I've been using a water filter from a company named Berkey Filters on and off for a few years. I initially heard of them from my brother as he is into good health and well being.
I've had various types of water filtration systems at home, nothing too fancy like a reverse osmosis system. I even got a 1 gallon water distiller years ago and sill have it. The water comes out crystal clear and tastes great, but it takes quite a while to get one gallon and uses electricity...
Berkey is a system that uses special filters and gravity. You just pour tap water into the upper portion of the stainless steel container and gravity will slowly pull the water through the filters and into the bottom section.
Berkey has different size units, I have the 'Big Berkey' which holds 2.1 gallons
Bottom with the black plastic spigot and rubber bottom cover. The stainless steel is like a mirror...
Top section of the Berkey with the lid
A look inside of the bottom section
Inside top section. I still have their ceramic filter and will soon replace it with their latest 'black' filter. (The ceramic filters are good for filtering 3000 gallons, the black filters (2) are good for filtering 6000 gallons.) It filters out heavy metals, viruses, pathogens. A complete list and details on their site.
Bottom of the top filling container. The black fittings are where the filters are connected. There are 2 extra spots for additional filters. You can also add a fluoride filter.
Filling up!
Here is a partial screenshot from the Berkey site regarding their Black Berkey filter comparison with other filters, check out their site for the complete table and filter specs.
https://www.berkeyfilters.com/berkey-answers/performance/filtration-specifications/
So the bottom line is how does it perform? I am basing my test on taste compared to water that I get from a natural spring here in Northern California. The spring water is ultraviolet filtered only and is one of the purest sources of water around. (Tested and verified). I would drink the spring water 100% of the time, but I only get about 70 gallons at a time and it is an hour and a half drive from where I'm at)
Filling up at the natural water spring. The owner has setup a water spigot for the public. Bottling companies arrive about 50 yards away with 18 wheel container trucks (They have to pay)
I can say that I am impressed with the unit as there is no aftertaste to the water. If you have ever tried distilled water, you will know what I mean.
I have had bottled water from many different companies and I can taste impurities in some of them, the worst is when there is a metallic aftertaste. Like their reverse osmosis system needed cleaning...? (And the company is still selling that crap???) I'm not sure if people can taste the difference? Or they may think 'I bought it so the water is pure'........?
There is a YT video in which a guy collects creek water near his house, strains it with cloth into a bucket, then puts it through the Berkey system and drinks it. I wouldn't go to this extreme to test the unit as it would clog the filters much sooner...(Just FYI, the filters are cleanable with scotchbrite when they get dirty). If you would like to watch, the video is named: Berkey Water Filter EXTREME Field Test & Review
The Big Berkey is not cheap at $258 on their site, but can you put a price on clean water and your overall health?
There is much more information and research that you can do on their site:
https://www.berkeyfilters.com/
I do not work for Berkey or sell the units, this is a review based on my own experience.