Using a ProOne Filter in A Berkey | Full Review
We’ve had our Berkey for 10 years and love it! But, when the filters recently needed replacing, we decided to try out ProOne G2.0 water filters instead. We’ll give our full ProOne filter review and why we are loving them!
This review will be more practical than technical. There’s other more thorough and researched technical reviews out there. But if you’re wondering how the swap has been to ProOne filters for a growing family, then you’re in the right place!
It’s worth noting that ProOne was formerly named Propur and you’ll still find a lot of references out there to Propur.
Why have a gravity water filter?
Gravity water filters are comprised of a top chamber where unfiltered water is poured into and then passes through a filter. The filtered water is then collected in a bottom chamber where it is ready to be dispensed.
When we purchased our Berkey 10 years ago, gravity style filters had not yet hit the mainstream. Berkey was a main player and few other options existed. Since then, gravity style water filters have grown immensely in popularity and many companies now offer them—ProOne being one of them.
So why the increased consumer demand for gravity water filters? Here’s why we like ours:
Simple Design
Water filtration in general is a big industry and many different systems exist. There’s whole house systems that are expensive and complex. Other systems require plumbing work or extra water lines. But a gravity system simply has a top and bottom chamber and runs on, well… gravity. So it even works if the power goes out. It doesn’t get more basic and accessible than that!
Family Sized
Many water filters are small and fine for the occasional water glass fill up. But when our family of 6 all need to fill up their water bottles before heading out or even just throughout the day, you need some serious capacity. You can find gravity water filters that hold anywhere from 2-6 gallons to accommodate any family size and usage needs.
Natural Filtration
The crunchy crowd can really appreciate what gravity filters have to offer. We love the fact that the Berkey and ProOne filters will both filter out harmful metals and toxins that can creep into water, but leave in many of the beneficial minerals that are naturally occurring in water. And we also appreciate the stainless steel design of ours with minimal plastic components to not leach other toxins into your water.
Long Lasting
I’ve often described our Berkey filter as an heirloom quality product. This meaning that I’m confident I’ll someday be able to hand our filter down to our children or grandchildren. The stainless steel construction is that well built. Beyond this, the water filters themselves usually last years—not weeks or months like is typical in many other water filters.
Portable
When we purchased our Berkey 10 years ago, we weren’t quite sure what our future plans were. But, we definitely knew we weren’t living in our forever home. Since buying our Berkey, we ended up moving three times. Had we invested in an expensive whole home system we would have been out that cost. Whatever your situation—new home, vacation travel—gravity filter systems move with you at the drop of a hat!
Great Taste
Having grown up on city water, I’ve grown to appreciate the pure taste of water from our Berkey that still maintains its mineral profile without any manmade additives. We’ve even had visitors with very refined pallets comment that they’ve never had such natural tasting water!
Yes, gravity water filters have some minor downsides. Like they take up some space on your counter and you need to stay on top of keeping them filled—just not too full so it doesn’t overflow!
But, in our opinion, they’re the best bang for your buck when it comes to water filtration and they leave you with the best tasting and healthiest water option in your home.
ProOne vs. Berkey
We love our Berkey! We’ve been believers in their products from day one and often promoted them to family and friends.
But a couple things caused us to look into other options before just pulling the trigger on standard replacement filters from Berkey.
First was that we had heard some potential reports of Berkey’s filters not actually filtering out everything they claim to. There was also confusion on whether or not Berkey was actually NSF certified with their filters even though they had previously claimed to be.
We’re not out to spread rumors, nor push people away from Berkey. These things may or may not be accurate. But we personally felt that we had heard enough to question the reputability of Berkey and consider looking into alternative options.
We also have seen Berkey grow as a company over the years. For us, we were a lot more drawn to them when they were a small company whose products spoke for themselves through word of mouth instead of relying on large marketing budgets and campaigns.
ProOne, on the other hand, is a small water filtration company based out of Michigan. We heard of them through other naturally minded groups and communities we are a part of that had switched to using ProOne filters in their Berkey’s.
