The 5 Best Reverse Osmosis Systems – [2020 Reviews]

See, the process of reverse osmosis, as well as stages of filtration leading up to reverse osmosis in an RO water filter system, is almost too effective – as in it removes all the bad stuff, but it also takes away the good stuff.

Usually, you get many vital minerals from your drinking water. Reverse osmosis removes these healthy and vital minerals from the water. So, with a typical reverse osmosis system, you would need to supplement these minerals in order to maintain healthy levels of them.

However, the iSpring 6-Stage Reverse Osmosis System includes the highly beneficial 6^th stage where the healthy minerals are added back into your water before it comes out of your faucet!

It is called an alkaline remineralization filter. This 6^th and final filter is filled with natural mineral stones to put the minerals back into your water. By doing so, it gives your water a healthy and balanced pH level while also enhancing the taste of the water!

The first few stages of this system are similar to what you would get with a typical multi-stage whole house water filter. It is important to distinguish that the RO systems we are recommending here are not whole house systems, though.

A whole house water filter is great for lots of reasons, but we do not recommend a whole house reverse osmosis system. There are a few reasons why. First off, a whole house RO system is insanely expensive. Like, it would cost you upwards of $10,000 or even more.

Secondly, it isn’t that beneficial. Reverse osmosis filtered water is excellent for drinking and cooking, but you don’t need it at all of your faucets for washing your hands and showering or especially for things like flushing your toilet.

A regular whole house water filter is perfectly fine for those things. Finally, it can really put a damper on your water pressure (and how much water you can use at once) because of how long it can take for the water to go through the entire system.

Instead, we strongly encourage you to get a whole house water filter for your home as well as one of these excellent under sink RO systems. So, back to the first few stages of filtration, your water first goes through a sediment filter. This removes all the big stuff like sand, rust, and dirt.

The second filter is a granulated activated carbon (GAC) filter. This then removes chlorine, VOCs, pesticides, herbicides, and other chemical contaminants. Next, a carbon block filter will take care of the remaining chemicals, odors, and tastes.

Once the water makes it past these 3 pre-filters, it moves to the reverse osmosis membrane. This is where the reverse osmosis process takes place. At this point, things like remaining lead and chlorine, arsenic, hormones, asbestos, viruses, and bacteria are all removed from your water.

Finally, the water goes through a finer granular activated carbon filter before hitting the alkaline remineralization filter and then coming through your faucet as pure as possible! The iSpring 6-stage RO system comes with everything you need to install your system including mounting clips.

The included 3.2-gallon storage tank fits underneath your sink with the rest of the system. It holds the freshly purified water so that when you need it, you don’t have to wait for the water to go through the filter to get it!

A heavy-duty brushed nickel drinking faucet installs easy and looks incredible. The first filter also has a clear housing to make it easy to monitor when your filters need to be changed.

Most of the filters need to be replaced every 6 to 12 months, but the reverse osmosis membrane will last a good 2 to 3 years.

Cost-wise, this is definitely not the cheapest option of our recommendations, but it really isn’t too bad and actually has a really hard-to-beat overall value to it. It is definitely one of the best RO water system choices out there.

This doesn’t just improve the quality of the water before the reverse osmosis process even begins, but it also protects the reverse osmosis membrane from damage that may occur due to exposure to certain chemicals (chlorine, for example). Once the water goes through the sediment filter and carbon filter, it goes through the reverse osmosis process.

The last filter is actually 2 filters in one. It is the artesian filter. This artesian filter contains both granular activated carbon for further cleaning the water and it also contains natural minerals that help restore the mineral levels in the water for more natural, healthy, good-tasting drinking water!

Again, your typical reverse osmosis system will put out water that is a little acidic and lacks the healthy minerals you want to have in your water. This artesian filter takes care of that problem allowing you to get slightly alkaline water with great taste and healthy minerals.

What is really cool about this filter is that the water actually comes back through it, again! So, the water moves through the first two pre-filters, goes across the reverse osmosis membrane, and then hits the 2-in-1 artesian filter twice! This adds up to 7 different stages of filtration in total.

The really unique feature that we love about this particular reverse osmosis system is that the filters are modular. Basically, the filter and the filter housing are all one part made together.

So, when you go to change the filter, you just take the whole thing off and replace it. This is so much easier and more sanitary than how it works with most RO systems and water filters.

Usually, you have to unscrew the housing of the filter, replace the filter, and then screw the housing back on. Now, that might not sound too bad, but it can be a lot harder than it sounds.

First of all, many times, it is difficult to do without a special tool called a housing wrench that only some systems include.

Secondly, hardness from the water passing through the filters tends to build up and practically glue the housings shut. This can require excessive strength to undo.

