AquaEasy 2.25 Gallon Stainless Steel Gravity Water Filter System with 2X Activated Carbon Filters, Metal Tap & Wooden Stand - Perfect for Home, Office, Camping & Emergency Preparedness

My family absolutely loves this product. Compared to a berkly i like it more due to the spout! We have spend less on bottled water due to this!Didn’t include all parts.I have both this and the official berkey water system. they use the same size filters, which is a plus to me. They filter water at the same rate, and it's just as clear and clean and tastes the same from either filter. This is a bit small for me, as it holds about 2 gallons of filtered water, but it would be perfect for a small family, or for an RV or van living. Would highly recommend.This gravity style water filter is made of sturdy stainless steel. The base is composed of two wooden planks that interlock and create a reasonably stable base to store the unit on your countertop. I'm sure it will filter water out of the tap removing particles that can make water smell or taste bad. The container does indeed hold a lot of water, so your family will be well supplied.I am giving it three stars because the instructions are so poorly written I had to enlist help putting my unit together and the person helping concurred the instructions are badly written. The filters used are referred to as candles. The black wing nuts are attached to the filters (aka candles) but nowhere does it say that is where you will find them. I looked for them for 30 minutes or more and then figured out they are attached to the filters.The instructions are for replacing the spent "candles" not for original installation. In general, you need to just refer to the picture provided and ignore the written words because they will only confuse you. Another confusing statement or word even exists in the picture. The tap washer is referred to as "black" it is not black it is stainless steel.The one things that is correct is part #13 that really is a "Rubber Base Ring" and it is black. The top knob is also as described and you install it in the lid and screw it on tightly.Nowhere does it say to use both filters, so initially I used one thinking the other was for replacement purposes. It seems it is not. Although I am looking at the instruction sheet right now and I am still uncertain if I am supposed to use both filters. It does state "If you are installing more candles to your filter in addition to your existing ones, you will need to pop open the silicon hole blockers (12) first."I am bothered by the placement of the spigot that you use to get water out of the container as it will always leave an inch or two of water in the container but I see from other gravity fed containers that is the way they all are. Thus you really must clean the container frequently to remove the water that will become stagnant at the bottom.This is an expensive unit but not if compared to similar American made units. That said, I assume if this were made in the USA the instructions would be much easier to understand and putting it together would not have taken an hour or more (I started one day and got frustrated and finished it with help the next day).If you can't be certain you have put it together correctly how can I be certain my water is really filtered?I have the namebrand version of this gravity filter in my home and I love it. However, those things are really really expensive. When I saw this on Amazon I was thrilled because I would like to have one for my vacation home. There’s nothing like water that comes from a gravity filter.It was interesting to see if this version worked as well as the namebrand item. My significant other and I did a taste test, Neither of us were able to tell which one came from the $400 machine versus the $200 one. So if you can’t taste the difference I don’t see any reason to pay the difference.I like this version well enough that I will be buying their replacement filters for my namebrand device as well as this one. Of course, if you’re in the name brands you can actually use the higher inversion in the container. Everything is fully interchangeable between the two brandsThe wood stand is very stable compared to ones made from stainless steel rod. But you do have to be careful to mop up big spills that could soak into the feet. The solid stainless valve works fine and drip free but one with a sight level tube really helps to indicate when to refill and how much water to add.The containers are relatively thin gauge stainless which makes it lighter and easier to carry but likely easier to dent. Since we are putting this in a crowded lunchroom, we returned it and are using one that is heavier and can better stand mishandling.