Their website offers a lot of straight forward information on the performance of their filters, lab test results, and their products stand behind both NSF and ANSI certifications. We’ve also had a really positive experience with their customer support, along with the ordering and shipping of their products.
In all, we found a lot of the quality, transparency, and no-frill traits in ProOne that drew us to Berkey many years back.
Why We Chose ProOne Replacement Filters for our Berkey
The ProOne G2.0 gravity filter offers an outer ceramic shell with a carbon based inner filter core. They also carry the the NSF/ANSI-42 certification.
If you check out the lab tests their filters were put through, the results are impressive. They reduce over 200 contaminants including heavy metals, fluoride, pesticides, herbicides, chlorine, bacteria, and much more.
And for those concerned with fluoride in their water, did you catch that fluoride is included in that list? ProOne’s filters have all-in-one technology that allows them to pull nearly all fluoride out of water without the addition of an extra fluoride filter.
They also boast fast flow rates, are easily cleanable, and don’t need to be primed initially like Berkey filters do.
ProOne’s filters have a 2.75” diameter—a bit beefier than Berkey’s filters. But from our experience they still fit just fine. The G2.0 filter comes in lengths of 4”, 5”, 7”, and 9” to fit in many different gravity filters.
ProOne Filter Review – How are we liking ProOne G2.0 water filters?
We purchased four 9” ProOne G2.0 replacement filters for our Berkey. After using them for a while now, here’s some of the pros and cons we’ve seen.
Pros
Perfect Fit in our Berkey
I fully expected the ProOne website to not actually claim that their filters will work in a Berkey. But I was surprised to find that they do actually advertise they are “compatible with competitor systems.” Some of the reviews I read confirmed that this included Berkey along with several other brands of popular gravity water filters. Our new ProOne filters seem to work and fit just as well in our Berkey as our original Berkey filters did.
Same Great Taste
We loved how the water from our Berkey filters tasted. So far, the ProOne filters are right on par. ProOne filters provide a great, natural taste for filtered water.
Fast & Even Filtration
ProOne advertises improved flow rates and they live up to that. When fully filled, the top chamber will filter through in under and hour. And unlike Berkey filters, the flow rate does not reduce as the water level drops in the top chamber. This is a huge advantage when you need water fast—like when you have a big family or are hosting a gathering.
Affordable
ProOne filters have a lower retail price than Berkey. And they were on sale when we purchased them making them even more affordable. ProOne filters become an even better deal if you’re needing to filter fluoride from your water. Berkey requires a separate fluoride filter that needs replacement yearly while ProOne’s fluoride filter capabilities are built in. If you factor in the lifespan of ProOne filters (which we’ll talk about in the cons), Berkey may still be a more affordable option, but it’s very comparable.
Great Filtration
It would be hard to find a filter that removes more contaminants than the ProOne filters. Not only is the list of everything they filter out extensive, but the percentages of what they remove will typically match or exceed what other filters on the market remove. Including 100% of lead! I was very impressed looking through their lab results!
No Priming Needed
With ProOne filters, you don’t have to worry about properly priming your filters before use like you do with Berkey filters. This may be a minor thing, but your ProOne filters come pretty much ready to go besides giving them a quick cleaning before use.
Cons
Filter Lifespan
There’s no getting around the fact that Berkey filters have an incredible lifespan and can go years without being replaced. This is one of the things that drew us to Berkey initially. The ProOne G2.0 filter is rated at 6 months of use per filter. So our four filters should last us at least 2 years. The need for replacement is also based on usage, so we’ll see how long they actually last.
The filters lifespan also plays into the overall cost of owning your water filter. I’ve read that Berkey claims their filters cost around $.02/gallon as compared to around $.05/gallon with ProOne. This cost likely becomes close to evening out if you add yearly replacement of additional fluoride filters on top of your standard Berkey filters.