The other bonus is that changing out the modular filters (housing and all) rather than just the filter while reusing housing keeps everything nice and sanitary throughout your system.

It also helps avoid potential leaks or even house floods as housings wear out over time. To remove the modular filters, you just pull them right off and then push the new one right onto the line.

It really couldn’t get any easier than this! Another special feature is the built-in permeate pump! This non-electric pump helps to ensure you have good water flow to your faucet while also helping to greatly reduce the water waste of the system! In fact, it can reduce water waste by up to 80%.

The unit comes with everything you need for an easy do-it-yourself install and even comes partially pre-assembled for your convenience.

You also get a nice chrome faucet for your system and you even get a free 24-ounce BPA-free water bottle as an added gift! The downside to this system is going to be the cost.

This Home Master RO system costs a good chunk more than any of our other picks. It may be pricey, but it definitely makes up for that in convenience and efficiency if you can fit it into your budget.

As usual, the first stage of the process is a sediment filter to remove the largest contaminants including things like sand and dirt. Then, both the second stage filter as well as the third-stage filter are carbon block filters.

The carbon block filter stage is very important because it removes most of your chemicals. This really helps to enhance the safety of your water and make sure that it is the best possible water for your health.

That is why they’ve included 2 stages of carbon block filtering. The first filter will do most of the work and then the second carbon block filter makes sure to stop whatever manages to make it through the first.

After these first three stages, the water goes across the reverse osmosis membrane and then flows into the included pre-pressurized storage tank. It remains here until you turn on your reverse osmosis faucet.

As the water flows from the tank to your faucet, it goes through the 5^th and final stage of filtration often referred to as the polishing filter stage. This filter is an inline carbon filter with granulated activated carbon within it.

The point of this stage is to catch any undesirable tastes or odors that somehow made it through the other stages of filtration.

This ensures your water is both safe as well as tasty! It is important to note, though, that this system doesn’t add healthy minerals back into the water.

This means that it likely won’t taste as natural as the water from the systems that do. It also means that if you are strictly drinking water from this RO system, that you are likely to end up deficient in healthy minerals.

So, if you do choose this reverse osmosis system for home, then you will want to find a way to get these healthy minerals in your diet elsewhere, such as by supplementation.

An included designer faucet is easy to operate and looks great! It is also lead-free with a nice brushed nickel finish. The price makes this a much more budget-friendly option!

As with all of our recommendations, the 4^th stage of filtration is the reverse osmosis stage. This is when almost everything else comes out of the water.

This stage clears out heavy metals, fluoride, arsenic, hormones, etc. After the reverse osmosis process, your water goes to sit in a storage tank until you are ready to use it. The storage tank comes with your purchase, is pre-pressurized, and holds 3.2 gallons at a time.

It is designed so that water stops flowing to it once it has reached its maximum capacity, and then starts flowing through the system once again when you start to empty it.

When you do turn on the included lead-free faucet, the water then goes through an inline filter of activated coconut shell carbon.

This last stage takes care of any leftover bad tastes for you. In addition to the low price of this system, it also has one more very valuable benefit to it. It includes an extra set of filters for you!

This adds a lot of convenience and value to the purchase. It doubles the time you have before you need to purchase replacement filters, which saves you time, trouble, and money.

You should note that this means you get an extra sediment filter, extra granulated carbon filter, extra carbon block filter, and extra inline carbon filter. You do not get an extra reverse osmosis membrane.

However, since the membrane lasts considerably longer than the other filters, this still allows you to go years without needing to buy replacement filters of any kind. (Time between filter changes varies depending on water quality and amount of use).

A filter wrench that also comes with your purchase makes it incredibly easy to change out your filters when needed.

One more thing to remember is that since this system does not add healthy minerals, the water will not be a good source of these vital minerals.

Rather than being a 6-stage reverse osmosis system like the first iSpring option, this system only features 5 stages like our last couple of picks.

While this obviously doesn’t have quite the same level of benefit as the 6-stage system, it does drop the price enough to be worthwhile for some buyers.

The stage missing from this option compared to the 6-stage iSpring system is, as you may have guessed, the remineralization stage.

So, this does everything the other iSpring system does except for adding the healthy minerals back into the water at the end.

You still get water just as clean, pure, and safe with this filter. It even includes the same high-spout, European-style faucet, and 3.2-gallon pre-pressurized tank.

The clear housing of the first filter also helps set it apart from the other 5-stage systems we have listed here that do not have that convenience that allows you to more easily monitor how often your filters need to be replaced.

All in all, choosing between this system and our top recommendation comes down to your budget and what you actually want to get out of your RO system.