Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've been using this pitcher for about a month, after about 10 years of Brita use. I was surprised there weren't more direct comparisons here, so I'll make them. First off, there are simply no black carbon flakes released anywhere in this pitcher. While this used to be a minor annoyance with Brita, it became much worse recently, with a huge number of flakes in the top and a significant amount of smaller black particles in the bottom. This could be seen as a black residue left behind after water evaporated from a cup. I was spilling about 1/4 of my water down the drain just to get rid of the carbon. Second, the pitcher is just as easy to use. Yes, you have to take the lid off to fill it, whereas some Brita pitchers have a flip-open top, but it's a minor issue, and the lid seems sufficiently secure and should stay on in normal use. The pitcher also seems well built. I'm not sure what is leading to other users cracking their pitchers, but I don't see that happening with mine. Third, the water does filter much more slowly than Brita. Sure, that's a minor annoyance, but the water is coming out much cleaner. I'll take it. Non-issue. Fourth, the water actually tastes better. I can't quite put it in words, but it's almost as if the water is sweeter. It's probably because additional chemical taste has been removed. Whatever the process, I can attest to the fact that the water tastes very, very good. On some days, Washington, DC water can smell very strongly of chlorine. This filter takes that smell out. Brita did not. Fifth, it's priced competitively with Brita. The pitcher is slightly smaller than the more expensive Brita and slightly bigger than the cheapest Brita, so it's priced fairly, right in between the two Brita options in terms of volume. The filters are also around the same price. Even if they were $1-2 more, it would most definitely be worth it. I already convinced my mom to convert to Pur. She's very happy and doesn't know how she put up with Brita's carbon flakes for so long.