What You Get for the Money – $2,000 – $2,900

This is one of the two most popular price ranges for water ionizers and there are several companies offering good quality machines in this price range.  More people purchase water ionizers in this price range than any other.

In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular models in the $2,000 to $2,900 price range and what you can get for your investment,  starting from the most expensive and working our way down.

At the top, we have the Delphi under counter water ionizer from IonWays/Jupiter that’s listing for $2,695 retail.

Delphi

The Delphi – sold under the brand names “Jupiter” and “IonWays” is an under-counter water ionizer that offers full control of the unit’s basic operation from a control panel right on the faucet.

You get nice styling and good performance from this model.  From the faucet, you can access four alkaline, four acidic and the neutral setting to produce the type of water you need without ever having to access the unit below the sink.

All Jupiter/IonWays water ionizers feature the DARC cleaning system.  This “double action reverse cleaning” system reverses the polarity going to the electrodes each time you use it.

During the automated cleaning cycle for most water ionizers, the unit is reversing the electrical current to the electrodes – this means that the electrodes that usually “attract” are now repelling – which helps reduce scale buildup on the plates.  The cleaning cycle on some water ionizers reverse the current repeatedly while cleaning, alternating the “attract/repel” action.  With Jupiter/IonWays products, there is no automated cleaning cycle – the unit just switches the polarity of the plates each time you use the machine.

As far as what you get for your investment – the Delphi is a 5-plate water ionizer using mesh electrodes capable of producing ionized water from 3.5 to 10.5 on its own with most source water.  Stronger pH levels can be reached by using the unit’s onboard mineral port – adding alkaline or acidic minerals will boost the unit’s ability to achieve these stronger pH levels in most areas.  You’ll have to access the unit under the sink to use the mineral port.

The plates in the Delphi are smaller than what you find in most water ionizers and at only 80 watts, it uses less power during electrolysis than other water ionizers on the market.  Still, the unit is effective, making use of the mesh electrodes and tweaks to the electrolysis chamber to make the most out of the lower wattage and smaller electrodes.

The Delphi uses a single bio-stone filter to remove common contaminants as well as particulates and bacteria down to .01 microns.  You can expect to change the filters in your Delphi about once every six to nine months depending on usage and your water quality.

Safety features include a temperature sensor which automatically shuts down the unit if the unit gets too hot from overuse.

Each time you use the unit it will remember your last setting – the next time you turn it on, that’s the setting your default back to.  Voice alerts will let you know what level of water you are producing which is important if the last setting you used was not suitable for drinking.

With an industry standard warranty of 5 years covering parts and labor, the Delphi’s warranty is considered better than average.  After the initial 5 years parts and labor warranty the company stands behind the parts in the unit for as long as you own it with the customer paying shipping and labor charges for any repairs after the first five years.

Chanson

Chanson’s VS70 under counter and Miracle MAX countertop models also fall into this price range at $2,495 and $2,195 respectively.

Both water ionizers feature seven flat/solid electrodes and operating at a maximum of 150 watts of power.  You’ll pay more for the convenience of the under-counter design with the VS70 but it’s the most affordable 7-plate under counter water ionizer out there.

Full control of the VS70 model, including customizing the presets based on your source water, is available through the control panel on the faucet.  The faucet control panel will display the level of the water being produced based on your selection and voice alerts also let you know what type of water you’re producing.

Before each use, the VS70 will perform a “flush” of the unit which can last from five to 30 seconds, depending on how long it has been since the unit was last used.  The automated cleaning cycle runs based on an internal timer and sensor.  When it’s time to run the cleaning cycle, the unit will turn itself back on after your last use, run the cleaning cycle and then turn itself back off.

Chanson Miracle MAX

The Miracle Max at $2,195 is one of the better-looking countertop models out there.   The onboard mineral port lets you add minerals to boost the unit’s performance and onboard flow control lets you adjust the “strength” of the water by increasing or decreasing the rate at which water flows through the electrolysis chamber.

After using the Miracle MAX at the highest settings, the unit will run a flush before your next use.  This is to flush any remaining residue left behind from adding minerals to boost performance.  As for other automated cleaning cycles, this unit uses the same type of “reverse polarity” cleaning that you find in the Jupiter/IonWays products.  Each time you use the unit, the polarity of the electrodes is switched to prevent excess scale buildup on the plates.

