BOROUX water filter review: what WQA lists, and what rests on the brand’s own lab reports
One filter, $355. The BOROUX Legacy is certified by WQA for microplastics and particulate, and for nothing else. Its lead, PFAS and chlorine figures come from tests BOROUX commissioned, and its PFAS test stopped at 400 gallons per filter. In Water Filter Guru's outside lab test, most metals in their tap water dropped below detection, and cobalt appeared that wasn't there before. The 3-gallon system was $355 on sale with two filters on October 14, 2026, and a new pair of filters costs $159.
By Daryna Klochko · Published · Prices and listings checked Oct 14, 2026 BOROUX Legacy 3-Gallon at a glance
Listing: "certified" counts only substances in the certifier's public listing for that model. BOROUX's own reduction claims that are not in a listing are shown separately on each model page.
Verdict: who the BOROUX Legacy suits and who should skip it
if you want a stainless gravity filter with a lifetime warranty on the chambers and a microplastics listing, and you'd rather change filters once or twice a year than every few weeks. It was $355 with two filters on October 14, 2026, and BOROUX takes returns, new or used, for 60 days.
No certifier lists BOROUX for either. The Culligan MaxClear Venture and Scout are certified by IAPMO to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead and total PFAS.
BOROUX tested it at 0.7 ppm, not the 8 ppm its report gives for NSF/ANSI 53, and its own report shows it cutting fluoride by about half at 500 gallons per filter, the point where BOROUX says to replace it.
BOROUX says 2 to 4 gallons an hour with two filters. Water Filter Guru measured 0.75.
BOROUX says its filters are for chlorine, chloramine, microplastics and particulate only, and it doesn't sell the fluoride filters there.
Alternatives with a lead and PFAS listing
Both Culligan systems are certified by IAPMO for what BOROUX claims from its own reports: lead and total PFAS under NSF/ANSI 53, chlorine and chloramine under 42, and microplastics under 401. The catch is filter life. Each Culligan filter is rated for 50 gallons.
Listings, prices and warranty terms checked October 14, 2026. Culligan cost per year is our estimate at a gallon a day
On October 14, 2026 the Venture was $199 and the Scout $175 on sale, both below the BOROUX. At a gallon a day their filters cost about $382 a year, at six for $314. At 3 gallons a day, a full BOROUX chamber, that comes to about $1,146, while BOROUX's pair stays at $159. Heavy users pay for the Culligan listing. BOROUX's lower cost rests on its own data. More on the MaxClear in my Culligan review, and all seven gravity filters we track, with listings and costs, in the best gravity water filters.
What BOROUX claims, and what is listed
I searched the listings of NSF, IAPMO and WQA on October 15, 2026. The company behind BOROUX, James Enterprise Inc of Pueblo, Colorado, holds WQA listings for both Legacy systems, the 3-gallon (BX-L-SYS-3) and the 1.8-gallon (BX-L-SYS-COM), in polished, black and white steel:
- NSF/ANSI 401: microplastics. Other filters listed for them are in the best water filters for microplastics.
- NSF/ANSI 42: nominal particulate, Class I. Not chlorine, taste or odor. The Foundation filter pair is listed here too.
- NSF/ANSI 372: lead-free materials. That covers the parts water touches, not lead in your water.
The sage green finish wasn't on the list. I found no NSF listing, and IAPMO lists James Enterprise for a showerhead and for materials, not for reducing anything. BOROUX's combined test report shows the result behind the microplastics listing: 98.9% fewer particles of 0.5 to 1 micron, against the 85% NSF/ANSI 401 requires, on a WQA certificate dated June 2025.
The product page claims "up to 99.97%" reduction of lead, PFAS and chlorine, and BOROUX says its filters handle "80+ contaminants." Those numbers come from the brand's lab reports, below. BOROUX's own test results page adds a note for California and Iowa: there, its filters "are only for use to reduce chlorine, chloramine, microplastics, and nominal Particulate Class I." The contaminants or other substances removed or reduced by this water treatment device are not necessarily in your water.
If a health condition is your reason to buy, ask your doctor, and see our health disclaimer. Other filter types, from pitchers to whole-house systems, are compared in our water filter guide.
BOROUX's own lab reports: lead, PFAS and chlorine
BOROUX publishes reports from IAPMO R&T Lab in New Jersey, a lab accredited to ISO/IEC 17025. Each is marked "Test Type: R & D." BOROUX paid for a test of one Foundation filter, and no certifier lists the result. Two of the three are to "modified" versions of the standard.
