Having a reverse osmosis water filter in your home is an excellent way to promote cleaner water throughout your home and remove harmful pollutants from your drinking water.
They’re great for anyone who struggles with allergies or who just wants to drink the cleanest water possible.
Waterdrop produces some of the best filters on the market, with their G2 and G3 being top sellers for the past few years. But which one is the best? And more importantly, which one is right for you? That’s what we’re going to find out in this article.
Read on for the reviews of the Waterdrop G2 vs G3 to see which one we think is the best.
Table of Contents
Waterdrop G2 Review
The Waterdrop G2 filter is said to be able to eliminate more than 1000 harmful contaminants from your drinking water. It makes use of a composite RO filter, which we’ll discuss more shortly.
Composite filters are widely considered the best water filters out there. Whether you are concerned with the water drain ratio or the general quality of your water, everything is going to depend on the quality of the composite filter.
The Waterdrop G2 also has a Carbon Block Filter that works to remove chloramine from your water, improving its taste. It features an MRO filter as well, which can filter nearly 8,400 litres of water.
Flow Rate
Waterdrop’s G2 filter has one of the best flow rate capacities and speeds. You are able to set the timer to 60 seconds, during which the G2 will produce just under 2 litres of RO water, making it one of the most efficient filters out there.
What’s more, the G2 is able to filter up to 600 gallons of water each day, which is more than enough for both personal and commercial use. So, if you have a large family or want a good reverse osmosis filter for your business, the Waterdrop G2 makes for a great choice.
Smart Filter Lights
One of the things we like most about the G2 is that it comes with a few smart features to make the filtration process a little more convenient. The device will produce an alert when it’s time to replace the composite filter and will also confirm when the filters are working correctly.
There are three lights on the G2, each of which indicates a different function of the device. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- Blue – The composite filters are in good working condition
- Red – The filters require immediate replacement
- Yellow – You have around 15 minutes to replace your filters
Advanced Filtration
The composite advanced filters have been integrated into the G2 to reduce the overall hardness of your drinking water. Waterdrop includes a combination of a CF and MRO filter to deliver more effective filtration, reducing most contaminants like heavy metals, chlorine, TDS, and more.
This precise filtration mechanism also reduces the volume of calcium and magnesium in your tap water to as low as possible. The soft water that is produced by this prolongs the lifespan of your home plumbing while also improving the condition of your hair and skin.
Space-Saving Tankless Design
Uniquely, the Waterdrop G2 features a tankless design that not only helps ensure the safety of your family’s drinking water but also saves you plenty of space in your home.
This reverse osmosis system avoids secondary water pollution that stems from the aging of accessories while saving more than 70% of your under-sink storage space.
What’s more, removing the tank from a reverse osmosis filter also ensures quicker water flow and purer water overall. However, we should mention that the Waterdrop G2 filter does require under-sink electricity to function, so if that’s not viable in your home, then you have to consider another option.
Internal Pump
The internal pump and efficient filters in this system offer a quick, stable water flow rate, providing you with up to 1,500 litres of water each day.
This equates to about one cup of pure, filtered water every 12 seconds – that’s more than enough to sustain any family.
Choose Your Style
Perhaps one of the best features of the Waterdrop G2 is that it’s available in two colours: black and white. This allows you to choose the colour that best suits your personal taste and home decor style, which is not always an option when it comes to home appliances such as this.
Pros
- Tankless construction
- Maximum water flow rate of 400 GPD
- Comes with two replacement filters
- CF filter with sediment PP membrane
- Activated carbon block
Cons
- No built-in water leak detection
Waterdrop G3 Review
The filtration process on the Waterdrop G3 makes use of three different filters in total – a reverse osmosis membrane filter, a CF filter, and a post-activated carbon filter.
The quality of your local water is going to have an impact on the lifespan of your water filter. The worse your city’s water, the shorter your filter is going to last.
What’s more, changing filters regularly is far easier said than done since they can be quite costly and generally have intricate installation processes.
To combat this frustration, Waterdrop included a Smart Faucet on their G3 filter. The faucet is equipped with indicator LEDs that work as a gauge of your filter’s lifespan. The colour of the lights changes depending on the current status of your filter. Here’s a breakdown:
- Blue – The G3 is in perfect working condition
- Red – The filters need replacing ASAP
- Yellow – The filters will need to be replaced soon
Low Drain Ratio
One of the best things about the Waterdrop G3 is that it has a 1:1 drain ratio, which is not only better than the G2 but is better than most other reverse osmosis filters on the market. What this ratio means is that if you pour 1 litre of ‘bad’, unfiltered water into the filter, you’ll get 1 litre of purified, tasty water in return.
Advanced Filtration System
The Waterdrop G3 is a tankless water filtration system that uses three separate composite filters, each working together to provide seven stages of filtration. Waterdrop has also opted for reverse osmosis technology that has a filtration accuracy of 0.0001.
