Home Water Filtration Systems for the Health Conscious Consumer

I've purchased 3 systems from Sweetwater, LLC, over the years and the performance of each has been outstanding! We had a Kitchen Defender at a previous home and currently have a Reverse Osmosis system in our kitchen and a custom whole-home system Jim McMahon designed based on my well water test results. I could not be happier! Jim really cares, always goes the distance, and is great to work with. Thanks, Jim!

I have owned 2 houses since 2007, each with very different water challenges. The first was a 330’ well with tannins, iron, sediment, turbidity. None of the local filtration companies had given me the confidence that they were being thoughtful about the system design. They had answers that didn’t seem to address all the issues, and no answers when pressed for details. Jim at Sweetwater designed a system that gave me great water through the whole house, and provided excellent service and assistance through the whole project.
Now 13 years later, I have city water in a small town filled with contaminants. I turned to Jim without hesitation, and as always was attentive to both my goals and nuance in the system design. I’m still waiting on a new water test since installing the new system, but even while waiting for it to come back, I feel safe and confident using my household water daily. I have health challenges that keep me from drinking it/cooking with it regularly before the new tests are back, but based on the design and installation, I am comfortable at least rinsing after I brush and letting healthy people drink it.
I would highly recommend Sweetwater if you at all care about the quality of a treatment system designed for your water, and not something based on marketing hype.

My experiences with Jim McMahon over many years confirms his commitment to deliver clean water to the consumer. He is thorough in his analysis of the exact water coming out of the tap and the precise filtration needs to make it the best tasting and healthiest water available. His approach is very personal and honest in his evaluations of the needs of the consumer and the options available to meet those needs. I've enjoyed conversations with Jim about his concerns for clean water for everyone and the environment. He has my highest recommendation.

Purchased a system from Jim at Sweetwater a year ago and have been very happy with the system and Jim's guidance in putting together a system that meets our needs. Starting with the water test of our well water through installing the system on our own was a simple process.
We installed a 5 micron pre-filter for the house incoming water followed by a UV light for any bacteria for the whole house. We also installed a point of use Reverse Osmosis system under the kitchen sink which is plumbed to a stand alone faucet (for the coffee pot), the refrigerator water and ice, and to the instant hot water tap at the sink.
We never buy bottled water anymore as it is not as good as what we have from our system. The water taste great! Because the water to the refrigerator is direct from the RO we no longer need that expensive filter in the refrigerator, and our coffee maker and hot water tap are feed RO water so they should last MUCH longer to boot as any hardness is removed.
We have had several house guest that are amazed at how good the water taste compared to the systems they have installed at their homes from one of those other companies that install it on a monthly plan.
We are very happy with the system from Jim at Sweetwater. So glad we did not go with one of the leased systems as they are a one size fits all approach and end up costing much more. The install was easy and required only basic plumbing skills. We would highly recommend them to anyone wanting quality, safe drinking water.
Steve

I purchased the Kitchen Defender water filter in 2015. I have been extremely happy with its performance, as my main complaint prior to installing this under-the-sink-filter was a strong smell and taste of chloramines in my city water. Since installing the filter (which took a little time but was quite straightforward) my water tastes better, and coffee and tea taste better as well.
Because this is a small business, the service is individualized and extremely helpful. Jim (owner) answers the phone, explains things well and provides excellent information based on science, not on the latest fad. I have really appreciated the education I received as a result of purchasing my water filter system and subsequent filter replacements from Sweetwater.

I am a proud owner of one Urban Defender and one water softening system. I have had them for under a year now and am quite satisfied with their performance.
Earlier, one controller failed, and Jim was very supportive through the diagnosis procedures. Having determined that the problem was in the circuit board, Jim immediately sent me a replacement board and walked me through replacing the defective one. To date, no problems.
I do recommend Sweetwater products, they work, are reasonably priced, and customer service is excellent.
Kamal Abdul-Karim, Ph.D. Prescott, AZ

We got our RO system with the the water revitalizer when we remodeled our kitchen a few years ago. We love the taste of the water. It tastes fresh and vital. Jim responds to calls and emails promptly. We receive our filters in a timely manner. I wouldn’t hesitate to order from Sweetwater LLC again!

