Waterdrop WD-10UA Under Sink Review

The Waterdrop WD-10UA Under Sink Filter has a sleek, compact design and surprisingly high filtration rate, making it a low-profile addition to any kitchen. Installation is straightforward — just a few everyday tools will get it mounted without having to splice into water supply lines or drill holes. Rated to filter up to 8,000 gallons per year, it keeps operating costs low at roughly $33 annually, making it highly cost-effective. Users report water that tastes noticeably cleaner and crisper. The downside here is its base filtration for contaminants — it does really well with PFNA, but doesn't filter lead or many other contaminants you want to avoid.

Critical Contaminant Removal

This filter does a decent job with certain contaminants, but won't protect you against some of the most critical ones. It was able to filter trace amounts of nitrate, but barely enough to mention. It only filtered out 3.8% of lead, 10% of uranium in our testing, and it isn't certified to reduce arsenic. “I would not get this if any health-related contaminants were a concern,” our tester concluded.

To be clear, this is not a filter you'd want to get to improve the quality of your water. It is more geared toward

It only filters out particles larger than 0.01μm, basically fine sediment. It does not handle contaminants that come in the form of total dissolved solids (TDS). That said, it misses many of the contaminants you'd actually want to remove from your tap water.

PFAS Forever Chemicals

It did a great job with PFAS (93% removed), which our tester called “a pleasant surprise.” At this point, PFAS is fairly ubiquitous in the Earth's water cycle, and according to the Environmental Working Group, it is present in tap water from many municipal water sources in the US, including most major metropolitan areas. So we are happy that the Waterdrop WD-10UA at least significantly reduces these “forever chemicals”.

Heavy Metals

This is where things start to go downhill for this Waterdrop model. It was not able to make a significant change in any of the heavy metals that water samples were tested for. Its best effort was made with uranium, of which it reduced levels by 1%.

Secondary Contaminants

It removed 100% of zinc from contaminated samples (that's what it's certified for), but other metals, like cobalt and chromium, mostly pass through. It removed about 4% of iron.

Taste

For most users, the water comes out crisp, fresh, and chlorine-free. Some notice a big improvement in drinks like coffee, while a few report only subtle changes, so results can vary. Taste is obviously subjective, but no negative notes were mentioned during internal testing, and we found minimal negative comments in online reviews. Overall, we'd say it's a noticeable but not game-changing upgrade in taste compared with untreated tap water. Of course, this will vary by your location.

Maintenance & Setup

Installation is straightforward, and the included hardware makes it easy to mount under the sink. A reminder button keeps you on track for replacements, and swapping the filter is simple once the unit is installed. Tight spaces might take a little patience (be sure to check manufacturer size specs before planning an install), but overall upkeep is minimal. Our tester said, “Maintaining this filter isn't much more effort than a pitcher-style filter, besides having to be under your sink.”

Operating Cost

Replacement filters cost around $33, and the system can handle up to 8,000 gallons before a change is needed. That makes it extremely budget-friendly, especially compared with other under-sink options that require more frequent replacements. This is easily the cheapest filter to operate out of the ones we tested, but obviously it doesn't effectively deal with contaminants across the board. No reason to change the filter often if it isn't doing a lot of work.

Should You Buy the Waterdrop WD-10UA Under Sink?

This filter is a great choice if your tap water is already safe and your primary concern is PFAS removal. It also improves the taste, clarity, and is a low-maintenance, budget-friendly system. It's especially convenient for renters or anyone who wants an under-sink setup that's mostly invisible and easy to move. It's an odor and taste-focused system, not a health-focused one. It's not suited for homes with health-related water concerns, like high lead or other heavy metals, since it won't reliably remove those contaminants.

What Other Water Filter Should You Consider?

If you need an under-sink water filter system that is built to filter out serious contaminants, you'll want to upgrade to the APEC ROES-50 Essence Series. It's a big jump in price, but it's the most affordable under-sink filter we tested, and it has killer scores in all contaminant tests. It'll cost more to operate and be a bit more of a pain to install, but it'd be worth it if you have serious health concerns with your water. Alternatively, if you're ok with using a pitcher, you might want to try the Pur Plus 11-Cup Pitcher or Culligan with Zerowater 8-Cup Pitcher. These will cost less and remove more contaminants — you'll just have to refill them instead of getting water straight from the tap.