| Report | Tested to | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead, #23-142-3 | NSF/ANSI Modified Standard 53, lead at pH 6.5, 5 gallons an hour | Passed at 4,000 gallons: 132 to 160 µg/L in, 3 µg/L or less out | November 22, 2023 |
| PFAS, #23-199-2 | NSF/ANSI 53 PFAS reduction, 10 gallons a day | Passed at 400 gallons: PFOA and PFOS about 1.5 µg/L in, 0.02 µg/L or less out | January 24, 2024 |
| Chlorine, #23-142-1 | NSF/ANSI 42, modified, chlorine | Passed at 6,000 gallons: about 2 mg/L in, 0.04 mg/L or less out | January 25, 2024 |
The gallon counts matter more than the percentages. BOROUX's "up to 12 months" for a pair rests on the chlorine test: a footnote on its filter page cites 6,000 gallons per filter. Lead was tested to 4,000 gallons, PFAS to 400, and some contaminants in BOROUX's own chart to 200. BOROUX says a pair counts double, so 800 gallons for PFAS. If you fill the 3-gallon system once a day, the use BOROUX sizes two filters for, that is about 9 months. That's my arithmetic from BOROUX's figures, not a tested filter life.
None of this is a certification. A report shows how one filter did in one run, and no certifier lists BOROUX for lead, PFAS or chlorine.
Water Filter Guru's lab test of BOROUX
Water Filter Guru ran the one independent lab test of BOROUX I found. They sent samples of their tap water before and after the filters to the Tap Score lab, once with two new Foundation filters and later with the fluoride filters added. The review was last updated December 10, 2025.
| Filters | Measured | Before | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation | Uranium | 0.0096 mg/L | Not detected |
| Foundation | Chloroform | 2.08 µg/L | Not detected |
| Foundation | Nitrate (as N) | 4.2 mg/L | 1.2 mg/L |
| Foundation | Fluoride | 0.9 mg/L | 0.8 mg/L |
| Foundation | Hardness | 107 mg/L | 91 mg/L |
| Foundation | Cobalt | Not detected | 0.0069 mg/L |
| Foundation and fluoride | Fluoride | 1.4 mg/L | Not detected |
| Foundation and fluoride | Uranium | 0.032 mg/L | Not detected |
| Foundation and fluoride | Benzene | Not detected | 2.45 µg/L |
| Foundation and fluoride | Toluene | Not detected | 2.45 µg/L |
Barium, copper, molybdenum and total THMs also fell below detection after the Foundation filters, and strontium dropped 79%. A chlorine test strip showed none after the filters.
Two results were unwanted. Cobalt appeared after the Foundation filters at 6.9 µg/L when the tap sample had none. Water Filter Guru suspects the filter media. A reader commenting on the review pointed to the stainless body or spigot instead. In the second run, benzene and toluene appeared at 2.45 µg/L each, and Water Filter Guru suspects the priming pump but says it needs more testing. For scale, EPA's legal limit for benzene is 5 µg/L, with a health goal of zero, and for toluene 1,000 µg/L.
This is one home's water, one sample each way, with new filters. It isn't a certification and can't show how the filters do after hundreds of gallons.
The BOROUX fluoride filter: tested at 0.7 ppm
The Foundation filters aren't meant for fluoride: Water Filter Guru measured it 11% lower after them. For that BOROUX sells the Proactive fluoride filters, which thread onto the stems of the Foundation filters and hang in the lower chamber. The pair was a $139 add-on to the 3-gallon system on October 14, 2026. BOROUX says to replace them at 1,000 gallons a pair, about 6 to 12 months, and covers the media for 6 months. They aren't sold in California or Iowa.
No certifier lists them. BOROUX's fluoride report, dated January 7, 2026, names no lab beyond "an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory." It ran one filter on water with 0.7 ppm fluoride. Its report says NSF/ANSI 53 tests fluoride claims at 8 ppm, and that BOROUX chose 0.7 because most U.S. homes are at or below that level.
| Gallons through one filter | Fluoride reduction |
|---|---|
| 100 | 99.9% |
| 200 | 89.9% |
| 300 | 74.9% |
| 400 | 53.6% |
| 500 | 47.4% |
The report takes 500 gallons as the filter's life and doubles it to 1,000 for a pair. By its own numbers the filter was cutting fluoride by about half at that point: 0.72 mg/L in, 0.367 mg/L out. Some rows don't add up, either. At 160 gallons it lists 0.002 mg/L after the filter next to a 92.5% reduction. In Water Filter Guru's test with new filters, fluoride went from 1.4 mg/L to below detection.
BOROUX 3-gallon vs 1.8-gallon
BOROUX sells the Legacy in two sizes, with the same Foundation filters and the same WQA listings. Both are 304 stainless steel with a stainless spigot.
| System | Price with 2 filters | Size | Flow with 2 filters, by BOROUX | WQA model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy 3-Gallon | $355 on sale in polished steel, regular $399 | 23" tall, 9" wide | 2 to 4 gallons an hour | BX-L-SYS-3 |
| Legacy 1.8-Gallon | $349 | 17.5" tall, 8" wide | 1 gallon an hour | BX-L-SYS-COM |
BOROUX sizes the 3-gallon with two filters for up to 4 people who fill it once a day, about 100 ounces each, and with four filters, which it says filter twice as fast, for up to 8. With four filters the polished 3-gallon was $455 on sale on October 14, 2026. Prices change by finish: polished, black, white and sage green. BOROUX also sells a shower filter, $70 on October 14, which has no listing under NSF/ANSI 177.
