When we talk about sustainable and non-toxic living, it’s so easy to feel overwhelmed by all the changes we ‘should’ make. But The Filtery is all about doing what you can when you can and understanding that sometimes, the simplest switches have the biggest impact.
Like filtering your water.
I always had a Brita water pitcher because that’s just what you did. It wasn’t until the Flint water crisis went viral and I finally settled down in Chicago (home to lots of lead pipes) that I started to rethink my relationship to tap water.
Before Epic, I used to think filtered water bottles were for hikers and outdoorsy-adventurer types. But after using the Nano Dispenser & Insulated Stainless Steel water bottle for the past few months, I realize there’s a better type of filter out there.
If you’re looking for an easy first step into non-toxic living, Epic Water Filters is a USA-made solution that’s more than just clean water — it’s about making safe, sustainable choices accessible to everyone, whether you’re at home or on the go.
This review is not sponsored, but the product was gifted so that I could test it (thanks, Epic!). We may receive compensation if you purchase through certain links. As always, we only make recommendations that are genuine!
In a nutshell: my thoughts on Epic Water Filters:
Overall, I’m really impressed with Epic Water Filters. I’m obsessed with the filtered water bottle. And I would recommend the pitcher/dispenser to anyone who wants to take a really easy step toward reducing toxins in their life.
I’ve used the Nano Dispenser and the Stainless Steel water bottle but they also have plastic filter water bottles, glass filter water bottles, water pitcher filters (instead of dispensers), and an under the sink filtration system.
They offer two main types of pitcher/dispenser: The “Pure” and the “Nano.”
Both the Pure & the Nano systems can be used with municipal water or well water. Both filter for chlorine, heavy metals, and a variety of other contaminants, but the Nano filter is better for filtering bacteria.
Both types reduce over 200 contaminants, including PFAS, fluoride, pesticides, and more.
For such a good filter, the price is reasonable and it’s really easy to use. I think if you’re beginning your non-toxic journey or taking small steps towards improved health, this is a really easy change to make in your life.
And remember, if you’re worried about the sustainability of it all, access to clean and safe products is part of sustainability.
Oh, and Epic Water Filters has a recycling program for old filters to ensure they stay out of landfills.
BTW: If you decide to get an Epic water filter after reading this review, make sure you use the code THEFILTERY for 15% off your order!
Okay, let’s get into it! First, I’m going to tell you about the water bottle filter because I’m obsessed with it. Then I’ll tell you about the kitchen dispenser after that.
Why I think the Epic Vostok is the best filtered water bottle hands down
I am 100% obsessed with the Epic Vostok stainless steel water bottle. It is the best filtered water bottle I’ve ever used.
You know how when you go visit a family member or friend who lives in a different city and the water just tastes…. different? It’s not bad-different or good-different, it’s just different. This is where the Epic water bottle shines.
Every bottle comes with two types of filters:
- The EveryTap filter is designed to only be used for indoor, treated tap water.
- The Everywhere filter from Epic is designed to be used for outdoor water sources (AND it can also be used with tap).
I’ve traveled with my Epic filtered water bottle all over the place: to Mexico, a conference in Philadelphia to use with hotel tap water, at my parents house in Indiana, house sitting in Las Vegas and honestly anytime I don’t know the water situation. I will be taking it with me to Europe soon, too.
Whether it’s filtering out weird flavors from treated water or actually filtering out unknown contaminants, it’s one less piece of anxiety I have when traveling.
The bottle itself is also really well designed. I have a hard time finding a water bottle I actually like, especially one I can take on the go.
- I LOVE a multi-functional water bottle with interchangeable filters.
- I don’t need to waste space by buying another water bottle for different purposes.
- It’s a very large bottle. (FYI: doesn’t fit in cup holders!)
- I love that it’s insulated.
- I LOVE the rubber rim at the bottom that protects the bottle.
- The bottle itself feels heavy duty. I’ve tossed it around quite a bit and there are no dents or scratches to report.
- There are also other types of bottles in glass, plastic, & stainless steel. My favorite-favorite part is Epic makes a filter that fits on most other water bottle brands so you don’t have to buy yet another bottle. (Think: Hydroflask, Iron Flask, Yeti, etc.)
(I love this water bottle so much that I actually bought one for 3 different people for holiday gifts!)
Okay, I told you about the water bottle itself, so now let me tell you about the FILTERS inside the water bottle.
The EveryTap filter is for indoor water
I appreciate the EveryTap is made specifically for tap water and I can easily switch between the two if I ever need to. One thing that has turned me off from filtered water bottles in the past is that I don’t drink water from nature. So spending money on a super advanced filtration system seemed like a waste. It’s nice to have a filter made a little less intensely for the indoors.
