Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this machine about 10 years ago when the water delivery service to my small apartment got to be more than $90 a month. I am SOOOOO glad I did. This is a solid, well-crafted machine without the built-in obsolescence that most appliances have now a days. It paid for itself in 6 months. I had to replace the heating element once, and the gaskets on the lid, but par for the course; this machine is rock-solid. My Mini Classic II has a dial instead of a switch--which I find helpful. This is great for a single person who drinks a fair amount of water since I go through a batch a day between coffee, tea, and water. I also use this water when cooking oatmeal, pasta, and like. If you are in a household of more than 2 people who drink a lot of water, this may be a little more hassle than it is worth due to its size/output, as you would have to keep it constantly running. Mine takes just right around 3 hours for about a one-gallon batch of water. I once lived with someone who would do a batch when they left for work in the morning, and I would run a batch at night before bed. It doesn't use noticeable amounts of electricity. You do waste a bit of water rinsing it out after each batch, but this waste is much less than the amount of plastic and gas that are wasted with water being delivered to your home. This is great if you are doing ANY kind of internal cleansing. Also great for your steam iron and other appliances (espresso / coffee machines) which use water as you won't have to descale them. As far as leeching minerals out of your body, I am a pretty good spokesperson in that people ten years younger have a bunch of gray hair (I don't have any) and don't seem to be in as good of health or have as nice of skin. (I read somewhere that one of the reasons hair turns gray is because your body steals minerals it needs from your hair if not available elsewhere). I agree with others who have posted--eat right, get some veggies / drink pure veggie juice once in a while if worried about minerals. With the quality of tap and bottled water being as questionable as it is, not to mention the savings of wasted plastic and gasoline, I cannot say enough good things about this machine. I am thrilled to see that the machine still seems very affordable for what one gets in return. I think I paid $480-ish ten years ago. If the time comes to replace gaskets or a part, the people at Pure Water are very helpful to make sure you get what you need. If I could give this 10 stars, I would.