Should I Buy A Cheap Ioniser? Aren’t They The Same?
Have you been thinking about buying an ioniser but not sure if you should spend £200, £400, £600 or more? I just answered this question after a customer emailed saying they really want an ioniser but they don’t know how much they should spend. The old price/quality debate ensued!
The question asked:
We are reviewing water ionisers at the moment. We have been looking at a ‘brandnamehere’ filter system that alkalises and ionises through a series of filters using no electricity. Do you know anything about this system and how does it compare to the ones you recommend.
We don’t want to cut corners, however why spend more than you have to.
Your advise would be much appreciated.
Kind regards
L
Why You Get What You Pay For with Ionisers
Hey L
Had a look at the ‘brandnamehere’ and it looks an ok filter – but the technology in this big lump of kit is no different to our Alkaline Water Jug which you can get for £59.99 and take on the road with you!. To be honest, with a Chanson you’re getting a top grade filter, plus it raises the pH of the water AND dramatically increases the antioxidant content of the water.
Buying a ‘brandnamehere’ is honestly like going to buy a LCD TV and coming home with a Sonwa instead of a Sony…if that makes sense. You can go for a cheaper model, but in my experience with cheap ionisers the following is often the case:
- They break down a lot and rarely come with Warranty (that is usable)
- You cannot set your pH level and default is often around 7.5 – 8 which is not really high enough if you’re splashing out over £200. You want to be getting pH 9.5
- The ioniser plates (on the inside) scale over quickly. The Chansons have a self-cleaning mechanism to keep the plates clean. The outcome if you get limescale on the plates? The pH goes down. So no matter what the ioniser is telling you on the front, the pH won’t be that – and will likely be 2-3 pH lower. Believe me, I used to have a cheap one and was pretty shocked when I tested it.
- You have to replace the filters frequently, which makes them more expensive anyway over time
If you’re going to spend, I really recommend getting a Chanson. They’ve been making ionisers for decades and constantly bring out new models with new innovations!
They have also been independently tested by a research lab who was trying to find the best ioniser and they came out on top! You can watch the video of that test here. (click on ‘detailed description’ about 1/3 of the way down the page)
Do I Need pH Drops AND an Ioniser?
As for the pH drops with the ionised water? Gareth actually answered this question rather well here, but here is his answer anyway:
Ionisers do two things. Firstly they filter the water. The level of filtration is superior to that of the cartridge, if for no other reason than the larger area of the unit in the ioniser compared with the cartridge. Once filtered, the water then passes over electronic plates which separate positively charged (acidic) ions from negatively charged (alkaline) ones. The ioniser can affect this process to different levels allowing you to receive water of varying levels of alkalinity at the touch of a button. Acidic (waste) water passes from the machine via another tube.
As I understand, when you add pH drops to water, acidic mineral complexes remain present, but the highly alkalising solution that you add has an over-riding effect on the water’s pH. There is, apparently, a further benefit to the separation process of ionising. Minerals form clumps in water. The ionising process substantially reduces the size of these clumps, which means that the remaining, negatively charged (alkalising) minerals (in smaller clumps) can be more easily assimilated and metabolised within the body.
Ionising also dramatically reduces (a good thing) the ORP (oxidation reduction potential) of water (edit: Ross – ORP is how the antioxidant level of a substance is measured. The lower the ORP the greater antioxidants potential of the substance.). This also promotes the alkalising and de-toxifying effects of the water that the ioniser produces.
To understand more about water read the chapter you are what you drink in Dr. Young’s book the pH miracle for weight loss (it’s as much about health as weight loss!).
I hope this all helps!
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Ross
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