MAVEA Elemaris XL 9-Cup Water Filtration Pitcher, White

I would have given this pitcher 6 stars if I could.After years with Brita, finally there is an alternative that solves Brita's annoying problem.Good thing that I ran out of Brita filters, looked it up on Amazon and found Mavea in the results.Here are problem with my Brita :Brita Pacifica Smart Pitcher Water Filtration System with 2 Bonus Filters and 1 Bonus 20oz Nalgene On The Go Tritan- If there is a water in the top reservoir and you try to pour the water without other hand pushing on the lid, it will pop out and make a big mess. While I'm pretty careful with my Brita, there are sometimes when you're not careful (woken up during the night, etc) and many times had to wipe the floor during the night.- Water from top reservoir *leaks* into the lower reservoir. It leaks due to poor filter-reservoir design.- There are black particles in the top reservoir after regular use. While it's not a big deal since they are just carbons, it kinds of annoying- Some Brita filters leaks tiny carbon particles to the filtered water. I had to run it through *several* pitchers of water before it stops leaking.Now, with my background laid out, here's my review for Mavea :I can't tell the difference between water from Brita or from Mavea. I suppose they work equally well as a basic filtration pitcher. However with about the same cost of replacement filter, I think Mavea is "the" next Brita.This Mavea pitcher is well-designed. Front of the lid has 2 small latches that latch to the pitcher, and the back extends to the handle which means that regardless how much water you have in the top reservoir, the top will *not* pop off and splash water all over the cabinet like Brita. The pour-trough lid is very convenient. However, it refuses to pop back up from time to time, but that's ok.The "Smart Meter" claims to work smarter than a "timer" meter from Brita. It detects when the water is being filtered and count it against the life of filter. Traditional Brita meter is only a timer that was pre-programmed from the factory. If it estimates that a household will run through X gallons of water within a month, it *will* tell you to replace the filter every month. --- But with "Smart Meter" it estimates filter usage more closely to the actual use.Filter-reservoir design is perfect and solves the problem that I had with Brita. As far as I can tell, there are no leaks from the top reservoir. It means that you can have higher confidence that your water is even more clean than what comes from Brita.Handle and its feet have rubbery feel. It doesn't make any difference in terms of water quality, but I like the way handle feels in my hand. I change my behavior a bit, however. I usually slide Brita pitcher around, it's not possible with Mavea and will tip the pitcher over if you insist on sliding it.This is my first filter, so I can't confirm if it's typical or not. But it doesn't release carbon particles to the top reservoir like Brita. (Not that it affects water quality) -- It also doesn't release tiny black (I assume carbon) particles into filtered water like some Brita filters that I had to deal with. Manual tells you to run the filter through 2 pitchers of water before the first use. This is pretty much the same thing I do with Brita anyway.My only complain about this Mavea pitcher is that the "Smart Meter" is *NOT* waterproof. It's removable from the lid, so in case you need to wash it, there's no problem. However, there have been circumstances when I accidentally splash water over the meter. It's still working, but from the design, I think it's going to be the first thing to break in this pitcher. --- This is the only advantage that Brita had over Mavea. Its button design is waterproof, while Mavea isn't. I don't understand why Mavea went with this design. I hope that Mavea will address this issue on the next design.Overall, I'm super happy with Mavea. There is no turning back to Brita now.

This is my second Mavea pitcher. My first one last for years and the handle did not fall off, thankfully contrary to what others unfortunately experienced. The top, however, can pop off and the spout can get stuck. I have been very clumsy with this and have dropped it many times. It's been very durable for me, sustaining no crack or scratch. The size is great, fits right into the fridge and is easy to carry. It is also dishwasher safe, as long as you remove the battery (squeeze under the lid and pull off).The filter is VERY slow, but you know it's doing its job. The water tastes good and it's good to know the plastic is BPA-free (otherwise what's the point). Sometimes, small charcoal pieces get left behind in the upper compartment, but never in the water. The whole container can hold 2-3 runs of the upper tank, but then the plastic holding the filter sits in the water--I'm not sure if that's intended and ok.My only annoyance with this product is that the filter is supposed to be a perfect fit in the upper compartment, but somehow waters gets through the sides and gets stuck under the filter. That water will just stay there unless you remove the whole filter and dump out that water. Because I haven't found anything better, this is the one I return to and just deal with this minor annoyance.Finally, I don't depend on the electronic device indicating when to change the filter because it's just based on timing, not uses.

UPDATE: Spoke to Mavea and my worst suspicions are true...Mavea is closing North American operations. No warranty...no replacement parts...no cartridge recycling...no customer service in a month. They would not tell me why they are closing. They said cartridges would still be available only on Amazon. Of course, there is no guarantee for how long. I may ask Amazon for a refund. This is amazing. If this pitcher were as good as it seems, why would they be closing? I would not not have bought this had I known.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Something weird about this company. I went to the website given in their product manual and it has the filters on there, but none of the pitchers. Therefore, there is no information about features, using the product or warranty. In the box the pitcher came in is a slip with a website to register the pitcher and extend the warranty. I go to that site and it re-directs to BRITA with a list of countries...the US is NOT listed. There is no way to register the product. Very strange in today's day and age to buy a product and have no access to information online. I have no idea what my warranty is. I am going to have to call the company.As for the pitcher, we bought this to replace a BRITA. The water tastes great and we like it a lot. It claims to filter better and more substances than BRITA, but I have no way to substantiate this. Will update this if I can figure out what is going on with this company.