This combination of filters helps the device achieve a more efficient and precise reduction of harmful substances and pollutants from your water.
Effective Water Hardness Reduction
With its highly precise water filtration, the Waterdrop G3 reverse osmosis filter reduces the volume of calcium and magnesium in your tap water.
Not only does this help you prolong the lifespan of your home’s plumbing, but it also contributes to healthier skin for you and your family.
By drinking soft water, your hot drinks will taste far richer in flavour, thanks to the absence of any hard chemicals polluting them.
Tankless Design
Like its predecessor, the Waterdrop G3 filter makes use of a tankless design that works to save space beneath your kitchen sink. It also ensures greater water safety by mitigating the growth of harmful substances within the tank, helping you avoid secondary contamination.
Simple maintenance
One of the things we like most about the Waterdrop G3 is that it was made to be installed by anyone with basic DIY skills.
This means you won’t have to fork out any extra money to hire a plumber to install it – if you’re good with a set of tools, you’ll be able to install this filter in no time.
However, the installation process does require you to drill a hole in the sink for the filtered water to pass through, unless a hole is already present to facilitate a hand sprayer.
If there isn’t a hole, you’re going to have to make one, and that can be extremely intimidating, even for people who are good with DIY tasks.
NSF & CE Certification
The G3 reverse osmosis filtration system has been tested and certified by NSF international, as well as by European Conformity. Essentially, it has been clinically and rigorously tested to be safe to use to filter your water, as well as proven to provide you with pure, clean drinking water.
Pros
- Very simple installation process
- No storage tank means no secondary contamination
- Easy to maintain
- Unobtrusive design
Cons
- More expensive than many of its competitors
Which One Wins?
There are a lot of similarities between these two reverse osmosis filters, and either one would work well for your home or business. However, in our eyes, there’s a clear winner, and it’s the Waterdrop G3.
Not only does it feature one of the best water drain ratios on the market and is capable of turning all unfiltered water into filtered water, but it is also simple to install by anyone with basic DIY knowledge.
While it certainly is on the more expensive side of life, it boasts a range of features that are difficult to pass up.
With its compact, unobtrusive form factor, simple maintenance, and resistance to secondary contamination, the Waterdrop G3 is the best reverse osmosis filter out there right now.
But, if you’re looking for something a little less pricey, the G2 will do just fine.
What To Look For In A Water Filter
There are a couple of things that you should definitely stay vigilant about when you are hunting for a new reverse osmosis filter. Let’s take a look at some of the key points.
Water Pressure
Most reverse osmosis filtration systems do not rely on electricity to function but instead, operate based on water pressure.
So, your home will need a high enough water pressure to push the contaminants through the RO membrane and filter cartridges so that your system can produce clean water.
Generally speaking, an RO system requires a minimum of 40 PSI, though the optimal range is around 60 PSI. Luckily, most municipal water providers offer this level of water pressure.
If you are worried about your home’s water pressure being too low, consider getting it tested. If you find that it is lower than 40 PSI, install a booster pump or consider a different water filtration method.
Water Quality
Understanding the kinds of impurities that are present in your home’s tap water will help you determine how many filtration stages your reverse osmosis system should have and whether or not it will need an additional alkaline filter.
In the event that your drinking water has high levels of sedimentation – it is acidic or chlorinated – then you should consider a reverse osmosis filter that comes with pre-filters and activated carbon filters. These will reduce chlorine and sediments from your home’s water supply.
They also help protect the RO membrane from becoming clogged, ensuring that it always operates at its optimal capacity.
For acidic home water, choose a device that comes with an alkaline or remineralizing filter. Reverse osmosis filters produce water that is slightly acidic, so an alkaline filter will aid in replenishing your water with healthy levels of minerals that were removed during filtration.
Your Budget
Perhaps the most important point to consider is the budget you are working with and the amount of money you are comfortable spending on one of these systems. Thanks to the variety of makes and models available, there’s a lot of variation when it comes to price.
It’s often the case that commercial reverse osmosis filters are double, even triple, the cost of those intended for home use.
It helps to look at the intended purpose of any filter you are considering, as well as its capacity, purification capabilities, complexity, water output, and more when thinking of the price.
Maintenance costs will also factor in, which generally means the costs of replacing the post and pre-filters of your device, as well as its RO membrane. Before making a purchase, consider running some numbers and see how much you will need to spend each year on filter replacements.
Wrapping Up
While the Waterdrop G2 and G3 are quite close in comparison, the G3 offers a few additional features that are too good to pass up. But, if you find that the G3 is out of your budget, its predecessor, the G2, works well enough for general home use.
Founder of homeappliancegeek.com, avid cook, and lover of Asian food.
Signature dishes include Thai Red Curry, Chicken Saag, Bibimbap and Sushi.
Massive clean freak; a habit baked-in after spending 9 years in the catering industry.
The one appliance he couldn’t live without? Easily the dishwasher (total relationship saver!).