Larger Size
This isn’t a con as much as it is something to be aware of. The 2.75” diameter ProOne filters feel big within the upper chamber of our Berkey. They also somewhat impact how much water that upper chamber holds. So, we find ourselves refilling the upper chamber more frequently but at lesser quantities. But, the higher flow rate more than makes up for this.
Our Recommendation on the ProOne Filter
So far, we are very happy with our purchase of ProOne replacement filters for our Berkey.
There doesn’t seem to be any compromise in quality from what we had come to expect previously from our Berkey filters. And we can rest easy knowing our family is drinking reliably safe and healthy water every day with filters that meet the highest standards in the industry.
If you’ve been using Berkey’s filters, you might try starting with just 2 ProOne filters initially and see if the increased flow rate meets your needs. But we’ve also been happy with maxing our Berkey out with 4 new ProOne Filters.
Whether you’re looking to replace the filters in your Berkey, or to get started in gravity water filter systems, we would happily recommend the G2.0 filter from ProOne.
Was it easy to install ProOne filters in our Berkey?
Yes! We put off replacing our filters in Berkey for way too long because it felt like a daunting task. But with the ProOne filters, it was super simple! Be sure to default to ProOne installation instructions, but here’s what we did.
We started simply with pulling the components of our Berkey apart, removing the old filters, and giving everything a thorough cleaning with soap and warm water.
Next, we prepped the new ProOne filters by running them under cool water for about 2 minutes while scrubbing down the exterior with the rough side of the included scrubby sponge. Remember, don’t use soap on your filters and no priming is necessary!
From there, you place the included rubber washers on your filters and then screw them into the upper chamber of your gravity filter. You don’t want to over tighten the nuts—just snug it up.
ProOne does recommend you discard (do not consume) at least the first 2 cycles of water to run through the filters. After 2 cycles, we noticed a decent amount of sediment that accumulated in the bottom chamber. After rinsing everything out good, we ran another cycle or two through the filters until we were sure the water was clear.
And then you’re all set for drinking!
Does ProOne make a gravity water filter system?
Yes! ProOne offers the Big+ Gravity Water Filter (3 gallons) and the Traveler+ Gravity Water Filter (2.25 gallons).
We have not used their gravity water filter systems, but they seem very comparable to what Berkey and other competitors offer in terms of quality, materials, size, and capabilities.
One thing I like about the ProOne water filter systems is that items like the spigot come standard as metal. Berkey includes a plastic spigot and the metal option is an additional cost. ProOne also includes a metal stand for the filter to sit on which is a nice touch.
And if you’re not a fan of the shiny polished finish, ProOne also offers a less mirror-like brushed finish option. Another subtle difference is that the ProOne water filter systems only accommodate 3 filters while Berkey’s can fit 4.
If you’re looking to get started with a gravity water filter system and working on a budget, here’s a couple options to consider.
First is that both ProOne and Berkey offer scratch and dent options for their water filter systems at reduced prices.
Second is that used options do pop up a fair amount on sites like FB Marketplace and Craigslist. We actually recently got a backup water filter used for a very reasonable price.
If you do pick up a used one, you’ll likely want to get new filters for it. But after giving the chambers and components a thorough cleaning and installing new filters, you’ll up and running with a like-new filter!
What other products does ProOne make?
ProOne has their roots in water filtration. They offer a full line of whole-house water filtration systems if you are looking for something a bit more all-encompassing than just your drinking water. For point of use options, ProOne also has several countertop or under counter filter options.
They also offer several options for shower heads with built in filters.
And my personal favorite (which I may look into more down the road) is their ProSoft Saltless Water Softener and Conditioner! Not having to buy bags of salt every month would be nice.
Which filter is right for you?
In all, ProOne has developed a reputation of delivering great value and customer service while being dedicated to top-notch water filtration.
Many fine options exist in the gravity water filtration sphere, but we’re happy we went with ProOne replacement filters in our Berkey!
We’d love to hear from you! What water filter do you use in your home? Or what questions do you have about ProOne filters? Drop us a comment!