The setup was also easy! The filters are color coordinated so you can easily tell them apart. And you just need to connect all the pieces.
NOTE: I did have to trim the straw a little bit because it was too long for the water bottle! But it was easy. And Epic offered to replace it for me for the correct size but I wanted to DIY it.
The Everywhere filter is designed for any water source, anywhere; best for adventurers
The Everywhere filter from Epic is designed to be used for outdoor water sources (AND tap).
- Both filter’s lifetime’s are 75 gallons (equivalent to 550 single use water bottles!)
- Both are made in the USA
- Both filter for 70+ contaminants like microplastics, chlorine, lead, PFAS, bacteria, & BPA. The Everywhere filter also adds Microorganisms like E.Coli & more.
- Both filters are recyclable and replaceable
The setup is exactly the same as the EveryTap filter (just make sure you’re grabbing the white one).
I really appreciate having the two filters. I’m not really a hiker, nor do I mountain climb or travel the world so a water bottle filter that lets you drink from anywhere was really not ever on my radar.
But I think this makes a great gift for anyone who is an outdoor enthusiast because of its outdoor filter and interchangeable quality.
Overall it’s an 11/10 for me and this water bottle. I will probably be buying one for everyone I know for every gift-giving season.
Pros & Cons of Epic Filtered Water Bottle (Stainless Steel 32oz)
PROS:
- The water bottle & filter are reasonably priced for what you’re getting. Replacement filters are $25.
- Each bottle comes with two types of filter — one for outdoor & one for indoor use (which I’m absolutely obsessed with).
- Each water bottle is compatible with both types of Epic filters — the one for tap water and the one for outdoor water. I love multi-functional products!
- The outdoor water filter also works for tap water so if you’re doing an activity that requires you to be in and out you don’t have to be constantly changing your filters.
- The filtration system is also compatible with so many other types of water bottles!
- The bottle is very well designed. It’s insulated, has a rubber padding at the bottom, and is thick enough to be tossed around.
- It also has a loop on the lid so you can clip it to a bag/backpack/etc.
CONS:
- The epic bottle is a big boy: it’s a little heavy and it doesn’t fit in cup holders or in backpack pouches.
- The straw didn’t fit when I received the water bottle (it was too long). The team was super great and offered to send me a new one, but I decided to DIY it and cut the straw down to size to avoid waste.
- The bottle leaks when it’s on its side. I haven’t figured out if this is a me problem or a bottle problem.
- The instructions say to make sure the bottle isn’t super tight when flying as the change in altitude can build up pressure so I get a little nervous when flying but I haven’t had any issues!
My experience using the Epic Nano Dispenser
Let’s get this out of the way: the Epic dispenser & pitcher are plastic.
Epic Water Filters does not have a glass pitcher or dispenser at this moment in time. They do have a glass filtered water bottle though.
The plastic used in both dispensers and pitchers is a polypropylene medical-grade material plastic called Tritan, which you can read more about Tritan here. (It’s one of the safest kinds of plastic.) While adding yet another plastic item to your household is less than ideal, it’s not overly concerning.
In the end, even if a small amount of microplastics end up leaching from the filter (which would be tiny because it’s not being exposed to heat, acid, or long periods of time soaking) the filter itself is still cleaning out a lot more contaminants, including microplastics, which likely already exist in your tap water. So, the way I see it, it’s a net positive, especially if you can’t get an under-the-sink filter or larger solution.
Now for my thoughts on actually using the dispenser…
I don’t have any groundbreaking news here (sorry!). But that’s also kind of great! I would say there’s absolutely no learning curve to using the Epic Nano Dispenser water filter.
The nano dispenser is exactly like using any other kind of “regular” water filter (like a Brita).
Because of its size and shape, I don’t have to fill it up super often. And I love that I don’t have to worry about sliding a pitcher in and out of the fridge all the time.
A few things to note:
- For a new filter you need to run a few ‘loads’ through it to clean it.
- The countdown screen is super handy but you gotta pay attention because it’s also small (and I may or may not have forgotten to check it until I went to write this).
- The filtering speed is kind of slow and I would recommend refilling it before it’s empty so you’re never ‘waiting’ for the filter. After running water through it the first time and seeing the filter speed, it hasn’t bothered me or been an issue.
One thing I absolutely love about the dispenser is the way it filters water. You put water in the top, through a section in the lid that opens and closes which is also fantastic design, and then it slowly filters through to the bottom. This ensures no one picks up the filter and dumps water all over the place because the filtering wasn’t finished. Seriously, thank you, Epic!
There’s honestly not anything I don’t like about the Epic Nano Dispenser.
Pros & Cons of the Epic Water Filters Nano Dispenser
PROS:
- Each filter’s lifespan is 150 gallons (compared to Brita’s 40-120 gallons).
