British Berkefeld vs Berkey: Objective, Data-Driven Comparison

Having tested the Berkey and the British Berkefeld filters ourselves, we found that the products have numerous differences, including their: 

• Filter design
• Contaminants removed
• Setup & maintenance processes
• Upfront & ongoing costs
• Flow rates

Why are Berkey and British Berkefeld often confused? If you thought they were the same brand, that’s probably because Doulton originally supplied filters for Berkey when they first started. That’s why the two brands’ names are so similar. Berkey and British Berkefeld (Doulton) are not associated in any other way. 

📊 Our Testing Data

We tested and ranked the British Berkefeld and Big Berkey systems using 6 main criteria. This first table shows how each system performed across all these criteria.

Factor	Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl	Berkefeld Ultra Fluoride	Big Berkey
Contaminant Reduction	8.56	8.40	8.25
Filtration Rate	6.50	6.50	7.50
Design	10.00	10.00	7.80
Setup	9.00	9.00	6.50
Maintenance	9.25	9.25	8.50
Company	9.10	9.10	9.10

This next table shows the testing data from each individual test we conducted.

Factor	Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl	Berkefeld Ultra Fluoride	Big Berkey	Winner
Overall Score	8.64	8.55	8.02	Ultra Sterasyl
Health Related Contaminants	8.50	8.60	8.60	Tie
Aesthetic Related Contaminants	9.90	9.90	6.70	Berkefeld
Performance Certification	NSF/ANSI 42, 53 & 401	None	None	Ultra Sterasyl
Filtration Rate	0.3 GPH	0.42 GPH	0.75 GPH	Berkey
Component Quality	Exceptional	Exceptional	Excellent	Berkefeld
Component Certification	NSF/ANSI Certified	None	None	Ultra Sterasyl
Setup	Excellent	Excellent	Failing	Berkefeld
Servicing Requirements	Good	Good	Weak	Berkefeld
Costs	$0.09/ gal	$0.16/ gal	$0.13/ gal	Berkefeld
Warranty Length	Lifetime	Lifetime	Lifetime	Tie
Shipping	Free Shipping on orders over $99 to the contiguous US	Free Shipping on orders over $99 to the contiguous US	Free shipping on orders over $99 to the lower 48 states	Tie
Returns	30 days	30 days	30 days	Tie

🚰 Contaminant Reduction

Looking at contaminant reduction, we compared Berkey and British Berkefeld’s ability to reduce unwanted impurities and improve our water quality. 

The scores in this category were also influenced by whether or not the filters hold official performance certifications for contaminant removal.

The Products We Tested

• We tested Berkey with two Black Berkey elements and two PF-2 fluoride filters. 
• We tested British Berkefeld with the Ultra Sterasyl filters, and separately with the Ultra Fluoride filters. We conducted the testing at the same time using two different vessels, and the same water source.

Our Lab Test Results

To analyze Berkey and British Berkefeld’s contaminant reduction, we took before-and-after samples of our water and got it tested by a domestic lab testing service, SimpleLab Tap Score. 

We used our standard POU testing process to take the water samples for both filters. This involved filling a large bucket with water from our faucet and taking the unfiltered water samples from the bucket. Then filling the vessel with the remaining water in the bucket and taking the filtered water samples from the spigot. We used the same chlorinated water supply for both tests. 

The key difference is when we conducted the tests: we tested Berkey on two separate occasions several months before testing the British Berkefeld filters. With the British Berkefeld systems, we filtered 30 gallons of water before conducting the testing. Before our first Berkey test we filtered 50 gallons, and then 100 gallons for the second.

The tables below show the contaminants detected in our source water and the percent reduced by both the Berkey and British Berkefeld filters.

A. British Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl Tap Score Test Results

B. British Berkefeld Ultra Fluoride Tap Score Test Results

C. Berkey Tap Score Test Results

The systems received similar scores for contaminant reduction, but British Berkefed’s scores were slightly higher because their aesthetic score wasn’t pulled down like Berkey’s, and the Ultra Sterasyl filters hold a few official performance certifications.

