# Strauss Water Filter -- essential gadget or expensive gimmick?



## robert@fm (Jan 11, 2012)

Last October I began to hear about the Strauss Water Filter, a supposedly marvellous gadget which provides filtered water (chilled, boiling or at a user-selected temperature) instantly at the touch of a button.  According to the hype, it's supposed to replace one's filter jug, kettle and need to keep water bottles in the fridge.

However, looking into this, the gadget costs ?300 -- *plus* another ?300 _per year_ in supplies to keep it working!  And that doesn't include the cost of electricity...

Hence it's not going to be replacing _my_ appliances any time soon; my Brita Maxtra-system filter jug costs at most ?64 per year to run -- and replacement cartridges are its only running cost, it doesn't use any electricity, nor does it need to be plumbed in as the Strauss does.  (Mine will only cost me ?32 to run next year, as I just today bought two 6-packs of cartridges at half price from Sainsbury's.)  And though water straight from the jug is at room temperature, filling my bottles (two sports-cap bottles and three Sodastream bottles) and putting them in the fridge doesn't take much effort.  Even with the Strauss, I'd still need to fill the Sodastream bottles anyway.

As for the kettle, granted it doesn't give me instant boiling water, but because I only boil the amount of water I'm going to use, I don't have to wait long; and between that and the fact that I only heat water when I need it hot, instead of keeping it constantly hot for the sake of instant availability, I suspect that the kettle uses a lot less power than the Strauss would.

Hence, if I'm ever going to buy a Strauss, both the purchase price and the consumables price will have to be slashed drastically, by two-thirds at least.


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## Copepod (Jan 11, 2012)

Can't say I've ever used water filters, and object to bottled water, prefering to fill my water bottle from a tap or stream - particularly if north west of line between Wash and Solent, as I prefer rain-filled reservoir water to borehole water, so it's unfortunate that I live south east of that line! 

As well as the financial cost of water filters and bottled water, there's also the environmental cost, admittedly slightly ameliorated if filters or bottles are placed in recycling bins, provided special journeys to do so aren't made by car! 

We use a gas stove top kettle, with just the amount of water needed in it, to minimise energy use, although on sunny days, when solar panels on our roof are generating electricity, we use an electric kettle.


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## robert@fm (Jan 11, 2012)

Unfortunately, London tap water is foul stuff -- it has so much chlorine in it, it's like drinking from a swimming pool.  It's especially horrible at room temperature, as it usually is in hospital (though on some wards they have the decency to supply it chilled).

Hence, a water filter jug is a must here, or failing that bottled water.  I especially like San Pellegrino.


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## Robster65 (Jan 11, 2012)

robert@fm said:


> Unfortunately, London tap water is foul stuff -- it has so much chlorine in it, it's like drinking from a swimming pool.  It's especially horrible at room temperature, as it usually is in hospital (though on some wards they have the decency to supply it chilled).
> 
> Hence, a water filter jug is a must here, or failing that bottled water. I especially like San Pellegrino.


 
I grew up on the stuff. Never did me any harm. ....wait a minute 

ROb


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## Northerner (Jan 11, 2012)

My kettle furs up in a day if I don't filter it (and I don't!). Couldn't understand it when I moved from Yorkshire to Folkestone and the hotel I lived in for 3 months kept changing the kettles - soon found out when I got my own flat!


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## Steff (Jan 11, 2012)

Worse thing i ever did was buy a glass morphy richards kettle it was ?65 to, the reason I wanted it cause it lit up blue and looked preety, i had to descale the thing 3 times a week as you could see the build up of scale easily...Bring on the ?14.99 one i have now LOL.


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## Monica (Jan 11, 2012)

I don't do filters either. We were given a Brita jug once, but every time I drank that water, I felt ill afterwards. And I didn't like the taste either. Eau de Tap will do me. Even in North London I drank Eau de Tap unfiltered.

Fiona drinks plain water, but when in Switzerland she refuses on grounds that it doesn't taste nice. I don't notice any difference.


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## FM001 (Jan 11, 2012)

Good old tap water and ?20 electric kettle does the job for me.  I've fond memory's of the whistling kettle my mother used on the gas ring when we were kids.


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## Northerner (Jan 11, 2012)

I've actually got a Brita filter that I bought in Folkestone, but I packed it away when I moved here and am not sure which box it is in now (I have lived here 12 years and have around 120 unpacked boxes  

I usually buy a kettle descaler once in a while but haven't for a while. Instead I just swirl the water around in the morning and quickly tip it out taking all the loose bits of scale out with it! (Yes, I'm a cheap skate! )


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## Monica (Jan 11, 2012)

Boil the kettle full of white vinegar, that should work


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## trophywench (Jan 11, 2012)

I've always drunk what my sister used to call 'Corporation pop'.  Brought up on nice hard Staffordshire water.  Birminghan water is very soft and pretty 'limp' to drink neat; Kidderminster water is hard as nails but sometimes tasted of TCP, you had to empty the kettle if there was any left because if you reboiled it you could guarantee your tea would taste of it - that got worse as the years went on and most of my friends still living there us filter jugs.

Bedworth water is hard too, without the taste.  Good for tea-making.

London water always tasted like it's been lurking in the pipes too long and has gorn orf, to my delicate and discerning palate!


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## Vicsetter (Jan 12, 2012)

Sounds cheap to me Robert, only the cost of, what 20 kettles.
Why not get a Zip Hydro tap instead and really push the boat out: http://www.waterboilersdirect.com/zip_hydro_tap/

only ?2707 (installation extra)


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