A lot of fighting in the main water filter thread mainly due to competition, though I noticed most are discussing the high-end water filters costing above RM1,000. I am just looking at a cheaper water filter for basic filtering for an apartment in the price range of RM100-200+. Would like to ask if there is anybody who has used any of the Panasonic water filters, of if there are any other brands in the similar price range worth looking at.

In the Panasonic Malaysia website, there is this model that costs RM169 retail


And this one costing RM196


And this one is RM217


Has anybody used these water filters? Are they reliable? Any other brands worth looking at? Thanks.

u get clearer water n no chlorine smell.
pana use carbon/charcoal inside.
need to boil water before drink.

apartment water comes from tank above.
the contamination is much higher than those direct water in terrace house.
in this application , i'll rate a 1/10 in using this filter

This post has been edited by goohtj: Jun 3 2017, 11:04 PM

Thanks for the response. I always boil filtered water from the tap before drinking, that's a habit.

Can you clarify why the water quality from apartment is different from that of terrace houses. The water is from the same source and would still go to the water tank of the landed properties and apartments.

my take in water filtration is that to reduce as much contaminants as possible. entry range is pretty much good however, having something that filters more gives a peace of mind at least. i'm not talking about price but what the filtration capabilities and getting it from proven brands too like panasonic,3m etc etc..

i've been using PJ-6RF for 5 years now, 6 months filter life is an economy approach. i'm considering removal of lead in my apartment water (because we do not know what are in the pipes)

cheers!

Thanks for the response. Yes, the basic water filter such as the one you have right now only filters sediments, fine particles, chlorine rust and odour. If you want more filtration to filter other chemicals such as lead and iron, we will need to go higher up the line. Just checked on Panasonic and the water filter that is able to filter soluble lead, iron and aluminum is the TK-AJ11-PNMA, and it costs RM1,839.

May I know for your water filter, how much is the cost of the filter replacement? It can only last 6 months?

If you are into DIY own filter, I've shared a 3-stage DIY filter for under RM200. PP > ceramics > active carbon. I use NSF certified Doulton carbon cartridge.
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=81965725

The 3-stage DIY filter looks great. Good job.

Reading more about the bits that have gone into the DIY filter, if I am not mistaken it is doing the same job of filtration as the Panasonic's RM196 filter .

The first stage filters sediment and coarse particles, the 2nd stage (ceramic) filters finer sediments, dirt, debris and bacteria, and the final 3rd stage (active carbon) filters or absorbs chlorine, red rust and mold. The cheaper Panasonic filter (RM200+/-) also has the same filtration functions. May I ask what is the advantage of this DIY setup over the Panasonic equivalent?

It's only the costlier Panasonic filter which has the added benefits by filtering iron and metal such as lead, apart from adding some alkalinity to the water. The cost is also comparatively higher at above RM1,500.

Just found out that the higher-end Panasonic filter (photo below) that filters iron and metal and adding alkalinity to the water is made in Japan. That may explain on the higher cost >RM1,500. The cheaper RM200+/- Panasonic water filter must be assembled locally in Malaysia (or China).



This post has been edited by ryder_78: Jun 4 2017, 11:00 AM

Hi,

I have been using Panasonic water filter for years, so far so good.

In my previous apartment, i have the PJ-5RF panasonic + Amway water filter. Btw, my apartment's kitchen tap water was 'direct from Syabas', only the toilet water from water tank.

After moved to landed place, i use PJ5RF + TK-AS40 panasonic filters, the PJ5RF for cooking, vege/fruit washing, TK-AS40 for drinking directly (no boiling).

Filter replace for PJ5RF is about rm50 (about 6,000), TK-AS40 is about rm250 (12,000 liter).

Hope the info helps.

This post has been edited by clickNsnap: Jun 4 2017, 03:22 PM

The advantages over the Panasonic are:
1) Neat under-sink installation. No messy tubings at the faucet and save counter top space.(unless your prefer counter top)
2) Can filter larger volume of water, good for washing, cleaning, cooking at wet kitchen.
3) Can change any replacement cartridges you want, 10" cartridges are the easiest to buy in the market and there are not expensive.
4) I use NSF certified Doulton carbon cartridge at 3rd stage filtering, so my filtered water "technically" NSF certified.

