{"id":35887,"date":"2025-06-29T12:27:56","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T12:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cocinando.us\/?p=35887"},"modified":"2025-06-29T12:27:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T12:27:56","slug":"larq-vs-brita-a-data-driven-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cocinando.us\/?p=35887","title":{"rendered":"LARQ Vs Brita: A Data Driven Comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"


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In our testing, LARQ was better at reducing most contaminants in our water and provided the reassurance of protection against microorganisms in our filtered water, but Brita has a performance certification and had a much faster filtration rate.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcca Our Testing Data<\/span><\/h2>\n

At Water Filter Guru, we personally test every single water filter mentioned in our reviews.<\/p>\n

We test 6 different factors that impact the performance, quality, and value of the filter. Here are the scores that LARQ and Brita achieved across the testing categories:<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Factor<\/th>\nLARQ<\/th>\nBrita<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Contaminant Reduction<\/td>\n8.14<\/span><\/td>\n4.29<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Filtration Rate<\/td>\n7.00<\/span><\/td>\n10.00<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Design<\/td>\n8.10<\/span><\/td>\n8.80<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Setup<\/td>\n9.00<\/span><\/td>\n9.50<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Maintenance<\/td>\n9.00<\/span><\/td>\n9.75<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Company<\/td>\n8.35<\/span><\/td>\n8.50<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

If you want to know exactly what data went into the overall performance scores for the pitchers, you\u2019ll find it in the next table.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Factor<\/th>\nLARQ<\/th>\nBrita<\/th>\nWinner<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Overall Score<\/td>\n8.21<\/span><\/td>\n6.59<\/span><\/td>\nLARQ<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Health Related Contaminants<\/td>\n8.30<\/span><\/td>\n3.50<\/span><\/td>\nLARQ<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Aesthetic Related Contaminants<\/td>\n9.90<\/span><\/td>\n9.90<\/span><\/td>\nTie<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Performance Certification<\/td>\nNone<\/td>\nNSF\/ANSI 42, 53 & 401<\/td>\nBrita<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Filtration Rate<\/td>\n0.60 GPH<\/td>\n2.92 GPH<\/td>\nBrita<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Component Quality<\/td>\nOutstanding<\/td>\nFair<\/td>\nLARQ<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Component Certification<\/td>\nNot Certified<\/td>\nNSF\/ANSI 42, 53<\/td>\nBrita<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Setup<\/td>\nExcellent<\/td>\nOutstanding<\/td>\nBrita<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Servicing Requirements<\/td>\nExceptional<\/td>\nOutstanding<\/td>\nLARQ<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Costs<\/td>\n$0.54\/ gal<\/td>\n$0.17\/ gal<\/td>\nBrita<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Warranty Length<\/td>\n1 year<\/td>\n1 year<\/td>\nTie<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shipping<\/td>\nFree on orders over $80 within the contiguous US<\/td>\n$35 order threshold<\/td>\nTie<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Returns<\/td>\n30 days, but only if unopened<\/td>\n30 days<\/td>\nBrita<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

\ud83d\udeb0 Contaminant Reduction<\/span><\/h2>\n

The reason why you want to buy a water filter is to reduce contaminants in your water, so contaminant reduction was our number-one testing priority.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rather than rely solely on the manufacturers\u2019 performance claims and third-party testing sheets, we obtained our own data from testing our water quality at home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We also looked for official performance certifications from the WQA, NSF, or IAPMO, which are more legitimate and reassuring than third-party test data.<\/p>\n

Our Lab Test Results<\/h3>\n

We used Tap Score tests by SimpleLab<\/a><\/strong> to test our unfiltered water and the filtered water from the Brita Elite and LARQ PureVis pitchers. Our test results were delivered in the form of an interactive report for each water sample we tested.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Using these reports, we were able to see which contaminants were detected in our unfiltered water, and how the two filters had altered the concentrations of these contaminants.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We used Tap Score\u2019s Health Guideline Levels (HGLs), which are stricter than the federal MCLs, when analyzing our water quality.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Take a look at our test data in the next table.<\/p>\n

The LARQ pitcher did a much better job at reducing the majority of contaminants in our water compared to Brita. But Brita doesn\u2019t claim that the Elite filter can reduce many of these impurities, nor is the filter tested or certified to reduce these.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We think Brita\u2019s contaminant reduction score would have been higher if we used the pitcher to filter a water supply containing contaminants that it is <\/em>tested to reduce.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why testing your water beforehand is so important, so you can buy a filter that\u2019s designed to address your unique water quality issues.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Health-Related Contaminants<\/h4>\n

First, we analyzed our test reports to see which health-related contaminants our water contained, and how LARQ and Brita compared in reducing these.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our test water was treated groundwater from a shared well, which contained 8 contaminants with possible health effects.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of these, there were two impurities \u2013 fluoride and uranium \u2013 that were detected at levels above the HGL. We were particularly looking to reduce these, at least down to safe concentrations, although ideally, we wanted to eliminate them entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the full list of contaminants detected in our water.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The LARQ PureVis pitcher reduced 100% uranium, barium, strontium, and molybdenum, as well as 97% copper, 88% sulfate, and 20% nitrate. <\/strong>We were disappointed to see that it didn\u2019t reduce fluoride, but LARQ doesn\u2019t claim fluoride reduction.\u00a0<\/p>\n