I thoroughly (my wife would say obsessively) research the things that I bring into my home. More often than not, I find that smaller companies run by a dedicated and knowledgable artisan/craftsman/engineer produce massively superior products versus those that are multinationals or don't put their names next to their products. I've found a few gems in my travels. Ryan and Tyler Bowley of the Bowley Lock Company make the best locks on Earth. Mark James Henry's Solidteknics produces the finest cooking pans. Jon Urbana and Craig Zimmerman raise the best beef in America. And now, I'm pleased to say, I can add Jim McMahon's water filtration systems to my pantheon of superior products.
Jim's the real deal, and he stands by his products. He's spent decades studying and pioneering the science and art of creating healthy, delicious water. On the phone, it's clear that his #1 priority is to get you the _right_ product, not the one that is most commercially advantageous. In the beginning of my search for a water filter, I was frustrated by the crowded marketplace of incomprehensibly-named filters, arranged across sometimes up to a dozen stages - I needed someone to help me cut through the marketing BS, and that was Jim to a tee. He walked through my water report and his expertise helped me feel confident in his Kitchen Defender system.
Earlier this summer I traveled to Slovenia and drank water from a stream that had run right off a limestone mountain. The water was a beautiful turquoise, and tasted better than any water I'd ever had - bottled or otherwise. I'm happy to say that Jim's Kitchen Defender system gets about as close to that naturally pure water as I think is possible. Thank you Jim, I'll be recommending your products to my friends.

I thoroughly (my wife would say obsessively) research the things that I bring into my home. More often than not, I find that smaller companies run by a dedicated and knowledgable artisan/craftsman/engineer produce massively superior products versus those that are multinationals or don't put their names next to their products. I've found a few gems in my travels. Ryan and Tyler Bowley of the Bowley Lock Company make the best locks on Earth. Mark James Henry's Solidteknics produces the finest cooking pans. Jon Urbana and Craig Zimmerman raise the best beef in America. And now, I'm pleased to say, I can add Jim McMahon's water filtration systems to my pantheon of superior products.
Jim's the real deal, and he stands by his products. He's spent decades studying and pioneering the science and art of creating healthy, delicious water. On the phone, it's clear that his #1 priority is to get you the _right_ product, not the one that is most commercially advantageous. In the beginning of my search for a water filter, I was frustrated by the crowded marketplace of incomprehensibly-named filters, arranged across sometimes up to a dozen stages - I needed someone to help me cut through the marketing BS, and that was Jim to a tee. He walked through my water report and his expertise helped me feel confident in his Kitchen Defender system.
Earlier this summer I traveled to Slovenia and drank water from a stream that had run right off a limestone mountain. The water was a beautiful turquoise, and tasted better than any water I'd ever had - bottled or otherwise. I'm happy to say that Jim's Kitchen Defender system gets about as close to that naturally pure water as I think is possible. Thank you Jim, I'll be recommending your products to my friends.

Over the past 11 years, we had whole house water filters installed in all the houses we're looking after. In order to find a filter that is actually good, you will have to do a lot of research, otherwise you'll end up with a system that mainly removes the taste/smell of chlorine and only an insufficient amount of chemicals and toxins found in today's municipal water supplies. After spending several thousand $ on---although recommended but in fact mediocre---water filter systems, we found the Urban Defender Filter from Sweetwater. What I'm writing here might sound like a paid promotional review, but it isn't; and since I've read up quite a bit on water quality and how to achieve it in our home, I can confidently say that you don't need to look any further than the Urban Defender Filter. The owner of the company, Jim McMahon, is very passionate about delivering not only the highest product quality, but also making sure that what comes out of the tap is actually clean and free of all harmful toxins, of which chlorine is perhaps a rather innocuous one in comparison to what's found in most water supplies. He could also provide us with an assessment of the water quality of the county where we live here in Virginia. From my experience, the Urban Defender is not more expensive than other high quality whole house filters, but it's better in every aspect, as back then (2018) we had the water tested by a lab. So over time, we are replacing all of the water filters in all the houses with the Urban Defender, plus the under sink Reverse Osmosis Filter, also from Sweetwater.

I have used my Kitchen Defender water filter for 8 years and love it! Jim McMahon is so helpful and goes the extra mile to make sure all of my questions were answered. And getting fluoride out of my water has helped my thyroid functioning return to normal.

I have been using a guitar amplifier for my Yamaha MX 88 keyboard for six years. Finally decided to purchase a stereo amplifier from Sweetwater. Settled on the VOX nutube. OMG what a difference! Absolutely beautiful sound.

I bought a filter system from Jim 7 years ago. Jim was helpful in choosing the right system and has been helpful ever since. There aren't many companies out there that provide this level of quality service.

We've had the kitchen defender for about four years now and we absolutely love the taste of the water... Which is to say it's tasteless. Whenever we would take a sip from the regular tap it would always taste like chlorine or some other weird chemical, but coming from the kitchen defender it tastes absolutely pure and chemical free. No more chlorine taste ever. The quality of the filters is very good as well. These are not cheaply made.

Jim spoke with us at length today sharing his in depth knowledge and expertise on all aspects concerning well water. He was able to quickly discern what our needs might be and offered different viable solutions. He was clear, concise, quick thinking and kind. We felt very well taken care of and that we were in good hands. Thanks Jim!

The Sweetwater whole house water system and RO system has lived up to our expectations. Jim understand our needs and provided us a quality solution.