Ionized water! You’ve probably seen it on bottled water at your local store or even heard about it. But what is it? Is it filtered water? Is it any safer than your usual drinking water? In simple terms, ionized water is one that contains mineral ions such as magnesium and calcium. These minerals are good for you, but only when they are in a balanced state. They determine if the water is acidic or alkaline. A water ionizer allows you to easily adjust the acidity or alkalinity of your water, striking a nice balance depending on the needs of home.
These machines use a process known as electrolysis. Some are countertop, designed to be hooked up to the faucet that passes tap water, whereas others are undercounter units, meaning that they are connected to your plumbing system. They allow you to get alkaline water for drinking, and sometimes acidic water for cleaning and sterilizing surfaces. If you’ve got plants in your home, you can even get slightly acidic water to water them. You have the control!
To help you get the right model for your home needs, we have conducted the research on your behalf, choosing some of the best water ionizers in the market. Have a look!
| Image | ORP Range | Ph | Filter/L | Price | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | -1050 to +1000 | 1.7/12 | 4000 liters | Tyent UCE-11 Check Price $ $ $ $ $ | 9.4 |
 | -860 to +1000 | 2.0/11.5 | 4000 liters | Life MXL-9 Check Price $ $ $ $ $ | 9.3 |
 | -800 to +600 | 2.0/12 | 5000 liters | Bawell Platinum Alkaline Water Ionizer Check Price $ $ $ $ | 9.1 |
 | -860 to +1000 | 3.0/11.5 | 4000 liters | Aqua Ionizer Deluxe 9.0 Check Price $$$$ | 9.0 |
 | -500 to +600 | 3.5/10.5 | 6000 liters | AquaGreen AG 7.0 Check Price $$$ | 8.9 |
 | -750 to +600 | 4.5/11 | 4000 liters | Aqua Ionizer Deluxe 7.0 Check Price $$$ | 8.9 |
 | -850 to +800 | 4.5/11 | N/A | IntelGadgets IONtech IT-757 Check Price $$$ | 8.7 |
 | -420 to +620 | 4.0/10 | 3000 liters | NewCell Water Ionizer Check Price | 8.6 |
 | -800 to +500 | 3.0/11 | 8000 liters | Alkadrops PH 3-11 Check Price $$$ | 8.4 |
- 11 huge Platinum plates
- Massive power output
- Hydrogen boost technology
- Molecular Hydrogen XL
- 9 Titanium Cored – Platinum Coated extra-large Plates
- 450 watts efficient XL Power
- 2 stage water filter system
- Filters up to 5000 liters
- LED Display with full diagnostic information
- Features advanced filtration technology
- Features 7 water settings
- Certified by TL and RoHS
- Features 7 water settings
- advanced electroplate technology
- wide pH range of 3.5 to 10.5 with +600 – -500ORP
- Self-cleaning and Auto plate washing
- Advanced 7-electroplate technology
- Intuitive backlit LCD Control Panel
- The extensive display LCD screen with advanced features
- Advanced platinum-titanium alloy plates
- Self-cleaning and auto maintenance
- 5 Solid Platinum Titanium plates
- Countertop unit featuring built-in ultra Filter System
- LCD Screen for displaying pH level, filter life
Alkadrops PH 3-11
- Super Advanced Water Filtration Technology
- Innovative electroplate technology
- Seven water presets
BUYING GUIDE: Best Water Ionizers
As you may have already realized, water ionizers come with a broad spectrum of features and are, therefore, very complicated devices. What does this mean for you? What you will find in one machine may differ from what you will find in another. That’s is why we have carefully compiled a list of factors that we feel you should consider when sourcing for the best water ionizer lest you find yourself lost between different brands.
What is a Water Ionizer?
So, let’s begin by looking at some facts about water ionizers. What do these machines exactly do, and why do you need one for your home?
Generally, water ionization, also water electrolysis, is the process used to separate acidic and alkaline minerals — hydrogen and oxygen, found in water. This results in two useful states of water: alkaline, which offer an electron-rich medium and an antioxidant for home consumption;and acidic water that provides oxidizing water, a good source of antibacterial as well as a cleanser for home cleaning purposes.
A water ionizer is an appliance made to raise or lower the pH level of water. This device uses electrolysis to categorically separate the incoming water into both basic and acidic components. The treated alkaline stream is the one referred to as alkaline water or ionized water.
How Does a Water Ionizer Work?
