Water filter recommendations?

It all depends on how much you have in your budget. The closer you get to natural spring water the better. I have a Pristine Hydro filter system that I really like. It filters several ways, and structures the water. My aspirational filter system would be Ophora, but that's not in the budget right now. I think the structuring piece is as important as the filtering. Cheers.

Been using Brita filters for some time. Downside is you gotta swap bulky filters and plastic waste, but it gets the job done.
the dream though, is to have a vortexer installed at the tap or something, like Alive Water.

I have been using a countertop distiller for many years. I would love a fancy system that provides something closer to spring water or structured water, but I live in a condo so it is not possible. I landed on the distiller because I was not impressed with the Berkey either and as I work for a water department, I doubt the Berkey removes all the things that are found in tap like a distiller does. If there was a post-distilling treatment that would return it to a more natural state, that would be ideal IMO. I have the Mini Classic from Pure Water. 100% stainless steel and glass. No plastics and pretty small. I use it daily and sometimes run it 3-4 times a day when I want to fill a 5-gallon bottle. Runs like a champ and their customer service is STELLAR! Hope that helps!
https://www.purewaterinc.com/Mini-Classic-CT-Countertop-Water-Distiller

enjoypolo wrote:
Been using Brita filters for some time. Downside is you gotta swap bulky filters and plastic waste, but it gets the job done.
the dream though, is to have a vortexer installed at the tap or something, like Alive Water.

Those look pretty sweet. Pretty well priced for that kind of thing - though they are expensive.

quietparadox wrote:
I have been using a countertop distiller for many years. I would love a fancy system that provides something closer to spring water or structured water, but I live in a condo so it is not possible. I landed on the distiller because I was not impressed with the Berkey either and as I work for a water department, I doubt the Berkey removes all the things that are found in tap like a distiller does. If there was a post-distilling treatment that would return it to a more natural state, that would be ideal IMO. I have the Mini Classic from Pure Water. 100% stainless steel and glass. No plastics and pretty small. I use it daily and sometimes run it 3-4 times a day when I want to fill a 5-gallon bottle. Runs like a champ and their customer service is STELLAR! Hope that helps!
https://www.purewaterinc.com/Mini-Classic-CT-Countertop-Water-Distiller

Do you add anything back in? I know that George Wiseman says he only drinks only distilled water, but I like some minerals/electrolytes in there.

I do not. I used to then found out about inorganic vs. organic minerals and stopped. I got used to the plain ol' H's, 2's and O's and prefer it now. I get plenty of organic, bioavailable minerals from food. I add electrolytes when I crave them. I will often add lemon and salt (sole water) to my distilled for change of pace. Especially in summer!

Berkey systems are popular. It filters out a lot of nasties including fluoride. I think there’s also an option to add in minerals. I like that they are stainless steel. They come in several sizes and price points. Look for the page within the site that will look up the toxins in your water by zip code and it shows which ones the unit filters out.

https://www.berkeyfilters.com/

Edit: Geez, I see now you have a Berkey. Sorry, it’s late, am tired. But I wonder if they’ve made changes since you got yours. I don’t recall a need for additional fluoride filter. And I’m too tired ATM to double check it.

Awesome suggestions everyone-- really appreciate it! Will keep the thread updated as I do more research. I love the idea of combining a really high-quality filter with some of the magical concepts of structuring/ vortexing water. May have to go back and re-listen to the Viktor Schauberger episodes.

enjoypolo:
I'm glad you're using a Brita filter instead of straight tap, but you might want to consider upgrading to something more substantial. I know everyone's budget is different, but to me high-quality water is something worth stretching the budget for. I used a Brita filter for several years after school, and actually read in the newspaper one day that a known carcinogen had been accidentally leaked into the area's water over a 2 month period. It turned out that the carcinogenic molecule was just large enough that my Brita filter should have been catching it, but the whole thing made me realize the importance of a good filter.