Culligan with ZeroWater 8-Cup Pitcher Review

The Culligan ZeroWater is a pitcher like no other. While most pitchers rely on an activated carbon screen to remove contaminants, the ZeroWater adds a mixed ion-exchange resin to capture a broader range of impurities. To see the full contaminant list, click here.

Note: the built-in TDS meter measures “total dissolved solids,” which includes metals, salts, and minerals. The TDS meter, however, won't measure PFAS, microplastics, or other substances in your water.

Lead & Metals

The ZeroWater is one of the most impressive pitchers for removing toxic metals. Outside of specialized reverse osmosis systems, very few filters can achieve this level of purification. Our tester dubbed it, “the heavy-metal heavyweight champion of pitchers.”

In our tests, it removed 100% of lead, arsenic, and iron (not shown), 98% of uranium, and 80% of lithium. That's serious cleaning power for a handy little pitcher. It's also certified to remove lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and copper. So, whether you have concerns about your plumbing, industrial pollution, or just live in a naturally high-metal area, the Culligan ZeroWater can handle it all.

% Removal of Lead & Other Metals

Product	Lead	Arsenic	Uranium	Lithium
Best	100	100	100	100
Culligan Zerowater Pitcher	100	100	98	80
Average	91.1	41	67.2	31.8
Worst	0	12	31	0

Forever Chemicals (PFAS)

The Culligan ZeroWater Pitcher is certified to remove 99% of PFAS, but in our hands, it didn't quite live up to that claim. And some cheaper filters performed better here.

The ZeroWater caught 100% of the PFBA (not included in certification), but only 85% of the PFNA (included in certification) that we added to our test water. While it removed the majority of these PFAS compounds, that may not be enough to keep high PFAS spikes within the EPA's “safe” zone. If you live near airports, military bases, industrial sites, or landfills, you may want more reliable protection against these fairly common, harmful substances.

% PFAS Removal

Product	Total Reduction	PFNA Reduction	PFBA Reduction
Best	100	100	100
Average	90.2	89	97.8
Culligan Zerowater Pitcher 10-Cup	87	85	100
Worst	54	51	72

Microplastics

The Culligan ZeroWater Pitcher also underperformed in microplastics removal.

Microplastics are all around us, in the air we breathe, in the food we eat, and in the water we drink, but the full extent of their impact on our health is still being studied. While the Culligan can catch larger microplastic particles, its large pore size lets plenty of the smaller, more biologically risky particles slip right through. If removing microplastics is a top priority in your household, there are plenty of better options.

Fluoride & Nitrates

Who would've thought that a tiny little handheld pitcher could remove notoriously tricky contaminants like fluoride, nitrate, and sulfate? Well, the ZeroWater does so, and it does so exceptionally well.

The Culligan's dual cation-anion exchange bed is what sets it apart from other pitchers in this category. Typically only handled by high-end reverse osmosis systems, the ZeroWater removed 100% of fluoride, nitrate, and sulfate in our tests. It's also certified for fluoride removal. This makes it an excellent choice for users who live near farmland, drink from a private well, have formula-fed infants in the house, have fluoride concerns, or have water with a distinctive rotten-egg smell.

Fluoride, Nitrates, & Sulfate Removal

Product	Fluoride	Nitrate	Sulfate
Best	100	100	100
Culligan Zerowater Pitcher	100	100	100
Average	30.5	59.3	37.2
Worst	0	0	0

Taste & Chlorine

The ZeroWater got mixed results for taste. Most in-house testers and Amazon users noticed an improvement, especially with chlorine. However, a substaintial, 35% of Amazon reviewers found the flavor off. Because it removes so many minerals, it can taste “flat” to certain palates. Some users also report that the water tastes acidic toward the end of the filter's lifespan. If you're specifically looking to improve taste, a cheaper carbon-based pitcher may be all you need.

Daily Use & Upkeep Cost

Because of its small capacity and ridiculously expensive replacement filters, the ZeroWater Pitcher scored below average in daily use and upkeep costs.

Getting set up with the ZeroWater is very straightforward, and its compact size fits easily in any fridge. That said, because it can only hold 0.5 gallons of water and filters water suuuper slow, we had to spend quite a bit of our day refilling it. Because of this, we'd only recommend this to users with very low water needs and lots of patience.

Time to Filter One Gallon

Product	Minutes
Best	1
Average	13.2
Culligan Zerowater Pitcher 10-Cup	20
Worst	34

The manual doesn't provide an official time frame for filter replacements. Instead, you're directed to change it when the TDS meter reads 6 or higher, and the amber light turns on. Based on our experience and other Amazon users, this can happen as early as one week or as late as one month, which is more frequent than most pitchers.

Although the initial cost of the Culligan ZeroWater Pitcher is very affordable, replacement filters will take a heavy toll on your budget. We estimate that a household of two will spend $240 per year on maintenance, making it one of the most expensive filtration options we've tested. If you use more water, the price is even more outrageous.

Estimated Cost Per Year

Product	40 gal/month	120 gal/month
Best	33	33
Average	84.9	237
Culligan Zerowater Pitcher 10-Cup	240	960
Worst	240	960

Should You Buy the Culligan with ZeroWater 8-Cup Pitcher?

If you can't make permanent plumbing changes and are willing to pay top dollar for one of the best filtration pitchers, the Culligan ZeroWater is a worthy choice. It's pretty slow to filter, but it picks up heavy metals, fluoride, and nitrates that standard carbon-filter-based pitchers leave behind. This makes it an excellent choice for users who live near farms, drink from a private well, or have concerns about their pipes. That said, it didn't pick up as much PFAS and microplastics as some cheaper pitchers. And, it can taste off if you're not used to the flavor of demineralized water.

What Other Water Filters Should You Consider?

Culligan offers five larger-capacity options, up to 2.5 gallons, if you want to avoid frequent refills. If you don't need to remove fluoride and nitrates, the PUR PLUS 11-Cup Pitcher is one of our favorite options. It removes nearly 100% of lead, PFAS, and microplastics, has a much more widely accepted taste, and costs half as much to maintain as the ZeroWater. Or, for even more thorough filtration, we like the APEC ROES-50 Essence Series reverse-osmosis system. It catches nearly everything, doesn't require daily refills, and is one of the most cost-effective filtration options over the long term.