No Idea Why People Complain About the RO Buddie for RODI Water...4 Years and It's Always Worked Great!

[livinlifeinBKK]

Ok, let me clarify that I have replaced the cartridges all except for the RO membrane. However, for an RODI filter that costs so little and is so convenient, I wouldnt choose any other filter over it unless I needed really large quantities of water. As you can imagine, the outer limits of Bangkok don't have the greatest tap water but with the RO Buddie I've always been able to reliably reduce the TDS to single digits and I've had 4 small tanks at once and always do weekly water changes. I dont mean fkr this to sound like an advertusement, but it requires 0 plumbing as well!
Over the years Ive seen people complain amd can only imagine they either hooked it up wrong, tested within 1 minute of getting a new RO Buddie, or their water is unbelievably bad...like 5X worse than the outer limits of Bangkok.

If youre looking for a new RODI filter definitely go fir the RO Buddie!

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

I couldn't disagree more.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I couldn't disagree more.

I know you're kind of the resident RO/DI here, so I'm genuinely curious - what's not to like about the RO Buddie?

 

[KStatefan]

reliably reduce the TDS to single digits

I would not consider that working good.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I would not consider that working good.

I wouldnt say my or many people at all have a professional grade TDS probe. Is 4 ppm really bad in your personal opinion?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Like I said, I've never even replaced the RO membrane. Why do you believe your water is 0 ppm? How does anyone without a professional probe thats calibrated before each use actually know for that matter?

 

[vetteguy53081]

My reasoning would be as mentioned the need for large quantities of water and I personally like the ability to see the condition of cartridges through the clear housing. RO Buddy for the compactness and price is a great entry level and low use unit

 

[KStatefan]

Like I said, I've never even replaced the RO membrane. Why do you believe your water is 0 ppm? How does anyone without a professional probe thats calibrated before each use actually know for that matter?

Because I send a sample of RODI from my storage container to Oceamo and they test it.

 

[akito]

I have one. On my TDs meter my TDS shows 0. I'm running a 75g system so it meets my current needs. If I needed more/quicker then I may consider upgrading. I also live in Canada where water is pretty clean coming out of the tap.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Because I send a sample of RODI from my storage container to Oceamo and they test it.

You really send weekly RODI samples to a lab for testing? Im just curious if you do. Also, dont you think impurities find their way into tanks in many other ways...even through the air...I dont test that, I dont think anyone does

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

My reasoning would be as mentioned the need for large quantities of water and I personally like the ability to see the condition of cartridges through the clear housing. RO Buddy for the compactness and price is a great entry level and low use unit

For those who need large quantities I wouldnt recommend it like I said...it's just not intended for large quantities but for what is intended for, Id say it dkes a great job. I dont need large quantities on a regular basis.

 

[Northern Flicker]

I dislike any product that locks you into their proprietary replacement filters.

 

[KrisReef]

I just don't like the name, 'RO Buddy.' I don't think of any water filter as my buddy.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I just don't like the name, 'RO Buddy.' I don't think of any water filter as my buddy.

That made me laugh haha

 

[exnisstech]

I started with an RO buddy but soon upgraded. The cartridges are a bit pricey and I didn't like not being able to see the filters. I don't run a schedule for maintenance so I like to see the sediment filter and just replacment by how it looks. They definatly can work for a smaller tank or someone who has space constraints. I have one of thier booster pumps that has been working great for several years.

 

[Tamberav]

It doesn’t use standard cartridge, correct? That would be my reasoning.

My last spextrapure membrane lasted 5 years and their Max cap/di lasted 2 years.

I mean ya you can probably get 0 with most filters but that doesn’t make them the most economical/cheapest over time, especially for larger volumes of water but even smaller volumes will probably in enough time, cost more. The housing is 1 time cost and the cartridges are re-occurring.

I’d rather just have a standard cartridge so I have access to more brands of replacements.

The only reason to buy to buddy is space saving imo.

 

[KStatefan]

You really send weekly RODI samples to a lab for testing? Im just curious if you do. Also, dont you think impurities find their way into tanks in many other ways...even through the air...I dont test that, I dont think anyone does

Where did I say I sent weekly RODI samples in?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

It doesn’t use standard cartridge, correct? That would be my reasoning.

My last spextrapure membrane lasted 5 years and their Max cap/di lasted 2 years.

I mean ya you can probably get 0 with most filters but that doesn’t make them the most economical/cheapest over time, especially for larger volumes of water but even smaller volumes will probably in enough time, cost more. The housing is 1 time cost and the cartridges are re-occurring.

I’d rather just have a standard cartridge so I have access to more brands of replacements.

The only reason to buy to buddy is space saving imo.

The space saving is really important for me actually. The filter cartridge replacements arent what id consider expensive in this hobby at $35 for DI resin, carbon filter, and sediment filter bundled together, but I do get your point. I also like how it easily attaches to the my balcony spigot instead of requiring any plumbing (even though the plumbing isn't too difficult for most people).

 

[Tamberav]

The space saving is really important for me actually. The filter cartridge replacements arent what id consider expensive in this hobby at $35 for DI resin, carbon filter, and sediment filter bundled together, but I do get your point. I also like how it easily attaches to the my balcony spigot instead of requiring any plumbing (even though the plumbing isn't too difficult for most people).

Any of them can hook to a spigot but it does have the space saving factor. My DI never exhausts before the other filters so a combo pack would just be wasteful. I change the pre filters every 6 months and DI when it is exhausted (2 years last time).

I suppose there is also the waste issue... does changing small cartridges more often add more waste to the landfill? Does it have a larger carbon footprint? Is there an option to fill your own DI resin? I don't know but its something I think about more often these days.

I think a lot of people are happy with the RO Buddie, at least those with nano's and some people live in small apartments or like you said... you bring it out to the spigot so its more portable and easy to move around when you need it.

This is a "big tank" mostly forum so that may be why you see some unhappy. On that nano forums, the RO buddy was fairly common and people with nano's are more likely to live in apartments, etc.

 

[Malcontent]

You need 5-15 mins of contact time to remove chloramine and that's if you're using catalytic carbon. That little hotdog-sized carbon stage isn't going to cut it. There's a reason why I call it the Chloramine Buddy.

Of course, it's not an issue if you don't have chlorine or chloramine.