Also, as an aside - don't get talked into buying a KP-Filter. While it may have a legit two stage filter, don't support a company that promotes pseudo science with magnet nonsense when looking into water softening. Plumber Dan promotes them on their social media and in person, so I stopped calling them for plumbing needs.

Just go with Puretec.

Water softener 

Puretec softener and get their dual stage filters (carbon and nylon) to protect the softener. A+ did mine and they were excellent. Plumber should be able to recommend which size is appropriate

Filter replacements are about 200 for both, last 6 months or longer depending on usage.

Better water company based in palmy. Give them a call for your needs. Been bloody good to deal with

I recently moved here. Can anyone explain what's actually bad about the water? I've heard many explanations from family and coworkers and it all seems a bit wishy washy and based on "vibes".

At home Brita. On a hike or camping Grayl. Or fill my Nalgene from the Brita. The tap water here (Los Angeles) sucks.

I normally just drink it straight but in the past I’ve used Brita and had no problems.

ZeroWater pitcher

Yeah they say the way to consume less microplastics is to use a filter on tap water and not drink bottled water. I use Brita.

I just drink tap, but over the years I’ve bought and broken a few Brita pitchers.

I love the APEC ROES-50 system so much that I wouldn't even think about buying from a different company. If you don't want an Ultimate system, don't bother with the cheaper brands that look the same on Amazon. If you choose an APEC, you'll get clean water from a solid system made by a company that will still be around when you need to change the filters.

https://office-turn.com/trep?depo=B00I0ZGOZM

Brazilian Clay Water filters. Renter friendly since no sink installation of any kind is required!

I bought this pitcher from LARQ and I've been using it for a year now. Water tastes so much better now and the color is clearer. You have to change the filter every month or so though depending on your usage!

https://amzn.to/3OzrITh

https://www.freedrinkingwater.com/ro-hi-detail.htm

You can add minerals back to the water for both flavor and health with different cartridges added to your RO system. Look for alkalizing cartridges.

If your definition of "healthiest" is guaranteed filtering of basically everything out of your water and then adding back in only stuff you want RO is basically the only way to go. Yes, you do use a lot of water due to the waste stream to produce filtered water, but if you're only filling a couple bladder tanks and using it as drinking water the amount of water you're filtering is negligible in my opinion. If you're trying to filter something specific there may be easier and cheaper ways to go, as lmbs6606 pointed out.

While there is nothing wrong with my water minus being a little basic and scale producing I have an RO unit for my drinking water because I think my drinking water is worth the investment of a couple hundred bucks plus filters to not have to trust Cal Am Water to deliver me clean safe drinking water 100% of the time.

How old is your home? Any idea what the lead levels are?

Do you know the hardness level of your water?

Not sure what you are looking for but a carbon filter will help take out harmful contaminants like DBPs (more likely if surface water) and PFOA (nasty stuff DuPont dumped that is everywhere) and will make your water taste/smell better.

RO does about everything but it's expensive. I would really only use this for water to be consuned. Not worth it for cooking/cleaning.

Ideally minerals should come from your food, not from your water. When the minerals have been absorbed by plants it's in a digestible format for your body, when it hasn't been you run the risk of getting things like kidney stones because your body isn't able to use them so it stores them.

Best thing to get is RO and then either add back trace minerals through drops or get them through veggies and fruits.

What is it that you are trying to filter out? You can use RO but it’s expensive and has a concentrated waste stream. If you have salinity issues then I would recommend RO.

If you’re in the US go to your municipal or private water providers website and look up the water quality report. That could help you determine what you want to filter out.

Those filters can easily get mouldy and become a health risk. Please check whether you really need one or whether your water is OK to drink. Where I live, water is safe, and a filter might turn it into a health hazard if not changed frequently.

If you get one, check the cost for the replacement filter and change it religiously, even if it still looks OK.

Zero

I have a small countertop Berkey filter because of local PFAS spills, etc.

If taste is your main concern, a solid carbon filter (like a Brita or ZeroWater) might be enough, but if you're worried about contaminants, an under-sink system or something with multi-stage filtration could be a better long-term solution. Do you know if your city’s water has any specific issues?

