Distilled water gets a bad rap. People think it’s the ugly, tasteless, flat cousin of refreshing, clean bottled water.
Here’s the thing — distilled water is cleaner than any type of filtered or reverse osmosed water.
It’s easier to make and has virtually none of the stuff that might get through other systems. Interested? Great, because we’re going to show you the 5 best distillers money can buy.
How to Choose the Best Water Distiller
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The process of distilling water is very simple: water is boiled into steam. The steam is collected and condensed back into water. That’s it. The process has been used for thousands of years. And it produces very clean water, both from the boiling that kills off bacteria and viruses, and the steam leaving behind all the other bad stuff.
No Plastic
Top quality water distillers, like the ones we list here, should have no plastic water can touch on the journey between tap water and distilled water. Glass and stainless steel can be cleaned and sterilized to a far greater degree than plastic.
Filter
Carbon filtration after distillation isn’t necessary because all the chemicals and nasty compounds are gone, but distilled water has a reputation for tasting flat. Carbon filtration improves the taste, and luckily, the units listed here all have a post-filtration setup.
Flow Rate
Distillation is not a fast process. The largest machine, the WaterWise, makes six gallons of water in 24 hours. Not speedy by any means. They all run about the same so look for one that distills faster than one gallon every six hours.
Our Top 5 Picks for the Best Water Distiller
So, without further ado, here are the water distiller reviews what we think are the best water distillers on the market in 2018.
1. The Nutriteam Countertop Water Distiller
Features:
The Nutriteam Water Distiller is a simple machine with some nice features. It comes with a glass carafe as well as a glass nozzle.
Most distillers use stainless steel, but glass is just as good a choice. Perhaps the only drawback is it’s a little pricey compared to some of the other units on this list. True, it is the only one with a glass nozzle, but you’ll have to be the judge on if that is worth the extra cost.
Best for: someone who is looking for a good solid water distiller but doesn’t like the looks of some of our other options listed below.
Pros
Cons
Features:
The Waterwise 3200 is an extremely easy and effective water distillation product. Using 800 watts of power, 120 volt 60 hZ, it produces 1 gallon of 100% steam distilled water in about 4 hours. Once it is done distilling the water, it automatically shuts off. You can then remove the water pitcher and cool it in your refrigerator.
If you’re thinking to yourself, “4 hours is a lot of time for a gallon of water,” don’t worry, because we can explain. The Waterwise 3200 Countertop Distillation System produces purified water by using steam distillation, one of the oldest, most effective method of water treatment. When the system is operating, the water temperature rises to 212°F, killing bacteria, cysts, viruses, and anything else that could potentially be in your water. Steam will then cool the stainless steel condenser, ensuring highly purified water.
It’s very simple. All you do is fill the stainless steel boiler with tap water, press the reset button, and the system does the rest of the work.
The Waterwise 3200 is best for someone who is willing to pay for quality. This is a dependable, high-quality water distillation system that won’t let you down.
Pros
Cons
Features:
The Pure Water Mini-Classic is an American-made stainless steel beauty. Seriously, the whole thing is made of stainless steel.
Another thing of note — since many compounds turn to steam at a lower temperature than water, they can get distilled back into your supposedly pure water. The Mini-Classic has purity vents that allow said baddies to escape before the water starts to steam, preventing them from getting into your water in the first place.
Best for: the person looking for a water distiller with a lot of stainless steel and has some money to spare. Just need to find a workaround for that plastic lid.
Pros
Cons
Features:
Don’t let that black plastic cover on the Tinton fool you — the heart and guts of this machine is stainless steel. Like the others an inline charcoal filter makes the water taste good and the glass carafe has a stainless steel top. From start to finish, your water never comes in contact with plastic.
Best for: The Tinton is great for someone looking for a water distiller that has lots of stainless steel but doesn’t want to spend the money for a Mini-Classic.
Pros
Cons
Features:
The Pure Water Distiller has many lookalike versions on the marketplace and I honestly don’t know who the initial manufacturer is. It’s a decent, inexpensive water distiller with an all-stainless-steel distillation chamber and spout.
Unfortunately, they pair it with a plastic collector. Kinda dumb. But, if you’ve got a glass carafe already or are willing to pony up the cost to get one, this could be a good option.
Best for: If you’re looking for a cheap, compact water distiller and have a glass or stainless steel carafe already, then this is for you.
Pros
Cons
Our Top Pick If You're Looking for a Water Distiller
I gotta say, I am a little surprised to be saying this, but our top nod goes to the Tinton 304 Stainless Steel Water Distiller.
It is reasonable priced, it has all stainless internals, the carafe is glass with a stainless lid. The Waterwise is programmable, that’s true, but that doesn’t really justify the extra cost.
The Mini-Classic is frighteningly expensive and it still has a plastic lid. The Pure? Cheap, but the plastic collector is not worth it. And the Nutriteam? It’s a good unit, but unless you really want the glass nozzle, there are better options.
If you’re looking for a water distiller, you can dig through dozens of water distiller reviews and videos and the like. Or, you can just re-read what we just showed you and then pick up the Tinton. It’s the smart move.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose a water distiller?
The first aspect you need to get right is how much water you and the rest of the people in your household are going to use every day. Think about all of the scenarios where you'll need pure distilled water. Maybe you don't need it just for drinking but also for other activities, such as watering plants, giving it to your pets, and so forth. The supported flow rate and type of filter is also something you will want to take into account, and you can re-read the first section of our article to make more sense of it.
Can drinking distilled water cause certain health problems down the line?
First you need to understand that distilled water is considered "bad" because there are no traces of dissolved minerals inside of it. But neither are any other contaminants, so that's always a plus. Drinking distilled water regularly shouldn't have a negative impact on your health as long as you're getting your essential nutrients from food and other sources such as supplements. However, drinking distilled water may not be a good idea after rigorous exercise, when you're malnourished, or when you're sick, because your body requires all of the nutrients it can get during these times.
Which one is better: distilled or spring water?
For drinking, spring water is the best simply because it's free from pollutants and rich in minerals. But for general use such as showering or appliances, then distilled water is the much better choice.
Final Thoughts
There you have it! These are our top picks for the best water distiller that you can buy with your hard-earned money right now.
If you also want to check out other water-related products for your home, such as filters, reverse osmosis systems, and descalers, feel free to browse the rest of our website.