The concept is really simple. Here’s a simple breakdown of the process:
Step 1: Passing water through the internal filter
The first step is whereby water emanating from your kitchen tap is fed into the machine through the inlet tube located at the rear side of the device. Once in there, the water is made to pass through the water filter built within the ionizer. At this point, numerous contaminants are filtered out. It’s good to note that this filter, which costs a whopping $50, lasts up to a year and therefore is quite expensive.
Step 2: Electrolysis
At this stage, the water is made to pass through the plates, which are found inside the ionizer. This section has a shallow voltage electric current, and once the water makes its way through this point, all the soluble minerals, impurities and heavy metals found in the water are then attracted either to the negative or positive pole given their electrical energy signature. It is at this point that water is separated into two different streams, alkaline and acidic. You are then advised to drink the water from the alkaline water ionizer. The acidic water can be used for external purposes like washing, cleaning, and also for plants.
Types of Water Ionizers
There are three main types of water ionizers.
- Alkaline water ionizer: This device will get rid of all the harmful organisms which are found in drinking water, ensuring that the water is safe for drinking and other home uses.
- Digital Water Ionizer: This device comes in handy when it comes to displaying information concerning the purity levels of your tapped water. The digital LED display panel indicates information on whether water is safe for drinking or not.
- Industrial water ionizer: These types of ionizers pare used in the industrial sectors for bulk production of ionized water. This one is not generally used in homes as their numerous sizes and power consumption rates may not be favorable for home use.
Are there any Benefits of Drinking Ionized Water?
It’s often been said that alkaline water has excellent benefits on your health, and whereas some are just but some cooked up sales pitch to get you to buy an overpriced countertop ionizer, research has shown that ionized water has excellent impact on the human health including fighting dis-ease like arthritis, solving common digestive problems, alleviating inflammatory issues in the body, and fighting skin disorders.
Aside from that, this is the reason why you should drink alkaline ionized water:
- Restore the pH balance of the body: This is key for people who often suffer from infections, frequent colds, joint pains, and other prevalent diseases. More so, if your hair skin and nails look frail, then alkaline water may be the ultimate solution to balance the pH level in your body.
- Enhance cellular hydration: As opposed to the tap water, which comes in clusters of about 12 to 16 molecules, Ionization breaks the group into much smaller molecule numbers, which the body cells can absorb easily for hydration.
- A powerful oxidant in the body: Alkaline water contains a profusion of free electrons hence very rich in antioxidants. These antioxidants can be given off to the body thus neutralizing the free radicals that cause a significant risk to the body including aging and also other risk factors
Choosing the Best Water Ionizers: What Should You Know?
Think About the pH Range
One of the reasons why most customers consider these devices is in their capability to alter the pH level of tapped water to the desired level. These Ionizers can produce alkaline water, which we now refer to as ionized water. The same ionizer is also capable of changing the pH level to acidic to meet your needs.
When it comes to pH, a scale of 1 to 14 extremes with both extremes representing the varying pH levels, between 1 to 6, represents the acidity level, while 8 to 14 the alkaline state and 7 being neutral. As you may have probably noticed from the review, some ionizers deliver an excellent pH range than others giving you room for flexibility. There’s one thing to note here; each state pH state matters quite significantly concerning its use. While alkaline water is vital when it comes to drinking and cooking, acidic water is suitable for cleaning purposes. How you choose to use the ionizer will determine your needs and how you go about selecting the right one for you.
The Number of Plates Matters a Lot Too
When purchasing a water ionizer, it is wise to consider the number of plates that the machine features. Why? During ionization of water, the section where the plates are located in step number two of the ionization process is where water is converted into alkaline water. Here the plates come into direct contact with the water.
For this reason, two things become very crucial here — the material used in making the plates and also the number of plates present in the machine. The material used in developing the plates is critical in enhancing the efficacy of the process. The number of the plates, on the other hand, determines the power of the machine. The fewer the plates, the less effective the machine, and the more the plates then, the better the ionizer. This means that the pH range is quite extensive and also the ORP, of course, that too is excellent.
What are the implications? While the more affordable models will feature five plates, the price ones will come with up to 11 plates. It is worth keeping in mind that the more the plates, the higher the power consumption rate of the device and not to forget the price goes up.
