The water does filter "slowly" but acceptable. I say "slowly" because the job of filtering water by gravity naturally takes some time. The water has to percolate down through the filter surface area; this just is a slow process without any help from positive or negative (vacuum) pressure.

The pitcher holds 2 quarts. Frankly, if your water is bad-tasting, you will be filling this pitcher up many times a day. If that is the case, get an inline filter instead. This pitcher is ok for a small family, but for a large, water-drinking, Kool-aid making, tea drinking family you may need a lot more. We have one, and we use it a lot, so I have to say it's pretty good, overall.

42 of 43 found the following review helpful:

Good Product, but if you have the room in your fridge, buy the larger one  May 26, 2008
By Erin Braun
Overall, we're very happy with the Brita Atlantis Pitcher. Also bought one for Mom. The only minor problem is is sometimes spills a little if you don't pour carefully. The water tastes great, and we use it all the time at home, now only using bottled water for on-the-go. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY UPGRADING TO THE BRITA DELUXE OR BRITA CHROME: The Brita Deluxe has an indicator light to signal you to change filters however it goes off after a set amount of time rather than the actual usage of the filter. I got one as a gift and prefer the standard model. The light just gets annoying, especially when you know you don't need to change the filter yet. The chrome model also has the annoying light and is more difficult to clean (my sister has it). If you have more than one person in the house, or if you drink a lot of water, I would suggest buying the larger size. Or you can do what we do. We bought another large refillable bottle that we keep filled with the filtered water while the Brita is doing its job.

You can often get great deals on the replacement filters if you keep your eyes open for sales, and it's definitely worth it to buy the 3 pack of filters.

Definitely rinse the filter twice before you use it.

38 of 41 found the following review helpful:

It tastes like it works, i hope  Jun 25, 2000

This filtration pitcher is the only one I have ever had, tried, or used. If you buy this you need to get the filters with the color indicator that tells you when to change it. I made the mistake of buying filters without it and after the filter has died, you can usually tell by the taste (which is really bad). this is a good price. it is very easy to fill. it takes a little while to filter the water, maybe a little longer than I would like. At my house, 8 cups of water is gone in no time though. If you have a family, it is probably smarter to buy a little bigger one. but the good thing is that it doesn't take up much room in the fridge and it is easy to pour.

41 of 45 found the following review helpful:

Good alternative  Feb 25, 2003
By T. Reinhardt "olivia lee"
This is a good alternative but has its drawbacks. I think a britta sink/faucet model would be more convenient but my faucet is not set up for one. The water from this pitcher tastes very good and I use it for my coffee which allows me to not buy filters for the pot...however.... a full pitcher is just under a full pot of coffee and the refilling of the britta is very slow. (The re-fill rate seems to decrease as the filter gets older) Something to consider if you will be bringing the pitcher to the dinner table for a family... You really cant pour it till its done filtering. The filters are fairly expensive but less than buying bottled water. I also find the pitcher to be a bit heavy and the lid delicate. altho it has not broken i can see that that might be a problem... This is a good alternative to a faucet model or bottled water but it isnt without its drawbacks.

35 of 39 found the following review helpful:

believing in our water  Dec 25, 2006
By David A. Baer
Our family lived for many years in a Central American country where the water was iffy. We became Brita users then in the remote hope that it would keep some of the bad stuff our of our stomachs.

Now, living in Indianapolis where the water is pure but hard, we drink from water poured through the Brita Water Filtration Pitcher in order to filter out some of the minerals that make water 'hard'.

Although I am not persuaded that we have taken great scientific leaps forward towards water purity, my wife assures me that this is progress. Therefore, I try to drink water only out of the Brita.

I can say that it's not an inconvenient little contraption. It's easy both to fill the Pitcher and to pour from it, though you'll likely suffer a few wet countertops before you learn to wait for the water in the newly-filled pitcher to settle.

I am told by my devoted spouse that we are loyal Brita customers for the long haul. She knows about these things.

Do drink up.

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