RO Buddie vs.... More expensive stuff

[creativeballance]

When I first got my RO Buddie (100 GPD) with DI cartridge, I paid approximately $70 for the set.
I have had it for almost 9 months
I've run through the DI about three times so far. I've changed the sediment and carbon cartidge once.

Currently, it appears that my DI is not working. It is still the dark color, but my TDS coming out of the RO membrane is 6 TDS (out of approximately 200 TDS going in). Going out, I seem to somehow have 6 TDS.

Before I plop down another $32 for another set of filters and reisin, what is the difference between the RO Buddie vs a $200 or $300 unit?

 

[minus9]

That's only a three stage unit, right? I don't think there's enough stages to effectively clean the water. If your incoming tds was lower, then maybe, but I would probably look into a more robust system.

 

[creativeballance]

That's only a three stage unit, right? I don't think there's enough stages to effectively clean the water. If your incoming tds was lower, then maybe, but I would probably look into a more robust system.

Its a 4 stage.
Carbon, sediment, ro, di.

 

[minus9]

Got it. Having multiple carbon blocks goes a long way in reducing pollutants, along with multiple DI stages.

 

[Sebastiancrab]

When I first got my RO Buddie (100 GPD) with DI cartridge, I paid approximately $70 for the set.
I have had it for almost 9 months
I've run through the DI about three times so far. I've changed the sediment and carbon cartidge once.

Currently, it appears that my DI is not working. It is still the dark color, but my TDS coming out of the RO membrane is 6 TDS (out of approximately 200 TDS going in). Going out, I seem to somehow have 6 TDS.

Before I plop down another $32 for another set of filters and reisin, what is the difference between the RO Buddie vs a $200 or $300 unit?

I am surprised that the Buddie has 100 gpd. You will get more bang for your buck with a regular RO DI system. I just bought one a couple of months ago from AirWaterIce which has a lifetime warranty. But you might consider BRS which probably has stock now as well as Buckeye Hydro etc. With a regular unit you get standard cartridges and are not limited to who you purchase them from.

 

[creativeballance]

Is there any longterm cost benefits for the more expensive systems?

 

[Sebastiancrab]

Is there any longterm cost benefits for the more expensive systems?

I think so. You should get more output for less cost. If you produce any volume of water, you want to go with the standard size unit. I also bought the drinking water add on with the tank. It was about $90 more. Again, more value for the money. If you want, it can be linked to your fridge and regular drinking water supply too.

I too was tempted to get the Buddie but decided to go with the standard system.

 

[Bnutz]

I recommend airwaterice.com lifetime warranty great customer service. Buying a standard unit will be much cheaper in the long run because filters and resin are much cheaper for the standard unit. I looked into ro buddy before buying from airwaterice and figured 2 filter replacements for the ro buddy would pay for the better unit

 

[Ippyroy]

The more expensive ones can come with much better carbon blocks and sediment filters. It doesn't matter who you get them from, BRS spectrapure Marc Levenson, The filters are all interchangeable and better yet, the whole system is expandable. You can also add more DI cartridges to cut down on waste water and booster prumps.

 

[minus9]

Is there any longterm cost benefits for the more expensive systems?

Absolutely! A well designed RO unit will pay for itself in so many ways. Water quality is the first thing that we want to achieve in our tanks, so why not start with the source water? When I got back into the hobby, the very first piece of equipment I bought was a RO DI system. I've since upgraded that 4 stage unit to a 7 stage and haven't looked backed.

 

[1ByLand2BySea]

RO Buddy and the standard RO units work on the same principal but the cartridges that are used are smaller with a smaller capacity so you will go through cartridges much faster. You also have more choices on the type of Sediment, Carbon and DI cartridges to suit your needs for standard units.
You seem to be getting a 97% rejection rate on the membrane which is good but you are just going through RO Buddy Cartridges faster.
The standard RO units usually have Auto Shut-Off valve and other add on's that the RO Buddy has missing.

 

[C. Eymann]

Agree with all the above, personally I stay away from anything made by aquatic life, they have a pretty bad reputation when it comes to quality and bad design.


I would get a BRS/ Air water and Ice or aquaFX system.

 

[Robertellis30]

Don’t get it. The filters needs to be replaced more frequently. Costing more in the long run

 

[fcmatt]

I personally think you are paying up for a good quality dow membrane. The carbon and filter block help but the membrane is what matters. A good dow one.

