatorade, the flavored water has no sugar. So far I'm replacing about 2/3rds of my Gatorade intake with the flavored water. That seems to gives me enough electrolytes and less sugar. Net, that is a small cost savings. This is new-fangled product is not for everyone. My boyfriend thinks the flavors taste gross and prefers plain water. No problem - the pitcher also provides plain, filtered, unflavored water at your option. There might be no way to know whether you'll like the flavors until you try them, but this much I can tell you: if you don't like the sweetener sucralose (aka Splenda) or other artificial flavors and preservatives, then this product is not for you. There's nothing natural about these flavors. That's how they keep it 0 calorie. When I was looking into purchasing this, I couldn't find much helpful online commentary, which is why I made this one detailed. Hope something in here is useful to someone.