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Thank you so much for this insight! We also have used a Berkey for almost 10 years now but considering the shady testing information have decided to give other companies a try. I wanted to find filters that would fit in the existing Berkey containers and came across your post! Ordered my ProOne filters today. Thank you again!
Awesome! So glad it was helpful and hope you love them!
Do you have a filter system for items like the dishwasher, hot water heater ect? I have horrible hardwater and while I can filter for drinking I’m wondering about my appliances, since its earlier to prevent than replace.
Yes! Definitely better to prevent vs. replace! So we do have a water softener that works for our whole house. It’s not actually a filter, but it softens the water and gives you so much better experience for just general water use like showers. Both houses we’ve had on well water had one installed and they’ve worked great for extending the life of appliances and fixtures. You can buy softeners from home improvement stores, but we’ve always had good experiences working with a local water conditioning company that can test your water and fit you up with the right setup, usually more of a commercial grade softener, that can easily be serviced if needed. Most softener systems require you to regularly add salt to them. ProOne actually makes a saltless water softener (https://prooneusa.com/product/prosoft-saltless-water-softener-conditioner/?ref=378) that seems like an attractive alternative to that. Hope that helps!
Thank you – this is helpful! We’ve had a Berkey for a few years but I was hearing of issues with the fluoride filters, so I just purchased the ProOne.
Awesome! Hope you love them!
Are you still loving them?? Looking at making a similar switch, and came across your review.
Hi there! Yep, we’re still loving them! It’s been 5 or so months now and they’re still filtering and tasting great. Thanks for stopping by!
I have 2 charcoal filters in my Berkey. Would I replace with 2 of these or it needs 4?
Hey! 2 filters should be just fine if that’s what you’re used to with your Berkey. In fact, since making this post we are now only using 2 ProOne filters in ours, which seems like a good fit. Two filters still filter water through plenty quickly to keep up with our needs.
Hey! Do you have the Big Berkey? And did you go with the 7″ or the 9″ ProOne filters? I have a Big Berkey and the all signs point to the 9″ being “compatible” with the Big Berkey, but looking at (and measuring) the top chamber of the Big Berkey, 9″ won’t fit. A bit perplexed… unless the ” designation does not actually refer to 7 or 9 “inches”?!
Hey! So we actually have the Big Berkey too… the 2.25 gallon one. I never measured the top chamber but the 9″ does fit fine in ours. I think 7″ is what’s standard for that size Berkey, but we like that the 9″ filters a bit faster and has a longer lifespan. You can always double check with customer support at ProOne… they’re really helpful! Good luck!
I just installed two ProOne filters in my Big Berkey. Is it appropriate to do the red dye test with these filters to make sure all the water is going through the filter?
Awesome, hope you love them! Yes, that can definitely work to make sure they’re totally sealed and filtering correctly. I had one that wasn’t seated correctly at first and I was able to tell just by lifting the top chamber and noticing that one was filtering a bit quick than the others. But the dye test is definitely more thorough.
What size for the travel B? It uses 2 filters. 7 or 9”? Thank you for any help!
Hi! I tried looking into this but was unable to find what size filters the travel berkey uses from their website. Because the travel berkey is a bit smaller than the big berkey (the one we have) I’d maybe do the 7″ filters to be safe. You can also try reaching out to ProOne and asking. They would likely have the answer for you! Thanks!
Why are these filters only tested to 200 gallons when they’re rated for 1,200. NSF standards require that the filters are tested to 120% of their claimed lifespan. Pro One’s testing only reaches 16.7% of the claimed lifespan.
That’s a good question that I’m not sure I have a great answer to. From what I understand, Berkey and other filtration companies do the same. I’m also not entirely familiar with the NSF requirements. The thing I like about ProOne’s lifespan claim of 1,200 gallons is that it seems realistic for the filters to achieve consistent filtration through that lifespan. I can’t recall what Berkey claims–maybe 5+ years or so–but it always seemed a bit far fetched to me that they should actually last that long. Just some thoughts. Thanks for reading!
