Boroux vs. Rorra vs. Culligan: Water Filters, Tested Head to Head
Boroux vs. Rorra vs. Culligan: Water Filters, Tested Head to Head
Boroux 对决 Rorra 与 Culligan：重力式滤水器深度横评
I will admit that the popularity of those giant, stainless steel, gravity-fed water filters remained a mystery to me for some years—even as multi-gallon water filtration systems from brands like British Berkefeld and Berkey seemed to proliferate equally among lovers of doomsday prepping and holistic wellness retreats. 我必须承认，那些巨大的不锈钢重力式滤水器之所以如此受欢迎，多年来对我来说一直是个谜——尽管像 British Berkefeld 和 Berkey 这样的大容量滤水系统，在末日生存狂和整体健康疗养爱好者群体中似乎同样盛行。
I have been testing different breeds of water filters for more than a year, including reverse-osmosis filters and filtered water pitchers. But often, the big water filter tanks have seemed as much like status symbols as functional items. They’re good-looking in an industrial stainless steel sort of way: an expression of a lifestyle and a stately point of pride. If you see a big gravity-fed filter, you know the person in question is serious about wellness, survival, or both. 我测试各种类型的滤水器已经超过一年了，包括反渗透滤水器和滤水壶。但通常情况下，这些大型滤水罐看起来既是功能性产品，也像是身份的象征。它们有着工业风不锈钢外观，看起来很美观：这是一种生活方式的表达，也是一种庄重的自豪感。如果你看到一个大型重力式滤水器，你就知道此人对健康、生存或两者兼顾非常看重。
What changed my mind about these big stainless steel filters was microplastics. 真正改变我对这些大型不锈钢滤水器看法的是微塑料问题。
Most water filter pitchers are made of BPA-free plastic. But as new research shows that bottled-water drinkers ingest tens of thousands of excess microplastic particles, wellness lovers have begun to look askance at water filters that are themselves made of plastic. A newer generation of gravity filters has leaned into this, removing all—or nearly all—points of contact with plastic. 大多数滤水壶都是由不含双酚A（BPA）的塑料制成的。但随着最新研究表明，饮用瓶装水的人会摄入数以万计的额外微塑料颗粒，健康爱好者开始对本身由塑料制成的滤水器产生怀疑。新一代的重力式滤水器顺应了这一趋势，消除了所有或几乎所有与塑料接触的环节。
And so since March, I have been putting these new-school stainless steel filter systems to the test. The Boroux Legacy Water Filter System ($419) is a handsome gravity-fed filter system from a former Berkey distributor whose livelihood was disrupted by Berkey’s fight with federal regulators. 因此，自三月份以来，我一直在对这些新式不锈钢滤水系统进行测试。Boroux Legacy 滤水系统（419美元）是一款外观精美的重力式滤水系统，其制造商曾是 Berkey 的分销商，但因 Berkey 与联邦监管机构的纠纷而导致生计受到影响。
At a much lower upfront cost, the Culligan MaxClear Gravity Water Filter System ($199) is the best-certified stainless steel gravity system I’ve tested, at the expense of very slow filtration and expensive filter replacements over time. The Rorra Countertop System ($549) is a newer-school, celebrity-endorsed filter from a trio of serial entrepreneurs, with smart features that include sensors for both filter and water levels. Culligan MaxClear 重力式滤水系统（199美元）的前期成本要低得多，是我测试过的认证最完善的不锈钢重力系统，但代价是过滤速度非常缓慢，且长期更换滤芯的成本较高。Rorra 台式系统（549美元）则是由三位连续创业者推出的新式滤水器，并有名人代言，其智能功能包括滤芯和水位传感器。
In testing each, I assessed ease of setup, plastic content, total chlorine reduction, and changes to dissolved solids or pH. I also pored over each filter’s NSF/ANSI certifications and independent testing results. 在测试每一款产品时，我评估了安装简易度、塑料含量、总氯去除率以及溶解固体或 pH 值的变化。我还仔细研究了每款滤水器的 NSF/ANSI 认证和独立测试结果。
Gravity-fed water filter systems gained their biggest prominence in the United States with a system called the Berkey—whose makers began in 1998 as a distributor for a much older filter system called the British Berkefeld. Amid regulatory troubles for Berkey’s classic black filters, a newer generation of gravity-fed filters has risen to prominence. 重力式滤水系统在美国最出名的是 Berkey 系统——其制造商最初于 1998 年作为一种更古老的滤水系统 British Berkefeld 的分销商起家。在 Berkey 经典的黑色滤芯遭遇监管困境之际，新一代重力式滤水器开始崭露头角。
Multi-gallon filters like this are imposing beasts—as much statement pieces as water filters. They’re big, holding a gallon or more. They live on your counter or your table, and take up significant space there. But because they are so large, they are difficult to fill and slow to filter. In my early testing, gravity-fed filters like the new Boroux and Rorra don’t necessarily filter water any better out of the box than plastic pitchers that can fit in your fridge door, or in-line filters under your sink. And because they don’t fit in your fridge, your water is room temp. 像这样的大容量滤水器体型庞大，既是装饰品也是滤水器。它们很大，容量在一加仑或以上。它们通常放在你的台面或桌子上，占据相当大的空间。但正因为体积大，它们加水困难且过滤缓慢。在我早期的测试中，像新款 Boroux 和 Rorra 这样的重力式滤水器，其过滤效果并不一定比能放进冰箱门的塑料滤水壶或水槽下的在线滤水器更好。而且因为它们放不进冰箱，你喝到的水只能是室温的。
But convenience is relative. The jugs on gravity-fed filter systems are big enough on an overnight refill to provide a day’s worth of water for most families, for sipping and cooking and coffee. I find this can be easier than the constant cycle of filling and waiting that plagues smaller water pitchers, especially for large families, coffee lovers, or avid cooks. And whereas most water pitchers require regular filter re-ups, the Boroux filters advertise that they need replacement only once a year. 但便利性是相对的。重力式滤水系统的储水罐足够大，只需过夜加满一次，就能为大多数家庭提供一整天的饮用、烹饪和冲咖啡用水。我发现这比小型滤水壶那种不断加水、等待的循环要轻松得多，特别是对于大家庭、咖啡爱好者或烹饪达人来说。而且，大多数滤水壶需要频繁更换滤芯，而 Boroux 的滤芯宣称每年只需更换一次。
Perhaps more importantly, Rorra, Boroux, and Culligan have shed nearly all plastic from their devices, especially in areas that come in contact with filtered water. Boroux in particular has taken the extra step of attaining certification for microplastic filtration. If microplastics are a big concern for you, the new generation of gravity-fed filters does quite a bit to alleviate these worries. 更重要的是，Rorra、Boroux 和 Culligan 已经去除了设备中几乎所有的塑料成分，特别是在与过滤水接触的部位。Boroux 更是额外采取了措施，获得了微塑料过滤认证。如果你非常担心微塑料问题，新一代重力式滤水器在缓解这些担忧方面确实大有裨益。