Health-Related Contaminants

Starting with British Berkefeld, our unfiltered water contained 8 contaminants with potential health effects: uranium, fluoride (both detected in concentrations exceeding the HGL), copper, nitrate, strontium, sulfate, barium, and molybdenum.

Contaminant	Measurement	Detection	HGL
Fluoride	PPM	1	0.8
Uranium	PPM	0.0067	0.0
Nitrate	PPM	3.70	10
Barium	PPM	0.0201	2.0
Molybdenum	PPM	0.0017	0.03
Strontium	PPM	0.112	3.0
Sulfate	PPM	8.4	500
Copper	PPM	0.168	0.3

The unit with the Ultra Sterasyl filter eliminated uranium but didn’t reduce fluoride at all. It also removed 100% copper and molybdenum, as well as nitrate by 70%, strontium by just 2%, and barium by 8%. 

The vessel with the Ultra Fluoride filter delivered similar results, but this time, fluoride was completely eliminated. However this test also detected 0.689 PPM of aluminum (just above the HGL of 0.6 PPM) in the water post-filtration. We suspect this was activated alumina media leaching from the filter. 

Several other contaminants also increased in our water filtered by both British Berkefeld filters: magnesium, carbonate, sulfate, and potassium. We suspect these minerals and ions came from the filter’s ceramic shell, and none were detected at concentrations above the HGL.

Moving on to the Big Berkey, we tested the unit twice for reducing health-related contaminants due to an issue we experienced in our first test. 

In test 1, our unfiltered water contained 12 contaminants with potential health effects: chloroform, total THMs, bromodichloromethane, cobalt, and lead (all detected in concentrations higher than the HGL), as well as copper, fluoride, strontium, sulfate, barium, manganese, and sodium. Berkey reduced 100% lead, disinfection byproducts, copper, barium, and manganese, and reduced cobalt by 3.23%. 

But there were a couple of unexpected outcomes with the fluoride filters, which we’d installed on the bottom of the Black Berkey filters.

• First, they reduced just 50% fluoride (unusual as Berkey claims up to 99.99% removal).
• Second, 1.4 PPM of aluminum was detected in our water—that’s over twice the amount detected in our water filtered by the British Berkefeld Ultra Fluoride filter.

Again, we suspected activated alumina leaching from the PF-2 fluoride filters, but we were concerned by the extent of the leaching and the fact that the concentrations detected were almost three times the Tap Score HGL. 

So we tested the system again after buying a new set of fluoride filters, ensuring that we followed the (very specific) priming and installation instructions very carefully. We also filtered ~100 gallons through the filters before testing. This time, only 0.069 PPM of aluminum was detected in our filtered water. The filters also removed 100% fluoride in the second test.

In this second test, we saw a substantial increase in potassium and sodium in our post-filtered water, which is most likely because the water we used to prime the filters had higher concentrations of these contaminants. We experienced this anomaly with a series of countertop filters that we tested at the same time. 

Aesthetic Contaminants

Both British Berkefeld filters and the Big Berkey (in tests 1 and 2) reduced 100% of chlorine from our water. This was the only aesthetic contaminant detected pre-filtration. 

But British Berkefeld got the higher scores in this category (9.70 for both compared to Berkey’s 6.70). 

This was because Berkey’s score was an average of the aesthetic scores it received in test 1 and test 2. The test 1 score was affected by the extremely elevated aluminum levels, which increased the water’s pH to 8.7, with possible aesthetic effects. 

Certifications

British Berkefeld is the more appealing choice if you’re looking for proof of performance beyond the manufacturer’s own testing data. 

While Berkey has obtained no certifications for contaminant reduction, the British Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl filter (note: NOT the Ultra Fluoride filter) has obtained several NSF certifications to reduce 4 out of the 14 contaminants that the manufacturer claims it can reduce: particulates, cysts, turbidity, and microplastics. The certifications it holds are:

• NSF 42, for the reduction of contaminants with aesthetic effects
• NSF 53, for contaminants with health effects
• NSF 401, for the reduction of emerging compounds and incidental contaminants

Berkey has been independently tested, but there’s much skepticism around their lack of transparency and refusal to get even one official performance certification.

