Aquasana AQ-5200 vs Big Berkey
Bottom line
The Aquasana wins on what has actually been verified. The Berkey costs less per gallon, but a 'tested to' claim earns no certification credit in our scoring - and cheap water you cannot verify is not really a bargain.
The one thing that decides this for most people is whether the contaminant claims have been independently confirmed. The Big Berkey is cheap per gallon and hugely popular, but its claims are 'tested to' lab results - a one-time check against a standard, not a certification an accredited body lists and stands behind. The Aquasana is certified for lead and PFAS, the kind of proof you can look up. If you are buying specifically to remove lead or PFAS, that distinction is the whole ballgame.
| 12 certified / 12 marketed | Certified vs marketed contaminants | 0 certified / 5 marketed |
| 9.0 | Verified Contaminant Reduction35% | 0.0 |
| 2.5 | Total Cost of Ownership25% | 5.0 |
| 10.0 | Certification Independence15% | 3.0 |
| 8.0 | Capacity & Flow Fit15% | 5.0 |
| 7.0 | Practical Fit10% | 7.0 |
FAQ
- Is the Aquasana AQ-5200 Under-Sink better than the Big Berkey Gravity System?
- In our scoring the Aquasana AQ-5200 Under-Sink rates 7.2/10 and the Big Berkey Gravity System 3.2/10. The Aquasana wins on what has actually been verified. The Berkey costs less per gallon, but a 'tested to' claim earns no certification credit in our scoring - and cheap water you cannot verify is not really a bargain.
- Is the Berkey a bad filter?
- We are not saying that. What we are saying is narrower: its contaminant claims are not third-party certified, so we have nothing to score them against and cannot treat them as verified. If Berkey obtained certification, its score would rise to match.