If you fill up the basin nearly all the way, water sometimes leaks out the back of the unit from the top of the handle (and gets onto your refrigerator shelf). Much more annoying, though, is the little flap that rests over the spout. Presumably, this is there to keep refrigerator odors from entering the unit and affecting the taste of the water. However, most of the time when you pour, the flap doesn't properly open up (it sort of sticks shut); this causes the water to pour sloppily or even to suddenly gush out if the flap happens to come un-stuck in mid-pour (more spills). Finally, if you tilt the unit enough to pour out the last drop of water, occasionally the Brita filter itself dislodges from its slot and thumps into the cover of the unit so that you need to re-seat it.

Given the great success I had with the previous unit, I was very disappointed with the overall design of this more recent version.

Excellent, fresh-tasting water but a few "gotchas" (Rating: 3.00)
Review : First off, I have to say Brita's filters make tap water taste really great. We had this with us in Germany, where the water is really disgusting right from the tap. That water was completely undrinkable but the Brita pitcher made liters and liters of fresh-tasting water that rivaled the expensive bottled French stuff. We felt it was well worth the real estate it took up in our typically shoebox sized Euro-fridge. And the pitcher is easy on the eyes, with nice, sleek styling.

There are a few "gotcha's" with this pitcher. For one thing, the small cover on the spout is fragile. If you drop the lid (easy to do if wet) it will break. This is minor as the pitcher will work fine without it. The end-of-filter life is a timer, not a sensor of filter quality. If you go through gallons of water, the filter will expire before the indicator tells you. You can tell this by the bad taste. You have to watch that the filter does not dry out, so you should not leave the pitcher dry when you empty it out. This takes some discipline from the kids (and dare I say, adults) to fill it up immediately.

The Brita does filter relatively quickly. However, if you need more than 3/4 of a gallon at a time of water, or you go through a lot of water (we do), you may want a sink filter or an in-line filter instead. But for cold, delicious water at a reasonable cost, you can't beat this pitcher. We ended up buying a sink filter instead and retired our pitcher, but it really did well by us for quite a while.

Brita Water does a body good (Rating: 4.00)
Review : There's no doubt about it -- you need water because the human body is up to 70% water by weight. Most people love water, and certainly coffee is a strong second. Even if you don't like water or coffee, and you are still looking here, you need good tasting water.

I bought a Brita pitcher originally because I was looking for the best cup of coffee. If you want GREAT coffee, water that's clean, cold and fresh is essential. I found the Brita filter pitcher to deliver--clean and cold (when refrigerated), although I can't really confirm the claimed characteristics of "soft".

This model is my second Brita and the things I like about it most are the space saving flat sides which take up less space in the fridge than the original rounded model, the capacity of three quarts which is enough for a couple of glasses of water besides a full twelve pot coffee maker, and the convenience of the flip top lid where you fill the pitcher.

This pitcher gets a little heavy on the arm and wrist, but no more so than a gallon milk jug. The water weighs about six pounds and the pitcher about two pounds for a total of about eight pounds. The rubberized grip on the pitcher helps assure a good grip, and if you are in the habit of storing your pitcher in the fridge, it works best if you adjust the shelf on which you set the pitcher a little above waist high.

Emptying the pitcher before refilling is no big deal as the filter will not dry out just because you pour out all the water. Just don't let the pitcher sit with a water level below the bottom of the filter as it is installed in the pitcher.

One final thing is there always seems to be little carbon particles in the bottom of the pitcher. They come out of the filter with use. Personally, I've never been fearful of those little things because the human body is also about 23% carbon. I don't think I would see them so much if the water wasn't so clear, though. Best of life to you!

Great Product (Rating: 4.00)
Review : There is no doubt that Brita makes an excellent product. Water filtration system itself is excellent. However, the pitcher is cumbersome and does not pour without dripping. All in all the quality of Brita filtration outweighs the messy pours.

Brita makes some great water (Rating: 5.00)
Review : If you want cleaner water to drink, or just water that tastes better, Brita could be for you. It's easy to make the water and to take care of the Brita pitcher. All you have to do is keep the filters clean and keep refilling the pitcher with water. The Brita will filter the water by itself, just fill it up.

If you would like healthier and better tasting water, I recommend getting Brita. Both the 3-quart and 2-quart Britas are great, just decide which size you think you would need for your refrigerator.

Best water I've ever had (Rating: 5.00)
Review : Brita water is so good I won't drink tap water anymore anywhere! I've bought one for myself (I also have the small water bottle by brita) one for my mom in Toronto (for when i visit) and one for my mom in law in New York for when I visit there! It is really great and the fact that I can see the difference in the water and in the color of my teas and coffee is the real clincher. I would reccomend this or any Brita pitcher to everyone.

I personally have this model and it is so easy to fill with the flip top. Also the rubber grip makes holding the pitcher comfortable and effortless. It gets a little heavy when it is full but maybe I'm just weak. Since we've bought it I drink so much more water (which is a good thing) and I love the taste.