How We Research Water Filters

Water Quality First

We overhauled our scoring system to put water quality at the centre of every review. The most important question is simple: how clean is the water this filter produces?

Our overall score now weights water quality metrics at 85%. Secondary factors like design, maintenance, and price still appear — they're useful context — but they don't drive the headline number.

Secondary Factors

These factors are still scored and shown on every product page — they matter for practical decisions. But they are not part of the primary headline score.

Rating Scale

Our scores — for both primary water quality metrics and the overall score — map to these tiers:

What Makes Our Reviews Different

AquaReach is specifically designed for people living in the Mediterranean. That means our reviews account for factors that generic review sites ignore:

• 1
  Water quality is the primary lens. A filter that looks sleek but doesn't produce clean water is a bad filter. We score what comes out of the tap, not how photogenic the unit is.
• 2
  European availability matters. We only review products you can actually buy and get shipped to Mediterranean countries. Many US-focused review sites recommend products unavailable in Europe.
• 3
  Mediterranean water is different. High limestone, heavy chlorination, aging infrastructure, and desalinated water on islands create specific filtration needs that differ from northern Europe or the US.
• 4
  EU regulations apply. We track the latest EU water quality regulations, including the 2025 PFAS standards, and evaluate products against these requirements.
• 5
  No pay-to-play. Manufacturers cannot pay for higher scores. Our revenue comes from affiliate commissions, but our rankings are based solely on our scoring methodology.

Our Review Process

Each product goes through a structured evaluation process:

• 1
  Certification & specification analysis. We compile NSF/ANSI certification documentation, manufacturer-published contaminant removal rates, and independent lab test results where available. Water cleanliness, pH output, and mineral retention are the primary data points.
• 2
  European market assessment. We verify availability, pricing, shipping options, and warranty coverage for Mediterranean countries.
• 3
  Scoring against our framework. Each product is scored starting with the three primary water quality metrics, then secondary factors. Data gaps are labelled "Data pending" — we do not estimate.
• 4
  Comparative ranking. Products are ranked primarily by water quality output, ensuring the cleanest water wins — not the cheapest or prettiest product.
• 5
  Regular updates. Reviews are updated when manufacturers release new models, new certification data becomes available, or independent lab results are published.

Have questions about our methodology? Want to suggest a product for review? Email us at aquareach@polsia.app.