200 tds through a dow and an old carbon and filter block should be knocked down to around lets say 5 to 8 tds. Resin polishes the rest.

Ro/di are all pretty much the same. U just gotta know your numbers and have meters throughout the system to debug it. I use 4 meter points myself.

Oh. Also get 2 resin carts. That way you rotate them and replace one at a time to get your max money worth out of each

 

[creativeballance]

I think so. You should get more output for less cost. If you produce any volume of water, you want to go with the standard size unit. I also bought the drinking water add on with the tank. It was about $90 more. Again, more value for the money. If you want, it can be linked to your fridge and regular drinking water supply too.

I too was tempted to get the Buddie but decided to go with the standard system.

Price isn't too bad either...
Time to do a cost/time analysis with the wifey perhaps?

I've seen systems that cost $300+. What, if any, are the benefits? Is it all marketing?

 

[Sebastiancrab]

Price isn't too bad either...
Time to do a cost/time analysis with the wifey perhaps?

I've seen systems that cost $300+. What, if any, are the benefits? Is it all marketing?

Unlike so many overpriced things in this hobby, I don't feel that much of the product is marketing costs. You will have to make the determination for yourself what to buy. As so many have pointed out on other types of equipment, it is best to buy good quality up front. Nothing is more important than your water. Here is what I bought:

DUAL HOME REEF

Dual Home Reef 6-Stg Drinking Water / ReefKeeper RODI ( 50 - 100 gpd ) - Build & Customize a RODI system for saltwater, coral reef tank aquarium water changes NOW ! Get exactly what you want. Buy with confidence - we have sold over 10,000 of our Typhoon RODI's since 2007 & 100,000 filter packs...

airwaterice.com

I had it adjusted to be 100 gpd. And also bought fixtures for my yard faucet and laundry room. You will also need a meter to check the water and I encourage you to get the water pressure guage.

 

[Funston07]

When I first got my RO Buddie (100 GPD) with DI cartridge, I paid approximately $70 for the set.
I have had it for almost 9 months
I've run through the DI about three times so far. I've changed the sediment and carbon cartidge once.

Currently, it appears that my DI is not working. It is still the dark color, but my TDS coming out of the RO membrane is 6 TDS (out of approximately 200 TDS going in). Going out, I seem to somehow have 6 TDS.

Before I plop down another $32 for another set of filters and reisin, what is the difference between the RO Buddie vs a $200 or $300 unit?

Idk I've got a RO buddy as well and have thought about this same thing. I put a smaller flow restrictor for the waste water which improved my waste water clean water ratio. I'm gonna continue using it for awhile, but I will say my incoming TDS is only 70 so I haven't been going through cartridges fast. I go through one DI resin after maybe 150gals. If I had a larger tank than my 65gal i could justify buying a bigger one but for now it works for me

 

[Tathamet]

When I first got my RO Buddie (100 GPD) with DI cartridge, I paid approximately $70 for the set.
I have had it for almost 9 months
I've run through the DI about three times so far. I've changed the sediment and carbon cartidge once.

Currently, it appears that my DI is not working. It is still the dark color, but my TDS coming out of the RO membrane is 6 TDS (out of approximately 200 TDS going in). Going out, I seem to somehow have 6 TDS.

Before I plop down another $32 for another set of filters and reisin, what is the difference between the RO Buddie vs a $200 or $300 unit?

I emailed aquaticlife about something else but they mentioned if you have a 100gph membrane and 800 waste water flow restrictor that you may need to run 2 di cartridges at the same time since the water can flow through too fast.

Another thought. Maybe try taking out the Di cartridge and tapping it on the ground to get the resin to settle to get rid of any pockets or channels. the water may not be flowing through properly.

 

[Tathamet]

Btw, I’m not sure if you’re aware of this but you can open the di resin cartridge to dump and refill it fairly easily. So you don’t really need to keep buying them and can Just buy bulk resin.

 

[creativeballance]

Btw, I’m not sure if you’re aware of this but you can open the di resin cartridge to dump and refill it fairly easily. So you don’t really need to keep buying them and can Just buy bulk resin.

I have tried that a couple times, but I don't feel that I'm doing it right. The refill doesn't last long at all.