I have this Watts Premier Pure Plus RO system and can recommend it. The big advantage of this system is that all of the filters can be replaced very easily with the press of a button. Yes, you are probably paying slightly more for the replacement filters, but I think the price is well worth the ease and convenience.
Watts Premier 531417 RO Pure Plus (VOC) Reverse Osmosis w/Brushed Nickel, Top-Mount Twist Faucet
I used to have the old-style RO where the filters are inside a big housing. Those systems have cheaper filters, but are a huge pain to replace because when you unscrew the housing, a lot of water spills out and it's hard to do the replacement under the sink. It became such a pain that I dreaded replacing the filters and stopped doing it on schedule. But at that point, there's no point in having the RO since I'm not properly maintaining it. That's when I realized I should pay to replace it with the new style above.
Here is an example of the old style RO that I would not recommend.
The plumbing part of the installation is not that hard if you're slightly handy. The biggest challenge is drilling a hole on your counter top for the faucet. If you're not comfortable, then hiring someone makes sense.
Edit: I would also highly recommend adding a permeate pump, which significantly increases the efficiency of the RO system. This pump requires no energy source.
Nope. Buy it from Amazon of Costco or the manufacturer. Amazon has forced mail order to swallow the shipping costs.
There's also this unit which looks to be identical to the one I bought for $50 less.
The key parts are the filters which are the same. Amazon sells a replacement filter pack for around $35 and because it's more than $25, shipping is free for that as well. The only expensive consumable is the RO filter which you replace once every two years or so.
APEC Water Systems ROES-50 Essence Series Top Tier 5-Stage Certified Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I0ZGOZM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SBN436P0J6N70XY0F7FR?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I bought this one on Prime day for $170:
APEC Water Systems ROES-50... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I0ZGOZM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I hook it up to an outside hose so install was extremely simple.
I got the Wards Lab "beer water" test on the resulting water for 45 bucks so I could dial in my water chem exactly.
Most important thing is (and I am a water snob) does the resulting water taste good to you? It did for me. The city water that goes into that filter is putrid though.
I used bottled gallon water before, but with rising costs made this system easy to justify. I use it for my coffee system water also.
Dude you would be surprised at how cheap a system is check this bad boy out. it’s what I have .. I’m up in Humboldt so I’m not dealing with the fire madness luckily. Uhh, other options would be to go to the grocery store and buy water (make sure it’s reverse osmosis)
im using APEC Water Systems ROES-50