🚦Filtration Rate

The rate of filtration in a gravity-fed system is measured in gallons per hour (GPH). With any kind of gravity filter, you’ll need to be more patient with the filtration process—it takes longer for water to pass through the filters than it would in a system operating with water pressure.

To determine their flow rates, we timed how long it took the British Berkefeld and the Berkey filters to filter a batch of water. 

You can see how the results compare in the table below.

Product	Filtration Rate Score	Filtration Rate
Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl	6.50	0.3 GPH
Berkefeld Ultra Fluoride	6.50	0.42 GPH
Big Berkey	7.50	0.75 GPH

Berkey did slightly better here, although both brands were slower than many similar systems we’ve tested:

• Berkey had a filtration rate of 0.75 GPH using the two black filters and two fluoride filters.
• The British Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl filter had a flow rate of 0.3 GPH.
• The British Berkefeld Ultra Fluoride filter’s flow rate was slightly better, though not even close to Berkey’s, at 0.42 GPH. 

Slow filtration can indicate that the water is being more thoroughly filtered, but it’s inconvenient in a gravity filter, when the rate of water production is already slow enough.

💲 Upfront Cost

If you have a budget to stick to, the British Berkefeld systems are more affordable than comparably sized Berkey units. 

• The upfront cost of the Big Berkey, which only includes the two Black Berkey filters, is $367*. The comparably-sized British Berkefeld Duke with four Ultra Sterasyl filters costs $358. 
• The Big Berkey with two Black Berkey elements and two PF-2 fluoride filters costs $467.  The British Berkefeld Duke with two Ultra Fluoride filters costs $410. 

Product	Price	Filters Included
Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl	$358	4
Berkefeld Ultra Fluoride	$410	2
Big Berkey (black filters)	$367	2
Big Berkey (black + fluoride filters)	$467	4

📐 Design

In terms of design quality and certifications, British Berkefeld did significantly better than Berkey. You can check out the scores obtained by the systems in the table below.

Product	Design Score	Component Quality	Materials Safety
Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl	10.00	Exceptional	NSF/ANSI Certified
Berkefeld Ultra Fluoride	10.00	Exceptional	Not certified
Big Berkey	7.80	Excellent	Not certified

Filter Models

Berkey currently sells 6 filters in its gravity water filtration system range: 

• The Travel Berkey (1.5 gallons)
• The Big Berkey (2.25 gallons)
• The Royal Berkey (3.25 gallons)
• The Imperial Berkey (4.5 gallons)
• The Crown Berkey (6 gallons)
• The Berkey Light (2.75 gallons)

All the Berkey countertop water filters are made from stainless steel apart from the Berkey Light, which is made from BPA-free plastic. 

The British Berkefeld models are similar to Berkey’s, with slightly different size offerings:

• The Baron Berkefeld (0.25 gallons)
• The Duchess Berkefeld (1.58 gallons)
• The Duke Berkefeld (2.25 gallons)
• The Prince Berkefeld (3.17 gallons)
• The Queen Berkefeld (4.5 gallons)
• The King Berkefeld (6 gallons)

British Berkefeld also sells a glass version of the stainless steel system, which holds 1.85 gallons of water, and a vintage-style model, the Heritage Gravity Water Filter, which is inspired by the manufacturer’s original ceramic gravity filters from the 1820s.

Component Quality 

The British Berkefeld and Big Berkey look almost identical, and many of the components they contain are the same. 

But British Berkefeld got the slightly better score here, for one reason: the new model comes with an included stainless steel spigot, while Berkey still comes with a plastic spigot (you have to pay around $23 extra to upgrade to stainless steel).

Both units have vessels made from 304 stainless steel and felt sturdy and durable. We noticed no signs of rust or corrosion throughout the duration of the testing period. 

