If you have been doing your research on shower filters for very long, you will notice there are almost too many to choose from. So many that it can be maddening at times to find one that’s the right fit for you.
That’s why I am taking the time to review some of the better shower filter models and the Sprite High Output Shower Filter certainly has earned a place in this group.
From my many years spent working around swimming pool filtration systems, I know how to spot a water filter that performs well in its class.
In this Sprite High Output Shower Filter review, I will discuss its strong and weak points, tell you what I think its highlight features are, and even touch upon what users of this shower filter say and some misconceptions about it.
Table of Contents
Overview of Sprite Shower Filter
Sprite is a manufacturer that’s known for making very good shower filters and shower wands that efficiently enhance tap water.
As far as shower filters go, you will find few that have more filtration stages than this one. It boasts having 17 different stages that perform various types of tap water enhancement.
Part of its appeal is also the fact that the manufacturer sells it in a variety of different color combinations and it can be bought with or without an included showerhead.
The water flow through it with (1.8 GPM) or without (no water restriction) a showerhead is very good. It also features some 3rd party certifications and is backed up by a 1-year conditional warranty.
Pros
- High capacity 17 stage filtration
- Does not inhibit water flow
- Large number of options available
- Reversible filter w/ 1-year useful life
- 1-year warranty
- NSF/ANSI 177 certified
Cons
- Pricey replacement filters
- Does not allow for much showerhead adjustability
- Cleaning the filter can be complicated
- Heavy at 3 lbs.
- Does not remove chloramines
What to Consider Before Buying Shower Filter
The first thing that you have to keep in mind when buying a shower filter is that they are not designed to remove almost 100% of chlorine and other contaminants such as a good reverse osmosis system with a carbon pre-filter does.
They are intended mostly to reduce skin and hair harming free chlorine. Given that fact, here are the criteria that you should base your shower filter search on:
- Filtration media/Types of contaminants targeted
- Construction/Durability
- Installation Difficulty
- Product Cost and replacement filter cost
- Filter life/Replacement difficulty
- Advertised water flow rate
- Product options
Main Features and Benefits of the Sprite High Output Shower Filter
Here are some of the characteristics of this shower filter that really appeal to me:
High Capacity 17-Stage Filtration
It would take a whole article to go over all of the different ways that the 17 stages in this shower filter’s filter cartridge are intended to enhance water.
Many of the stages also have more to do with ionic or other types of water enhancement than they do with actual water filtration. So, we are not going to discuss all of them.
What I will tell you is that it has two main types of filtration media inside of it which perform the majority of its filtration.
This is a regular KDF 55 filter and an additional proprietary filter media the company calls ‘Chlorgon’. As you can imagine, this proprietary filter media’s job is to remove chlorine.
Reversible Filter Cartridge
The concept of having a reversible filter cartridge is very unique. Sprite says that they built their filter cartridges this way because in effect it acts as a filter backwash to keep it operating efficiently.
Many people do not bother but those that rotate their filter cartridge at least once halfway through its useful life (6-months) seem to get better results from this shower filter. The manufacturer actually recommends reversing the filter cartridge every month.
Numerous Options Available
Sprite offers more options with this unit than I have seen with any other water filter. This includes brushed nickel, chrome, gold, oil rubbed bronze, white color options.
You can also purchase it with or without a showerhead. If bought with a showerhead, it will be a nice 3-setting massage-type showerhead. Its standard size threading allows it to work with a wide variety of other showerheads too.
Sprite’s Performance
The manufacturer mentions that this shower filter removes chlorine and other tap water impurities but it does not go into a lot of specifics there.
What I do know is that this shower filter works well enough to be NSF/ANSI 177 certified. That’s a special certification for Shower Filtration Systems that has to do with enhancing the aesthetic effects (chlorine reduction) of tap water.
Removing chlorine is the main reason that people buy shower filters so it does nicely check that box.
Please note: If you are going to do a water test for chlorine on the supply side of the filter, it may show signs of having chlorine. This is chlorine in a different form called ‘chloramines’ which do not impact hair and skin as much as regular chlorine does.
Installation & Maintenance
Installation should not be a problem for you with this shower filter even if your mechanical ability is limited.
You will only need a pair of adjustable pliers to take your old showerhead off the shower arm, put this shower filter onto the shower arm, and then put your old or new showerhead into its place on the shower filter. It really is that easy.
Replacing the filter cartridges on these water filters is pretty straightforward too. It’s just a matter of screwing off the showerhead, removing the old filter cartridge, and then reversing the process.
This is the only maintenance required with these shower water filters unless you have hard water and the filter and showerhead need to be cleaned out occasionally. That’s why the manufacturer recommends reversing the filter cartridge occasionally to avoid clogging.
What I find to be pretty ridiculous with the Sprite High Output Shower Filter’s replacement filters is that sometimes I have seen where the cost of the replacement filter is higher than the cost of buying a new unit. The company can certainly do better here and this makes them look bad.
Social Proof & Review consensus
There is a wide range of opinions on this shower filter but the majority are quite favorable. Most users do feel that this shower filter did help with any skin or hair problems that their tap water was causing. Several reviews also mentioned that the water flow through it stayed strong.
On the downside, filter cracking was mentioned in several of the reviews which is surprising with a 600 PSI rated shower filter shell. Many users also noted that just like me, they found it cheaper to buy a whole new shower filter as opposed to buying a replacement filter.
The Sprite High Output Shower Filter in Summation
I have some mixed emotions about this shower filter. For one, I like KDF 55 filtration in a shower filter because it performs better than a carbon-based filter under high-pressure conditions and they do not break down with chlorine exposure.
The proprietary ‘Chlorgon’ filter media seems to do its job too.
It’s also pretty neat that you can reverse the filter cartridge on the Sprite High Output Shower Filter to keep it working efficiently and I am also a big fan of shower filters such as this one that does not impact water flow.
There are a few things that make me hesitate to give this shower filter a big thumbs up.
The cracking of the filter housing which many people mentioned (not reversing or cleaning the filter cartridge could explain this) is one and the other is that it does not do a great job at removing chloramines.
So, while I won’t wholeheartedly endorse this product as being the best shower filter, its performance does stand up well against other filters in its class.