BOROUX Foundation filters: cost, life and Berkey fit
A pair of Foundation filters cost $159 on October 15, 2026, $318 for four, or $127 a pair on subscription. BOROUX says to replace a pair every 12 months and warrants the filters for a year. It doesn't publish a gallon rating for the pair beyond the chlorine figure.
BOROUX's own subscription is more careful than the headline. It suggests a new pair every 9 months for 3 or 4 people and every 12 months for 1 or 2. That matches the PFAS arithmetic above. At 9 months and October 15, 2026 prices, filters cost about $169 a year on subscription, or $212 at the one-time price.
The filters fit the Travel, Big, Light, Royal, Imperial and Crown Berkey, by BOROUX's compatibility list, along with AlexaPure, ProOne Big+, Doulton, British Berkefeld and the Waterdrop King Tank. Water Filter Guru reports that Berkey's filter maker, Clearbrook, developed the Foundation filter with James Enterprise, which used to sell Berkey systems, after EPA's stop-sale orders against Berkey. If you own a Berkey, see my Berkey review and BOROUX vs Berkey side by side. If you own an AlexaPure, its own filter and listing are in my Alexapure review.
Flow, priming and setup
Gravity filters are slow. Water Filter Guru measured 0.75 gallons an hour through the BOROUX with two Foundation filters and 0.9 with the fluoride filters, against BOROUX's 2 to 4. In their tests the ProOne Big+ ran 0.77 and the Alexapure Pro 1 gallon an hour. Filling the 3-gallon top chamber took them 2 minutes 19 seconds with a pull-out sprayer. The lid has no handle, and set down upside down it can hit the tops of the filters.
New filters need priming: water pushed through them before use. Every system comes with BOROUX's Automatic Filter Primer, a USB-C pump that BOROUX says primes a filter in 90 seconds. Water Filter Guru took 1.5 minutes a filter and just over 25 minutes for the whole setup. BOROUX says to clean the chambers monthly and to scrub and re-prime the filters every 3 to 6 months. It no longer recommends the red dye test it used to ship with filters (FAQ).
What BOROUX owners say
Both ratings are BOROUX's own site reviews, which BOROUX hosts and answers. On the 3-gallon page, 398 of 448 reviews give five stars and 8 give one. I read the lowest-rated reviews on October 15, 2026, and didn't verify each case.
An earthy taste at first. One owner returned the system after two 40-minute flushes didn't clear the taste. BOROUX replied that the mineral taste is temporary and more priming with warmer water clears it.
TDS meters. Two owners reported higher readings or harder water. BOROUX answers that its filters keep minerals in and that a TDS meter isn't a valid test of them. TDS counts dissolved solids, not whether water is safe, and Water Filter Guru's lab measured TDS 12% lower and hardness 15% lower after the filters.
Stock and exchanges. A chamber arrived pitted and BOROUX had no replacement until October. A buyer who ordered the wrong model couldn't exchange it: BOROUX said it wasn't doing exchanges while restocking, and waived the return shipping.
Film and flakes. A reader commenting on Water Filter Guru's review in May 2026 used the Foundation filters in a Berkey for a year and reported a film on the water in the lower chamber and black material chipping off the tops of the filters.
BOROUX returns, warranty and shipping
BOROUX's policies, as checked October 15, 2026, take returns of new or used products within 60 days of delivery. You need a return number (RMA) from customer service first, and a return without one loses $16 from the refund. BOROUX doesn't pay return shipping: its prepaid label costs $16 from your refund and works only in the 48 contiguous states. A return damaged by poor packing can cost up to 15%. The owner above who sent the system back paid that $16.
The Legacy systems, including chambers, spigots, washers, hole plugs and wingnuts, carry a lifetime warranty against defects, with no registration. The Foundation filters are covered for a year and the fluoride filter media for 6 months. Shipping was free over $60 on October 15, 2026, and some products can't ship to California or Iowa.
BOROUX is a family business in Pueblo, Colorado, named after borosilicate glass and pronounced "bore-oh." It designs its products in Colorado, makes the filters in the USA and buys the stainless steel parts from a factory in China. Its terms of service put claims about its website under Colorado law. I found no arbitration clause in them on October 15, 2026.
Questions people ask
Is BOROUX NSF certified?
Does BOROUX reduce lead and PFAS?
How long do BOROUX Foundation filters last?
Do BOROUX filters fit a Berkey?
Does BOROUX filter fluoride?
Why does my TDS meter read higher after the BOROUX filter?
Listing by model
NSF, WQA and IAPMO public listings, checked Oct 14, 2026. The contaminants or other substances removed or reduced by these devices are not necessarily in your water.