I have been using the same Berkey black filters for 8 years. I did a red dye test just this past weekend, and they still passed the test!
That’s so awesome! We had our Berkey filters too for a similar timeframe and never felt their performance was lacking. I’ll be curious to see how long the ProOne filters last in comparison.
Do you have any idea what proOne uses to filter out the flouride?
I’ve asked ProOne about this before and they’re not able to share the exact specifics to keep their technology in-house. But, as I understand it, essentially the silver infused ceramic outer shell combined with the activated carbon media interior is sized/formulated to pull out the sodium fluoride from water. The shell and media mixture work together for a slow absorption to reduce contaminates, which includes 97.5% of fluoride according to their lab report. Hope that helps!
Hi, I so appreciate your reviews! I’ve been hearing about this, so I decided to look it up for myself before I make the purchase of new filters.
So do you put one or two Pro One filters in the Berkey at a time? Thank you so so much!
Hey! So glad you found the review helpful! We have two ProOne Filters in our Berkey right now. The water filters through much more quickly with two and it also gives you a longer lifespan. But really any number of filters should work fine.
Did you have a cement/ceramic taste during the first few cycles? I’ve discarded 3 cycles already and there still is an aftertaste. Not sure what to expect since it’s my first time trying out the ProOne 2.0 on my Big Berkey.
Hi! Did you give the filters a good scrub down with the sponge before installing them? That’s definitely recommended and should help reduce any extra taste at the beginning. We didn’t notice any sort of taste like that after cleaning the filters and then running a few cycles through that we discarded. Hope it clears up for you!
Why can’t you just purge the pro one filter to clean them before installing
By purge, do you mean something similar to priming with Berkey filters? I’m not sure I have an answer other than that they don’t seem to be designed to accommodate or require that. You might need to reach out to ProOne. Thanks for stopping by!
Hello and thank you so much for sharing all of this info with us! I’m sure it took you & your husband a lot of time! I’m new to the gravity filtration system and just purchased a Crown B. Unfortunately, due to regulations, I’m unable to purchase any of their filters as I live in CA. I f I were to purchase 4 Pro_one filters, how would I know when they need replacing? Is there a test I can do? Thank you kindly! 🙂
Hey there! Great question. The best way to test how effectively the filters are working is to run what’s called a blue dye test. I’ll include a link to a manual that ProOne produced for their gravity filters that walks you through how to do that in the Frequently Asked Questions section: https://prooneusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Gravity_Systems_Manual_2022v2.pdf. Cleaning the filters regularly is also way to help extend their life and performance. Hope that helps!
Do u scrub with a 3M sponge like for the Berkey Black filters, to clean them?
And is scrubbing how u got them to last 8 yrs?? How often do u scrub? How many ppl in ur house n are they gone all day? Thx
Hi! Yes, we use a 3M like sponge, which actually comes included with ProOne filters when you buy them. We occasionally scrubbed down our Berkey filters, but it was probably once a year, if that. They lasted a good long time, but a good chunk of that time it was just 2 of us, then we added small kiddos along the way. Our water needs are very different now as a family of 6 as the kids are getting older. We work from home and homeschool so we’re pretty much all here all day. ProOne recommends scrubbing them down every month, which is probably good practice. We’re usually not that on top of it but it does help to scrub them every couple months. Hope that helps and thanks for stopping by!
Have you seen their filter you can connect to your water line to your fridge? What are your thoughts on that one? Thanks for all the great info!
Hey there! I have seen that and thought it was a brilliant idea! That said I haven’t personally tried one. They do have really great reviews though! What I like about it is that it seems to use the same filtering technology as their gravity filters so you should get ready to go, great tasting drinking water from your fridge. I don’t think there would be a need to further filter your water. What I’d want to look more into is what replacing the filter would look like – how often and cost? It seems like you might be replacing the whole thing every time and not just an internal filter, but I could be wrong there. If getting your drinking water from the fridge would be your sole source at home, you might be needing to replace them somewhat frequently. Just something to keep in mind. Hope that helps! I really think ProOne is a standup company and strives to offer the best products out there.