But neither system is perfect: Berkey and British Berkefeld have the same design issues that we see with many stainless steel gravity filters. Both can overflow between the top and bottom chambers if you accidentally overfill the unit. There are two reasons for this: 

• The units carry on filtering even when the bottom chamber is full. 
• With the conventional spigots, there’s no way to see into the bottom chamber, which means accidentally adding too much water to the top chamber is an easy mistake to make. 

Both manufacturers sell sight glass spigots that let you check the water level without disassembling the system. We think this is a pretty essential component, so it’s a shame it’s sold at an optional extra (and at an extra cost). 

Filter Materials

When it comes to filter design, British Berkefeld’s and Berkey’s offerings are different. 

British Berkefeld sells two filters: 

1. The Ultra Sterasyl filter (which has a microfilter ceramic outer shell containing granular activated carbon and “heavy metal removal media”).
2. The Ultra Fluoride filter (has the same design but also contains a fluoride reduction media, likely activated alumina as indicated by our lab results).

Berkey also sells two filters, but in this case: 

1. One filter is the main filtering element (known as the Black Berkey element, which is made from activated carbon, ion exchange resin, and “additional” media).
2. The other is a separate fluoride filter (the PF-2 fluoride filter, which uses activated alumina). 

That means you can either use the main filters alone, or combine them with the fluoride filter for added fluoride removal.

The main difference between the two filter offerings is that British Berkefeld doesn’t sell a separate filter purely for fluoride reduction purposes, while Berkey does. 

British Berkefeld implies that only Berkey’s design, with the PF-2 fluoride filters sitting beneath the main filters in the filtered water, allows for activated alumina leaching. But we experienced similar leaching with British Berkefeld’s all-in-one Ultra Fluoride filters. We think both designs could be rethought to eliminate leaching. 

Materials Safety Certification

British Berkefeld gets a better score than Berkey in this category thanks to its NSF 372 certification for lead-free design, awarded specifically to the vessel containing the Ultra Sterasyl filter. 

Even though the vessel with the Ultra Fluoride filter isn’t NSF 372 certified, we can still apply this design certification to the unit because the vessel itself doesn’t change. 

Berkey hasn’t obtained a materials safety certification, so its lower score reflects this.

⚙️ Setup

To compare the British Berkefeld and Berkey systems for setup, we evaluated their ease of assembly and filter priming, as well as how long these processes took for each.

See our setup score and setup time for the units in the table below.

Product	Setup Score	Setup Time
Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl	9.00	20 minutes
Berkefeld Ultra Fluoride	9.00	20 minutes
Big Berkey	6.50	1 hour 20 minutes

This was yet another category that British Berkefeld excelled in. While both units took around 20 minutes to assemble, Berkey’s filter priming process added an extra hour onto the process and was extremely tedious.

Comparatively, the Berkefeld filters don’t require priming, so we could install and start using them straight away. 

🔧 Maintenance

As for maintenance, we assessed Berkey and British Berkefeld in this category by comparing their maintenance requirements and ongoing filter costs. 

The next table highlights the scores we awarded to each system.

Product	Maintenance Score	Servicing Requirements	Costs
Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl	9.25	Good	$0.09/gal
Berkefeld Ultra Fluoride	9.25	Good	$0.16/gal
Big Berkey	8.50	Weak	$0.13 gal

Although both systems are affordable to maintain, British Berkefed’s score was higher in this category because its replacement filters are also shipped pre-primed, so filter changes are much less of a hassle than Berkey’s. 

Servicing Requirements 

Replacing filters is the main servicing requirement for Berkey and British Berkefeld. 

British Berkefeld’s filters can be swapped out quickly because the new filters are already primed. For Berkey, you’ll need to carry out the same time-consuming filter priming process as for the initial set of filters. 

In terms of replacement frequency, British Berkefeld recommends replacing your filters every 6 months, while Berkey’s main filters can reportedly last over 10 years* if they’re cleaned every 12 months, and the PF-2 filters last around 6 months on average.