Panasonic has its advantages though, ready to use off the shelve, no dedicated faucet needed, easier to instal, Panasonic brand name, easy availability of replacement cartridges, easier cartridge replacement to name a few.
I started off with Panasonic too, served me well for couple of years but because I wanted the convenience of drinking water directly from the tap without boiling it, I upgraded to 3M NSF certified filter. The DIY filter was installed at wet kitchen for cleaning, washing, cooking.

I have been Panasonic Filter (Picture 3) for 3 years and more.
The filter need to be changed when using for a long usage.

Great product, using with no problems for more than 3 years already.

Thanks for all responses. Think I'll be getting either 1 or 2 of these Panasonic filters. If I get the cheap one RM200+/-, it will be used for everything from washing vegetables, rice, fruits and also as drinking water. Of course, the water will be boiled before it is used for drinking. If getting the expensive one, I understand that the water need not be boiled for drinking. Personally I have boiled water before drinking throughout my whole life, so it's something new to me. However, due to the expensive replacement cartridge, it is not cost-efficient to use the costly water filter for all purpose which includes washing raw food such as vegetables, meat, rice, fruits etc. In the end, the cheap water filter (RM200) is still mandatory for all-purpose use. Will see how it goes.

Thanks for all the advice and information.

i used that cheapest one (first one in your pics) for many years. No problem. Just change the filter when it is due
panasonic is good enough and you can easily find the replacement filter

This post has been edited by idoblu: Jun 5 2017, 07:46 AM

Will compare this cheapest Panasonic model with the RM200 one and see what's the difference. Will surely get one of these.

A point which I forgot to mention is I don't drink room-temperature water. I always drink warm water, closer to hot. If I drink cold water, it will be ice-cold water and not room temperature, but I rarely drink cold water as it's not good for health. Hence, boiled water is necessary in my case. If I am in the office, the source for warm/hot water is the water dispenser with a large water bottle turned upside down, slotted into the water dispenser.

i still boil the water after the filter. one thing though, the instructions says not to use filtered water for your ice cubes or store it too long

Okay thanks for the information. To not use filtered water for ice cubes is something new to me. It has to be filtered water since it can't be tap water. Not too sure on the reason though.

Yes, the water is always boiled too in my case (drinking water) as it's a norm. Anyway since we are using the cheap water filter and not the expensive one which is claimed to remove virtually "everything", we have to boil the water anyway. Though sometimes when we think about it, it doesn't quite make sense whether to boil the water or not even if using the cheap water filter. My reasoning is this.

The cheap water filter and expensive water filter basically perform the same basic functions in removing sediment, dirt and even mold and bacteria. The only added difference with the expensive water filter is it removes other substances such as iron or metal such as lead, apart from the feature of changing the water properties to higher alkalinity. Boiling water is mainly to kill bacteria. But that is already covered even with the cheap water filter. Boiling water does nothing to remove iron or metal. In other words, what I am implying is it may be acceptable to drink water from the cheap water filter without boiling it. However, this practice is not a norm.

Now that brings us to the question of drinking water from an expensive water filter without boiling it. Do most folks actually do this? Are there people who still boil water even when the water is filtered with an expensive water filter?

This post has been edited by ryder_78: Jun 5 2017, 08:57 AM

im using the red model model MRF , its better than those RF series. can use for drinking. been using for 7 years now.

Huh, drinking cold water not good for health ? Where you get such infor?

For long run and cheaper cost, I think aeiou228 way is better. Those are the common filter and easily available. Beside that, it place below the table to free up the table space. The bad is, changing the filter take little bit longer time.

But thumb of rule, still better to boil the water before drink.

Many those expensive filter dispenser is either cost 10% only. Remain 90% is profit. Or mlm style business.

oh there is also a 3M table top/wall mount filter but quite expensive compare to the Panasonic. Also bigger

http://www.3m.com.my/3M/en_MY/company-my/a...91210533&rt=rud

around Rm370 at Lazada

This post has been edited by idoblu: Jun 5 2017, 09:28 AM