- There’s a digital countdown screen so you know when to replace the filter.
- It’s easy to use, easy to set up, and no learning curve.
- I love the design — you can’t forget you filled it up and dump water all over yourself.
- It’s absolutely perfect for renters/travelers/anyone who can’t afford/doesn’t want a whole-home filtration system.
- It’s gravity-fed, so there’s no electricity (or intimidation) required.
- Epic Water Filters are filtering out a lot of contaminants (over 200).
- While the pitchers and dispensers are plastic, they’re made from medical grade Tritan plastic, which is the best you’re going to get from plastic.
- Epic Water Filters has a lifetime warranty which is kind of a big deal.
- They have a filter recycling program to keep used filters out of the landfill.
- Everything comes in compostable or recyclable packaging.
CONS:
- The water filters through much slower than a Brita filter. It’s worth noting they’re actually designed that way. (If the water flows through the filtration media too fast, it can’t actually adequately filter out what it’s supposed to.) On average, it takes 20-120 minutes.
- It’s a little pricey: $75 for the dispenser, $46 per filter replacement.
- Epic Water Filters does not have a glass pitcher at this time, everything is plastic (although it is medical grade Tritan).
Epic Water Filters & Sustainability
I feel like products that were created for people who like to be outside are almost always more sustainable and true to their sustainable values than other ones. But that’s my personal opinion.
Here’s what I love about Epic’s sustainability:
- The packaging is compostable and recyclable. What comes in cardboard is recyclable and anything in a plastic-like sleeve is compostable. Hooray!
- Epic donates to 6 industry-relevant non-profit organizations fairly consistently. They are transparent about when they’ve donated and to whom. These organizations are all related to clean water, energy, or climbing (not that it matters but it’s nice).
- They support small businesses by working with artists to create special designs. They also give very clear credit to the artist and explain each collaboration. (like this water bottle supporting the Honnold Foundation)
- Finally, the filter recycling program. The recycling program is only available in the U.S. right now but does offer a free filter after returning a certain amount. Epic filters are recycled through TerraCycle who break down the filters and correctly dispose of each of the unique parts. I actually really like this because TerraCycle is super hard to do as an individual so I love that Epic took this extra step for us and for the planet!
Filtration: What does Epic filter out?
Each of the Epic Water Filters is filtering for something a little bit different — there’s the Nano filter, the Pure filter, the Everywhere filter, and the EveryTap filter.
Epic’s Nano & Pure filters are cleaning for over 200 contaminants! You can read the full list of contaminants here (verified by third party labs). But most notably, these include:
- PFAS
- Fluoride
- Chromium 6
- Glyphosate (Roundup)
- Microplastics
- TTHMs (total trihalomethanes)
- Chlorine
- Lead
AND it does all of this while NOT removing beneficial minerals like calcium, magnesium, etc. (This is one of the main downsides of reverse osmosis filters: they remove EVERYTHING, including the good stuff. You don’t have to worry about that with Epic.)
The Brita filter on the other hand does not filter for fluoride, among other things. A standard Brita filter has a lifespan of 40 gallons (compared to Epic’s 150 gallons). A standard Brita filters for just 5 things:
- Chlorine
- Mercury
- Cadmium
- Copper
- Zinc
An Elite Brita filter has a lifespan of 120 gallons and filters for the same as the standard plus a few more:
- Lead
- Benzene
- Asbestos
- Class I particulates
- ~11 additional contaminants.
Some of Epic’s products come with an actual NSF/ANSI certification, while other products are not certified by NSF but are tested by third-party labs according to NSF standards. Depending on the specific product, this includes NSF/ANSI standards 42, 53, 401, P231 & P473.
Epic told me that a large part of the reason that they only have a couple of actual NSF certifications is because of how expensive it is to get certified.
I do like that they provide their test results for each type of filter right on the product page, though.
Stay tuned because we have a deep dive into the NSF/ANSI situation coming soon!
As you can see, my experience using both the Epic Nano Dispenser and the Stainless Steel filtered water bottle have both been phenomenal. I will definitely continue to use this filter and slowly gift it around to family and friends.
I think this is an absolutely easy way you can begin cutting toxins out of your life!
I hope you found this helpful when deciding if you want to try Epic out for yourself and your family! If you have any additional questions that weren’t addressed in this review, let me know in the comments below.
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Very cool!
The dispenser sounds like a gravity filter modeled on the Berkey style?
It gets rid of fluoride… is there an ion exchange media, and does that have aluminum, would be my big concern…?
Hi there, yes it’s a gravity style but the filtration media is different than Berkey. I reached out to Epic to confirm that their media is free from aluminum and they said it is. They said the filters are “constructed of solid activated coconut carbon blocks with an infused resin for fluoride removal.”