Both manufacturers recommend cleaning their filters with a Scotch Brite pad or toothbrush whenever you notice a decrease in filtration rate.

We also cleaned the vessels in both systems with warm water and soap about once a week. Unless you have a large kitchen sink, you’ll probably struggle to fit the chambers in the space, so cleaning can be a bit of a hassle. 

Maintenance Costs

Both Berkey and British Berkefeld have affordable ongoing costs, awarding them the highest score in this category. Berkey is slightly more affordable (supposedly, more on that below) – but British Berkefeld is still the best value for money. 

Here’s a breakdown of the costs for each of the brands’ filters:

Berkey:

• Black Berkey elements: $0.034/gallon
• Fluoride filters: $0.09/gallon

Total cost = $0.013 per gallon

Berkefeld:

• Ultra Sterasyl: $0.09 per gallon 
• Ultra Fluoride: $0.16 per gallon

That technically makes Berkey the more affordable option, because the unit with the fluoride filters is cheaper than the British Berkefeld unit with the Ultra Fluoride filters. 

But, that’s assuming that we believe Berkey’s filters really do have a 6,000-gallon water filtering capacity as claimed. If Berkey’s filters are actually closer to British Berkefeld’s 800-gallon filtering capacity, then their ongoing cost would actually be a lot higher!

🏢 Company

Finally, we compared two of the biggest distributors of British Berkefeld and Berkey: British Water Filter and Big Berkey Water Filters. Here, we assessed the companies’ warranty offerings and shipping & returns policies. 

See how both distributors matched up in the table below.

Product	Company Score	Warranty Length	Shipping	Returns
Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl	9.10	Lifetime	Free Shipping on orders over $99 to the contiguous US	30 days
Berkefeld Ultra Fluoride	9.10	Lifetime	Free Shipping on orders over $99 to the contiguous US	30 days
Big Berkey	9.10	Lifetime	Free shipping on orders over $99 to the lower 48 states	30 days

Both got identical scores in this category because their offerings were pretty much exactly the same. 

Warranty Length 

BigBerkeyWaterFilters.com and BritishWaterFilter.com offer a lifetime warranty for their systems. 

BritishWaterFilter.com also warrants the British Berkefeld filter candles for 6 months (the projected filter life). BigBerkeyWaterFilters.com warrants the Black Berkey elements for 2 years, but with some terms and conditions to be aware of.

• See BigBerkeyWaterFilter’s warranty terms here.
• See BritishWaterFilter’s warranty terms here. 

Shipping 

BigBerkeyWaterFilters.com and BritishWaterFilters.com offer free shipping to customers who live in one of the lower 48 states.

But there’s a catch: when purchasing from either of these distributors, you have to spend at least $99 to be eligible for free shipping. Berkey systems and filters cost more than this anyway, but you may end up paying out of pocket to ship British Berkefeld replacement filters, depending on the type and quantity you go for. 

Returns

Both distributors entitle customers to a 30-day returns policy, allowing you to try their products and return them if they’re not for you.

This is a pretty common offering for countertop water filters now, and once again, both sellers are even in this category.

🆚 British Berkefeld or Berkey: Which One’s for You?

Although they look and behave similarly, we think British Berkefeld has the better offering. 

British Berkefeld is Best For:

• Spending less money upfront on a system that comes with a stainless steel spigot and the option of an all-in-one ceramic fluoride-removing filter. 
• Easy setup and maintenance with filters that are shipped ready to use.
• The reassurance of performance certifications and a lead-free materials certification. 

Go for Berkey If:

• You’re not bothered about certifications and think that Berkey’s third-party testing data will suffice. 
• You prefer Berkey’s faster filtration rate. 

Choose Neither If:

• You want to reduce fluoride but are concerned about the activated alumina leaching from the filters. In this case, we recommend the Waterdrop King Tank, which reduced 100% fluoride in our testing without unwanted leaching.