WaterdropA1 Countertop Reverse Osmosis System, Hot and Cold Water Dispenser, NSF/ANSI 58 Standard, Bottleless Water Cooler, 6 Temperature Settings, 2:1 Pure to Drain

This is a great machine lovely clear water, we should have to go to such lengths for drinkable water but unfortunately we do

I just bought the Waterdrop A1 hot/cold water RO desktop system and while I am happy with it’s many features and options and very user-friendly design, but have noticed tiny dust like specks when making black tea. This is really concerning me as the Zero Water system I had before this never had this issue. Can anyone please explain if they are having this same issue. See photo. thanks.UPDATE:Ok this seems to be a misunderstanding as I tested again and all seems fine. I must say Waterdrop Customer service is very quick and responsive and answered all my concerns. Thank You.

This is a fantastic system, but it does have a few drawbacks. The water temperature fluctuates between 6 and 10 degrees Celsius, and the compressor struggles to maintain a consistent temperature. However, the real issue lies with the hot water. When it starts dispensing, the water is lukewarm for a few seconds, which requires you to empty the cup immediately to ensure your tea is hot enough. The maximum temperature is 95 degrees Celsius, but the lukewarm water dispensed at first makes a cold cup of tea, which is quite disappointing. Nevertheless, the taste of the water is excellent.

I have to say that I absolutely love this machine. As someone who likes gadgets and loves both ice cold water and hot drinks, this is almost perfect for me.The machine itself is very easy to use. It uses 2 filters (replacing every 6 or 12 months at a cost of about £135 per year if you go on the guidelines) and a 3litre tank which gives you 2 litres of filtered water (and leaves 1l of waste water), you have options on the touch panel to give hot water, at varying degrees that you can adjust, cold water, you can set a cup/glass size or free flow until you press the water drop button again, it has a child lock so that you don't have a little one accidentally pouring hot water out.It really is a fantastically easy to use machine.The only downside is the price and ongoing running costs. I am generally quite happy with tap water... and although filtered water has tempted me in the past, I have never gone out and bought a water filter.Getting this to review satisfies my curiosity on that score, and there is a very noticeable difference in the water. Is it enough for me to spend extra cash on upkeeping it? Only time will tell.It takes up a lot of room on the counter, and you can't have it underneath a wall cabinet (as you wouldn't be able to lift out the water tank) - fortunately, my kitchen was accommodating with this aspect and the best place for it was alongside the sink (where my kettle had previously been).Currently I am using it as a kettle (and more) replacement and it's been a definite upgrade for the last couple of weeks. Instant hot or cold water when needed is such a convenient thing to have, and I think once I'm used to this I would struggle to go back to kettles and tap water.Personally speaking, I am sold on the device. The wife currently buys bottled water, and when calculating the filter costs of this device to the savings on water, this actually ends up being a little more cost effective (about £150 per year if buying 2 bottles of 5l water per week against £135 of the current cost of the filters) - hopefully, cheaper filters might become available. She is a little harder to convince that it's worth it, but if she wishes to go back to kettle and taps I may be able to put this in my office for added convenience.So, in summary it's an expensive machine, and its worth will be completely in how much use you get from it. I love it, and I feel it's an investment - so long as the filters continue to be available and get cheaper to buy.

It's a complete waste of money. Don't buy it. I've had it for two days, and it has already failed with error code E12.

For £600 I was hoping it would include a lifetime's supply of filters. Alas the filters are supplied as annual bundles costing just under £150 per year. What it does and what it costs are in two different universes.

The media could not be loaded. We have a Victorian house with old pipework, so filtering our water is of utmost importance. Since this system purports to remove lead and other harmful chemicals, it seemed like a great idea.There's no mention of dimensions on the listing. The unit is 20cm(W) X 46cm(D) X 43cm(H). The cord is about a metre long.The filters need flushing before you can use them. It takes over half an hour to go through the process, using multiple tanks of water. This should only be necessary every six months, but it's still a considerable amount of time to stand around, as you can't fit a big enough container under the outlet for all the purge water to be collected. The tank has a chunky, comfortable handle inside to aid with refilling, and it sits on a tapered cleat on the back of the machine, which helps to guide alignment since you can't really see around the back of the machine. I found I'm refilling the tank 2-3 times a day, which can become a bit wearisome.Draws about 3W in standby, 13W when dispensing cold water. The compressor runs occasionally to keep the water cool, drawing up to 98W. Using roughly two tanks of water, purely for chilled water, over 24 hours resulted in 0.333 kWh of energy usage. Assuming £0.30/kWh, this will have a running cost of £36.50 per year in electricity if you use the night mode and only drink cold water. Plus at least £105 per year in filter replacements.I'm having difficulty seeing what the exact use-case is. If it was used in a home, it takes up a lot of space (up to 60cm of worktop, including 20cm for heat dissipation either side) and when filling larger pots and pans it will empty the 3L water tank rapidly. It can be a replacement for a kettle though. In an office setting, the 3L tank can dispense 2L of water (1L going to the waste tank), which will require frequent re-filling of the tank. However, it could take the place of a water cooler and kettle for the office.I like how the filter detects a glass being put in front of it and wakes up ready for you. If then glows various shades of red and blue when dispensing, depending on the chosen water temperature.You have the option to choose from preset volumes (150, 250, 350, 500ml), or to press and hold for a constant stream of water. I can't see an option to alter the preset volumes, which is a shame, but you can stop a pour mid-flow by pressing the droplet button again.The buttons are pretty responsive, apart from the pour button, which I find I have to press twice sometimes. The screen is clear and easy to read, even in bright conditions. I like that there's a childlock on it, where you have to press and hold the lock icon before being able to dispense water hotter than 45°C.It's an excellent alternative to bottled water in terms of plastic waste. Cost-wise, it really depends on how much water you drink. Assuming a price of 45p/L for bulk-bought bottled water, and 2L per day, the cost would be £328.50 per person, per year, far more than the running costs of this machine. With a house of two people you'd break even in just over a year, and make a massive dent in your carbon footprint.The big downside is how frequently you have to refill the water tank. Mains water connected under-the-counter RO units sometimes chill, but they rarely have the degree of options this machine has. If they could reconfigure it into a model that's built into your kitchen cabinets like a built in over or microwave, so I can still have the screen and heating options, but it's plumbed into the water supply and drains behind, I'd buy it in an instant. Perhaps an aftermarket option for this machine that connects where the tank goes, and allows it to be connected to the water supply could be sold?