For years we used the ubiquitous Brita pitcher that sits on just about every kitchen counter in America. Our tap water is perfectly safe to drink, but it is far from delicious. The Brita filter definitely improved the flavor of the water, but the looooong filter time drove me nuts. If you use the pitcher you know that you can’t just fill it and then drink. You have to wait for it to drip through the filter, drop by drop by drop . . . If you try to pour it before it’s finished filtering, the unfiltered water comes flooding out the top.

Plus, the pitcher capacity never seemed adequate. Maybe my family drinks more than the average family, but it felt like the pitcher was empty more often than not. I’m convinced the Brita pitcher is a major source of domestic squabbles, since we each emphatically swore that we were the only person who ever filled it with water.

So when the Brita pitcher “mysteriously” broke (the same children who swore they always filled the pitcher suddenly insisted that they never touch it!), I decided it was time for a change. I found that Brita makes an 18 cup water dispenser, which looked promising. But several reviews complained about the spout design, and it looked awfully wide. I wanted to store it in the fridge, so I preferred something with a slim profile.

A little more hunting and I came across the PUR 18 cup dispenser. It was nicely slim, slightly cheaper, and reviews gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars. There are three things I love about this dispenser:

1. The capacity is fantastic. I (and yes, I really am the only one who refills it) fill it just a couple times a day.
2. You can start using it as soon as you fill it with water. Because you don’t need to tip it to pour, you never get a tsunami of unfiltered water landing on your counter. The filter still takes time, of course, but you get enough filtered water for one glass pretty quickly.
3. The water tastes better. A LOT better. I had no complaints about the Brita water quality, but now I don’t think I could ever go back. The PUR filter definitely makes the water taste a lot more, well, pure.

We’ve only had the PUR filter a few months, so I can’t speak to its durability. But so far it has exceeded my expectations and is definitely Worth Every Penny.