Sans Vs. Berkey: I Finally Decided It was Time to Filter My Water, and I’m Down to These Two Top Choices

I Spent Hours Researching the Best Water Purifiers So You Don’t Have To…

And I’d like to say it was because I’m such a caring person. But the reality is that I saw a list of some of the horrid things that can contaminate municipal water systems (forever chemicals, microplastics, heavy metals, bacteria, etc.) and decided I needed to find the best way to filter my tap water ASAP. 

After hours of deep-diving Reddit threads and poring over customer reviews, I’ve finally come to what I see as the top two choices: the Sans Water Purifier and the Berkey Water Filter System. While Sans’ reverse osmosis system is frequently called the “gold standard” of water purification (removing particles up to 0.0001 microns in size), Berkey has some stand-out features as well. 

In the spirit of competition (and for the sake of making my own choice), I decided to break these two purifiers down into four categories to see which comes out on top. 

Tale of the Tape: Sans & Berkey 

• Berkey’s story goes all the way back to the 19th century when an Englishman named John Doulton invented a way to filter unsafe drinking water with earth and clay. Now, the Berkey we know is manufactured by New Millennium Concepts, Ltd in Colorado as a gravity-fed, stainless steel container with two “proprietary” filters that pass water through a “very compact matrix [with] millions of microscopic pores,” according to their site. 
• Sans, on the other hand, was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic when so many of us were trapped indoors. While self-isolating, founders John Fanelly and Adam Bedford wanted to engineer a way for us to breathe clean air from a modern, aesthetic device using gold-standard HEPA filters, and Sans was born. Shortly afterward, they launched the Sans Water Purifier, utilizing a similarly gold-standard reverse osmosis process to deliver the purest drinking water possible.

While Berkey carries a lot of clout for its stainless steel aesthetic, Sans sticks out from the jump as a company that really means business when it comes to actual water filtration. To compare, I’ll break it down by price, effectiveness, customer love, and features. 

Price: Berkey

The Berkey filters come in 6 different sizes (and prices), but I felt like the Travel Berkey was the most comparable to Sans. The Travel Berkey holds roughly 1.5 gallons and costs $344. Sans, on the other hand, costs $499 (though it’s on sale right now for $399), and holds nearly a gallon in its main pre-filtered tank.

Since both these units require the occasional replacement filter, I figured I should factor that in, too. Subscribing to Sans’ filter subscription results in a Pre/Carbon and VOC filter change every year, and a Reverse Osmosis filter change every two years (the average yearly cost comes to $97.48, or $87.73 if you’re subscribed for a 10% discount.) You can skip or cancel anytime. Berkey, however, is unclear. It says a set of 2 of their Black Berkey filters is sold out on the website, though on what looks like an affiliate site they’re listed at $166 for the pair. They claim to last for 6,000 gallons before they need replacement. 

While, per the numbers, I have to give this category to Berkey, I definitely don’t love that the replacement filters are currently sold out on their website. (As you’ll see later, that’s not the only suspect thing about Berkey…) 

Effectiveness: Sans 

The Sans Water Purifier uses a four-stage reverse osmosis + UV-C light purification process that eliminates up to 99% of harmful contaminants, including fluoride, microplastics, heavy metals, bacteria, and more. There’s a reason reverse osmosis is known as the gold standard of water purification. 

Berkey, on the other hand, uses a process that’s also rather unclear. The activated carbon filters are supposed to contain millions of pores that collect contaminants as the water passes through. This New York Times Wirecutter article, however, cast some serious doubt as to whether this process is anywhere near as effective as Berkey claims. Berkey is also not independently certified to NSF standards. 

Sans, however, is. They even link to the report on their website. Sans’ process is not only more advanced, but it’s also much more transparent. And, if you couldn’t tell from my desire to purify my water, I’m all about clarity. Sans by a mile in this category. 

Customer Love: Sans

Of course, it’s always important to hear from the people who actually use the product you’re looking to purchase. While the reviews for Berkey on their website are relatively positive, there aren’t very many of them. (Like, there are only 3 reviews for the Travel size. Maybe because it seems like there’s not one central site for Berkey and their products are all over the place?)

Sans, on the other hand, has 136 reviews with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. On top of that, 100% of customers say that they would recommend the product. Yeah, you read that right. People call out how quickly Sans filters the water, how amazing the water tastes, and how helpful Sans’ customer service team is, among other things. 

While both products seem to have strong followings and positive reviews, I felt like the Sans reviews were more glowing and more in-depth. 

Features: Sans

Even though I came here for one thing, filtered water, it’s nice to have some extras… especially if I’m gonna be paying $300+. And when it comes to extras, Sans absolutely blows Berkey out of the water (pun semi-intended). 

While it’s nice that Berkey is gravity-fed and doesn’t require electricity, all you get is the water filtration, and for a steep price at that. Sans, however, comes with some incredible features. The Instant Hot, for example, allows you to dispense hot, purified water instantly for coffee or tea, no stovetop required. The SmartPure™ technology displays the water quality and total dissolved solids in real-time. (Sans again impressing with the transparency.) It even has filter replacement indicators, so you don’t have to keep track like with the Berkey, and an auto-fill glass pitcher that keeps a full pitcher ready for you (+ makes it easy to pop it in the fridge if you like your water chilled.)

The idea for the Berkey originated in the 19th century, and I can see how. But Sans feels like it was designed in a time machine from the future. Personally, I’m more than happy to pay a tiny bit extra for the absolute peak of water purification technology. 

Finally, My Decision Is as Clear as the Water I’m Drinking…

I can’t lie, I like the way the Berkey filter looks (maybe that’s just because I’m bougie), but I can’t get over the shady vibe as to how the systems actually work. That Wirecutter article was no joke. But Sans consistently shows up and shows out from the basics (purifying the water) to the bonus features (instantly hot purified water? Like, c’mon). And I honestly like the minimalist, sleek aesthetic of the Sans better, anyway.

It’s safe to say that my choice for Sans was easy to make. It’s worth mentioning that Sans comes with a risk-free 30-day home trial, as well as free shipping, so there’s no pressure if you want to try it out for yourself. (Spoiler alert: I already bought the Sans, and I made the right call. I’m obsessed.)

Sans makes elite, ultra-effective water filtration as easy as pouring yourself a (purified) drink. Don’t settle for the tap—get the best of the best.