I'm a renter too and recently installed the Glacierfresh U03 under my sink - it's completely removable when I move out. The Elite model just replaces your existing faucet (no drilling needed), and the whole system installs without permanent modifications. It's a full reverse osmosis system so the water quality is way better than pitcher filters, and it doesn't need electricity to run. My landlord was actually fine with it since it doesn't damage anything.

In my opinion, there's no single "best" system for everyone because what's in your water, and likewise, what you want to remove from it, is specific to your well/water source. For example, private wells in our area are contaminated with 1,4 Dioxane. That's extremely difficult to remove with no proven residential filtering options. Likely, you don't have to remove it with your well.

As such, I would strongly recommend starting with a home water test (we use MyTapScore, https://mytapscore.com but any certified lab works). That way you understand what's in your water and can work on how to remove what you don't want. If you have municipal water, you can review their reports for free as they are required to do regular testing although a home water test likely tests for more things depending on what tests you purchase.

If you just want a one-and-done system, an RO system is likely the way to go. There's so many options but I've found https://youtu.be/Yp_hCS-N4Xk?si=y6w8n1D7IkDCOAH7 to be extremely helpful (especially their spreadsheet). Personally, we use the APEC RO-Perm w/ "quick dispense - https://www.apecwater.com/products/ro-perm-detail?variant=45008249159933 . Good luck!

Reverse Osmosis (with adding back minerals when needed). RO is the only way to (for the most part) eliminate PFAS, and to some degree small plastics (and many other contaminants and impurities)

If you need a brand I bought the Aquatru RO tabletop and have zero regrets. I avoided the remineralizer since people have complained about an aftertaste.

Check this thread, got my water filter from their recommendation.

You want reverse osmosis (RO). You could get 3, 4, or 5 stages.

I was looking into a few options recently too, so here are some quick notes for what they’re worth. I’m not an expert, but I’ve seen and used this kind of setup a few times. Carbon filters are solid for improving taste, removing chlorine, and catching some chemicals, but they don’t do much against heavy metals. Ion exchange is mostly for softening hard water and reducing minerals. Mechanical filters just handle sediment and rust. UV treatment is great for killing bacteria and viruses, though it doesn’t remove chemicals. Reverse osmosis (RO) covers the broadest range it can take out things like PFAS and lead but it does waste some water and usually costs more.

For drinking and cooking water, most people go with either a multi-stage under-the-sink system or a three-stage whole-house system if they also want to cover showers and appliances. I’ve seen the iSpring ones quite a bit, and they seem to cover most basics without too much maintenance, so they’re a solid mid-range option. Since you mentioned you don’t feel like you need a full house setup, an under-sink unit would be a good place to start for safe drinking and cooking water. If you later notice things like staining from iron or a strange taste or smell in your taps, then it might be worth upgrading to a whole-house system.

I second the Berkey. We cycle gallons through ours daily for our family of 4 and it’s become priceless in our opinion.

Sawyer mini. Best bang for buck. Lifestraw is too expensive and less effective.

Sawyer mini also filters the most Liters. Someone made some calculations somewhere saying, the lifetime for 1 person is 90 years of daily water.

I use a Berkey for everything

• https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-backpacking-water-filter
• https://www.wideners.com/blog/water-filter-tests-for-survival/

Simple answer - Sawyer, gravity system

Keep in mind the difference between a filter and a purifier. Your water source will determine which you require.

We keep several Sawyer squeeze filters on hand. They’re portable and good quality. Probably the best pick for most applications. The bags are junk though and you have to put the dirty water in a bag then hang or squeeze. Get a good quality replacement silicone bag or some smart water brand water bottles which share the same threading.

For a group we have a lifestraw community which filters more and uses gravity to do it. It’s expensive though. I don’t think regular lifestraws are that great but the community filter is a solid product.

Don’t discount the value of a bottle of bleach. Make sure it’s the plain, non thickened, no additives bleach and swap it for a new bottle every six months (the old one is still fine for laundry and cleaning). There will be water purification directions on the label.

If you want to be totally prepared or if your water source might be dirty stock some coffee filters to filter out visible particulates to prolong the life of your filter.