Chanson recommends manual cleaning of the electrodes once every six months in hard water areas and once every 12 to 18  months in other areas.  The company has a cleaning protocol that customers can use at home.  This involves removing the filter cartridge, dissolving citric acid crystals in distilled water and adding to the filter chamber, running the unit for several seconds at the neutral setting and then letting the unit “soak” for at least an hour.  The process is often repeated a few times to ensure effective cleaning.

All Chanson water ionizers have a single high-density carbon block filter which should last nine to twelve months.  The company strongly recommends using a pre-filtration system with their water ionizers for fully effective filtration and they have developed a triple-bank prefilter system that is available for purchase as an addon.

The warranty on the Chanson VS70 and Miracle MAX models is the same as what you get with the Jupiter/IonWays products – after the first 5 years of full parts and labor coverage, Chanson will stand behind the parts in their water ionizers for as long as you own them with the customer paying for shipping and labor.

Athena

Another popular player in this price range is the Athena countertop model from IonWays/Jupiter.

The Athena is the top of the countertop water ionizer from the IonWays/Jupiter company and their only water ionizer featuring a dual internal filtration system.  Let’s take a look at what else you get for your $2,195 investment in an Athena water ionizer….

The Athena uses five mesh electrodes and a maximum of 80 watts of power with four alkaline, four acidic and one “purified” presets.

This model can produce quality ionized water with a pH range of 3.0 to 11.0 in most areas.  The onboard mineral port can be used to add minerals to boost performance in areas that have insufficient mineral content in the source water – or to enhance performance and produce stronger pH levels in other areas.

Although IonWays water ionizers use smaller plates and lower wattage for ionization, the mesh electrodes and design of the electrolysis chamber allow it to perform as well as other models at the same price point – and you have an onboard mineral port to add minerals if necessary to further boost performance.

The dual filtration system includes one sediment filter to reduce sediment and catch larger particulates, and one Biostone filter for contaminant removal and to pre-condition the water for ionization.  You can expect to replace the filters in your Athena about every six to nine months, depending on your usage and water quality.

There is no standard automated cleaning cycle – all IonWays water ionizers use the DARC “dual action reverse” cleaning method, reversing the polarity of the plates at each use to prevent excess scale buildup.

Safety features include an internal temperature sensor which will automatically shut the unit down if it senses hot water is being used or if there is any overheating in the unit.

Users have multiple pH level indicators available in this unit.  Voice alerts tell you which level of water is being produced.  You’ll see blue bars flashing on the screen when producing alkaline water and red when producing acidic levels – and blue or red icons also appear that indicated the suitable uses for the type of water being produced.

Each time you use the unit it remembers the last setting and will default back to that level the next time you use it.  If you select acidic level 3 this time, the next time you use the unit it will begin producing water at acidic level three.  The voice and on-screen alerts let you know what level of water is being produced so that you can change the setting if you intended to get water at another level.

The power used at each preset is set at the factory but you can make adjustments.  If you do need to make changes to the power settings for better performance with your source water you will need to contact IonWays technical support – they’ll be able to talk you through the process.

As with all IonWays/Jupiter water ionizers, the Athena comes with a 5-year warranty covering both parts and labor.  After the first five years, the company stands behind the parts in the Athena for as long as you own it with the customer responsible for shipping and labor charges.

The $2,000 to $2,900 price range is where most water ionizer customers feel comfortable investing.  This makes this one of the most competitive price ranges in the industry.

That means doing your homework here could really pay off.  You may find water ionizers from higher price ranges at special sale prices to attract customers who are willing to invest $2,000 to $2,900 to get the best model for their home.

Just remember, if you find a deal that seems better than what other dealers are offering for the same product, think twice.  You could find yourself with a used or demo unit, or worse – with an invalid warranty.

Every responsible water ionizer reseller in good standing will keep up with the latest available sale and package pricing offered by their parent company.  If they’re dishonoring their commitment to the companies they do business with every week, how much respect do you think they’ll give you once they’ve got your money?