Make no mistake about it. Express Water is not one of the big boys in the water filtration marketplace, but it has carved out a specialized niche for itself among water filtration products.
This consists of both commercial and residential reverse osmosis water filtration systems and a versatile canister-style whole-home water filter. All of these are affordable and worth taking a closer look at in our review here.
Table of Contents
About Express Water
This North Hollywood, CA-based business is a little bit of a mystery water filtration company. Its ‘about us’ page really does not say much about when the company was established. What that page does tell us is that the company was created by three friends that have a combined 27 years of experience in water-related areas.
A direct quote from that ‘about us’ page reads, “Express Water was started with one goal: Bring on-demand clean water to real people’s homes. Over the years we’ve made that vision real for hundreds of thousands of people, and nothing makes us happier.”
Express Water Top Products Reviewed
1. Express Water Reverse Osmosis System
This is what I consider to be Express Water’s bread and butter water filtration product. It’s a well-designed reverse osmosis system that will significantly clean up the water that passes through it.
The Express Water RO system is also versatile as several additional filter choices are available for it. It will not only help keep your family healthier by supplying them with higher-quality water but it will also help food and drinks taste better.
Main Features & Benefits
It features 5 beneficial filtration stages that will remove or significantly reduce such unwanted water contaminants as Lead, Chlorine, Fluoride, Nitrates, Calcium, Arsenic, and some 152 other impurities and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS).
This is a fairly easy RO system to install for anyone with even a minimum amount of plumbing knowledge. Almost everything needed for installation is included in the kit that comes with it.
Other Benefits & Drawbacks
Comes with a large selection of included faucet finishes. A list that includes black matte, brushed nickel, chrome, and more. Several filter upgrades are available for it too.
On the downside, this unit requires periodic maintenance. There will also be additional costs for filter replacement that needs to be done every six to 12 months. Replacement filter costs will add up over the lifetime of this RO filter system. It also only provides purified water to one tap (usually the kitchen faucet) in a home.
Overall, we like this RO filter a lot as it’s a good bang for the buck but we wouldn’t say it’s the best option out there.
2. Express Water Whole House Water Filter Systems
This will never be mistaken for the best whole-house filter but it does have its strong points just like all Express Water products. That includes its initial price point and the fact that it will filter out a wide variety of concerning water impurities.
Main Features & Benefits
Express Water’s whole house filtration system consists of three main stages and some optional ones. These stages include a sediment filter, granular activated carbon filter, and activated carbon block.
It can filter out such concerning water contaminants as chlorine, rust, silt, turbidity, VOCs, Cloudiness, Dirt, sand, industrial solvents, organic carbons, pharmaceuticals, herbicides, turbidity, odors, and cloudiness.
The initial price to purchase and install this whole home water filtration system is low enough that it can fit almost any budget. Mix and max options also make it somewhat customizable for each buyer.
Other Benefits & Drawbacks
It combines proven granular activated carbon and activated carbon block filters. The canisters it contains are also made of 100% food-grade ABS plastic for increased durability. The system includes 3 accessible pressure gauges that are used to monitor system performance.
On the downside, canister-style whole-house water filters are notorious for needing constant attention. That includes changing and cleaning the various filters that are found in the system. This also leads to periodic additional costs for new filters which can add up to a substantial amount of money over the life of the system.
Overall, this is a quality whole house water filter for the budget saavy but we wouldn’t recommend it as our top pick.
3. Express Water Commercial Reverse Osmosis
This is a very good 600-gallon-per-day commercial reverse osmosis system. It’s an ideal water filtration setup for restaurants, cafés, coffee shops, and other commercial food-related establishments that want their food and beverage products taste to not be tainted by the water that’s used in preparing them. This RO System is also favorably priced compared to similar commercial reverse osmosis systems.
Main Features & Benefits
Its 5 filtration stages consist of not only a quality reverse osmosis membrane but there are also several carbon-type filters and a sediment filter included in the system. This greatly reduces or removes such harmful water contaminants as lead, chlorine, cyanide, giardia, radium, fluoride asbestos, heavy metals, calcite, pharmaceuticals, and other concerning water impurities.
This system is very easy to set up and most everything that is needed to do that is included in the kit that comes with it. It’s a commercial reverse osmosis setup that is also fairly compact.
Other Benefits & Drawbacks
We like the fact that Express Water’s commercial RO system meets or exceeds many manufacturing standards that have been established by respected NSF and ANSI 3rd party testing organizations.
One of the biggest downsides to this commercial RO setup is that it’s currently unavailable and the company does not know when its supply will be back in stock.
Express Water Customer Service and Guarantees
The company is one that was founded to help ordinary people affordably get on-demand purified water out of their taps. That friendly and caring type of philosophy has carried over into Express Water’s customer service department. Reviews show that the company’s customer service reps are friendly and knowledgeable.
This is also reflected in the way Express Water stands behind its products. Something which starts with a money-back satisfaction guarantee. This is a trait that is not normally associated with affordably priced water treatment equipment. Accompanying product warranties are at the opposite end of the spectrum as Express Water only covers its products for a period of 1-year. This is to the low side when it comes to water filtration equipment.
Express Water Specialty & Downsides
This company really has done a nice job putting together some economical and versatile canister-type RO and whole-home water filtration products. These products can compete with many similar types of water filtration equipment both in price and performance.
Although Express Water has great initial prices on its products, where the company makes its money is on replacement filters. So, while the initial investment in its water treatment equipment is reasonable, you can expect to spend a decent amount of money on replacement filter cartridges over the life of the system.
How Does Express Water Compare to Competitors
Express Water vs Springwell
There is no comparison between an Express Water whole-house filtration system and those made by Springwell. Springwell’s whole home water filter is a single-tank high-end system that requires virtually no maintenance and comes backed up by a lifetime warranty. This is drastically different from Express Water’s container-style whole-house filter which requires constant maintenance and has a very short warranty period.
Check out Springwell’s whole-house water filter here and you will see for yourself why it easily beats out Express Water’s whole-home filter model.
Express Water vs iSpring
While iSpring makes much better whole-home water filters than Express Water does, each company’s reverse osmosis water filters are fairly similar. The biggest difference is that iSpring’s reverse osmosis water filters are a little fancier and priced higher than those made by Express Water.
Express Water vs APEC
This is basically the same as what you just read above for iSpring versus Express Water products. There is no comparison between APEC’s high-end whole-house water filters and Express Water’s container-style whole-home filters. But their reverse osmosis filters are very similar in performance and once again Express water’s RO filters have a better initial price point.
Express Water vs Aquasana
Aquasana is another company like Springwell that offers high-end whole-house water filtration products. Comparing the two is once again like comparing apples and oranges as they serve two entirely different whole-home water filtration niches.
Budget shoppers will choose Express Water products and those that are shopping for quality over price will more often choose Aquasana products. Surprisingly though, there is not much difference in price or performance between each company’s reverse osmosis water filtration systems.
Conclusion
Those looking for versatile entry-level whole-house water treatment systems are encouraged to take a closer look at what Express Water has to offer.
This is certainly not the case for those who are shopping for the best whole-home filters that are virtually maintenance-free, come with lengthy guarantees, and want these things regardless of their cost. On the other hand, those shopping for quality reverse osmosis systems should take a closer look at the ones Express Water has to offer. They hold up remarkably well against some of the best reverse osmosis filters that are made. This includes the company’s commercial reverse osmosis filters.