Hi guys
Thanks for the review. I’m also using ProOne and I’m quite happy with it. I think however that you are using it not in the best way using 4 filters.
The lifespan logically depends on the number of liter of water it can clean and time is not relevant. I also guess that the dirtier the water the sooner you have to replace the filter. Nevertheless the longer you use the filter the higher the risk to get mold inside – especially when you make holiday and let it dry and lie around. Therefore i’m using only one filter at the same time and because I’m not using it with lake water but with already drinkable water that I just want to further improve, I use just one of the G2.07 filter for 1 year and then I change. The result is that I have more space above and get regularely a fresh filter. Did you ever verify the lab results e.g. after using it on e.g. 100 liters?
Hey there! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I think your method makes a lot of sense. We have actually since switched to only using 2 filters in ours as 4 seemed a bit much. I can see where 1 would do the trick too. For us, with a family of 6, we like having a little extra filtering capacity as we’re refilling pretty often. We have not yet done any testing of our own but may do so in the future. Thanks for stopping by and all the best to you!
This was super helpful. Thanks for taking the time to write this.
Glad it was helpful! All the best to you!
Hi Guys!
I noticed in your review here you mentioned a look into a “saltless water softener system” eventually. So, I currently have a salt system as well & was wondering if you all do/have anything that filters OUT the salt from your drinking water before adding to the Berkey. I need something to do that; as Berkey filters do not take out that salt. (And I can actually taste it (esp in ice cubes) when we add fresh bags to the system) After some research, I cant seem to find ANYTHING that’s an easy answer so that I can still use my Berkey but without the salt getting through….Thanks in advance if you have any insight
Hey! That’s a really good question. Since I’ve been digging into some things with ProOne lately, I actually did notice that they recommend using water from a source before it runs through the softener for this very reason (I assume). The only option for our setup would be to get water from the outside spigot, which really isn’t that practical. I’m not aware of anything beyond that to filter out the salt. You could have a faucet or valve put into your waterline before the softener and use that to fill your Berkey. I don’t have any personal experience with the saltless water softener that ProOne offers, but I imagine that could be a good thing to look into. I believe it has a filter that needs regular replacing, but it’s probably about the same amount you’d spend on salt. Not sure if I answer your question at all, but there are some thoughts! Hope you can figure it out and thanks for stopping by!
We just received our two new 9″ filters for our Berkey system. After I got the filters all conditioned & installed, I filled up upper chamber & I checked an hour & 1/2 later & water had only gone down 2″. After getting home 4 hours later, there was still about 3-4″ in upper chamber. I just filled upper chamber again to let run through a second time. I hope it filters quicker? When I listen I only hear it drip, drip, drip. Normally when I would clean the Berkey filters, I would hear a lot of dripping not slow drips? Just curious why it’s so slow?
Karen
Hi Karen! ProOne just recently launched their new G3.0 filters, so I’m guessing you got those? What I’ve learned about the new filters is that, Yes, they will filter more slowly for the first 3-4 cycles. This is because they are now a 3-stage filter (previously two-stage) with the addition of a carbon rod. They still don’t need priming, but there is a break-in period at the beginning where they run more slowly. ProOne recommends letting them filter through initially overnight or while you’re out of the house and does say you should notice increased filtration speeds after 4-6 cycles. Hope that helps!
Hi. I just called Proone customer service twice to verify if their filters filtered out fluorid and was told me they do NOT filter out fluoride. I asked them why their website stated that they do, and the person told me they are in the process of removing that verbage. Why would they leave that information on their while they are having a Black Friday sale? Appears deceiving to me.
Hey there! That is very interesting that you heard that from ProOne. It would certainly be news to me. This review is based on their 2.0 filter that they fazed out this past year and now replaced with the 3.0. We haven’t tested the new one and I’m not sure how the performance might have changed.