Oxidation-Reduction Potential level
The Oxidation-Reduction Potential, which is commonly abbreviated as (ORP), refers to the ionizer’s capability of diminishing the degree of oxidation inside the body and also oxidizing. In theoretical terms, the higher the value of ORP, the more unsafe the water is for drinking, and the vice versa is also true. The lower the ORP level, the healthier the water is for drinking.
You may be wondering what oxidation means! You know when you chop an apple into slices, and after a few minutes, it turns brown? That is oxidation in its purest form. It occurs when a matter is deprived of electrons by the radicals. Oxidation is harmful to the body and especially to the cells, protons, and even the DNA as well.
Much as the oxidation foods do, ionized water comes in to protect the body from the effects of oxidation brought about by the very same free radicals. Alkaline water restricts the capabilities of the free radicals attacking the body, which end up making it both susceptible and vulnerable to illnesses.
For that reason, why don’t you go for a unit that comes with a low ORP value? Remember, the ORP value has a direct impact on the capability of the ionizer unit.
Pay Attention to the Water Filter
While looking for the best water ionizer, another common feature that you should keep in mind is the built-in water filter. Every ionizer comes with a water filter, but they all do not compare in quality and efficiency. What you need to keep in mind before you settle for a screen is the source of water supply. If you have an adequate water supply with high pressure, then you might have to go for a unit with a reliable water filter that will be able to cope with the sturdy flow water.
At this point, some minor factors come into play, like the price and also the lifespan of the filter. You will find that although these filters are replaceable, some cost a fortune, and we are talking about $50 with only a one-year lifespan. Of course, the lifespan will significantly vary depending on the frequency of use as well as the manufacturer. For this reason, keeping in mind the maintenance cost of the device is critical here so that you plan for something that will give you not only the best service but also one that will not end up making you incur more than expected.
Look at the Ease of Installation
When looking for the best water ionizer, it is imperative to consider the mode of installation and its complexity. Water ionizers come in different installation styles including countertop, and also under counter ionizers. Both of these styles of fitting come with varying levels of complexity. Therefore, to be on the safer side, the best thing is to make sure you put into consideration the installation needs for each of your shortlisted ionizers and go for the one that will not give you a hard time.
Good news though, installation is usually straightforward for most of the ionizers, especially the countertop ones. To make matters even more, better, in most circumstances, you might not also require any tools to complete the setup. However, when it comes to the under-counter units, you may need a bit of time and patience before you can put up the whole set up. The good thing is that this unit typically comes with a user manual on how to use and set up the group. What’s even more, there’s a lot of information on how to set up these devices online, including tutorials.
How does the Counter Top Unit Compare to the Under Counter?
Before you reach deep into your pocket to order for any of these devices, you need to consider which one will work better for you. It is good to find the amount of space you have in your home or kitchen and whether that space can accommodate the type of ionizer that appeals most to you. The Counter Top units occupy less space compared to the Under-Counter units. However, if you have no much space to spare for the Countertop, then you may be forced to go for the Under-Counter version. However, don’t be too concerned about their differences as these two works the same only that the mode of installation changes to suit the different needs of the consumer. Most brands offer both of these versions, and therefore it should not be challenging finding your way around either of these devices.
Does the Unit Come with a Warranty?
It must have caught your attention that these devices cost a fortune and, therefore, a very worthwhile investment. Like any other investment, it is vital to consider the type and nature of the warranty policy that is offered to you by each of the brands before you check out your item. Why is this important?
Well, this is one of those purchases that you make every other day. It is something that is going and should last you a while, and by a while, we mean a couple of years. That is the reason why the choice of your product should not only come with a warranty but a generous and consolidated one. It should be able to cover labor and replacement of body parts in case of failure as well as a return policy, which is usually limited to several days, months, or even a year or two. A Generous warranty should last you a year or two for quality ionizers.
Final Words
Having looked at some of the best water ionizers in the market, their features, and their pros and cons, do you feel confident enough to get yourself the holy grail for your kitchen tap? We decided to cover both the product review and the buying guide so that we can answer as many questions as possible that you may have, as well as clear the air on any doubts that may be hindering you from making that bold step.
Remember, as much as there are doubts here and there on the benefits of ionized water to the human body, some studies have pointed out some few positives that come about drinking this alkaline water. No research has been done, however, to prove otherwise the downside of alkaline water. Good news! Right? Yes, and that’s why investing in these devices might do you better than harm. At least, with such an investment, you won’t have to keep overlooking the basics in your home, and pat the same keep the health of your family right on top of your list.