Epic Water Filter Pitchers Review: Pure & Nano (Updated: 2023)

Considering buying the Epic Pure or the Epic Nano water filter pitcher? Keen to know more about these two popular Epic products? You’ll find everything you need to know in this Epic water filter pitcher review.

🧾 Overview

The Epic Pure and the Epic Nano are two water filter pitchers offered by Epic Water Filters. These water filter pitchers are virtually identical in appearance, but they have one key difference: the Epic Pure filter is designed for treating city tap water, while the Epic Nano filter is designed for surface or well water treatment.

The Epic Pure water filter currently costs around $10 more than the Epic Nano filter. Both filters cost less than $100, so they’re a good value for money.

📝 System Specifications

SystemEpic Pure Pitcher Filter
Epic Pure Pitcher Filter
Epic Nano Pitcher Filter
Epic Nano Pitcher Filter
Use WithCity WaterSurface or Well Water
Ratings4.5/54.5/5
Upper Reservoir1.5 liters (51 ounces)1.5 liters (51 ounces)
Lower Reservoir2 liters (68 ounces)2 liters (68 ounces)
Filter Lifespan150 gallons150 gallons
MaterialsBPA-free plasticBPA-free plastic
FilterSolid activated carbon blockNanoalumina, PAC, silver, spunbond polyester
WarrantyLifetimeLifetime
Learn More

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💡 Features

Features of the Epic Pure and Epic Nano

The Epic Nano and the Epic Pur water filter pitchers share virtually the same features. Below, we’ve listed some of the features that both of these filters have in common.

Gravity Filter Design

Both Epic filters are gravity filters, meaning that they use gravity filtration to remove contaminants from water. Water flows from the top reservoir to the bottom reservoir, passing through a filter in the process.

2-Liter Filtered water Capacity

The Epic Pure and the Epic Nano filter jugs hold 1.5 liters of unfiltered water in the top reservoir and 2 liters of filtered water in the bottom reservoir, totalling just under 1 gallon.

BPA-Free Design

All the plastic parts in both water pitchers are entirely BPA-free, so they won’t leach anything harmful into your water. The filters are 100% made in the USA.

LED Filter Timer

Both jugs come with an integrated LED filter life countdown timer, which counts down 90 days from the moment you install the filter, letting you know when the filter needs to be replaced.

Epic water filter pitcher timer

Space-Saving Design

The Epic Pure and Epic Nano pitchers are both compact jugs that are designed to fit perfectly in your refrigerator.

High-Performance Filter

Though the filters vary in what they can remove, both the Epic Pure and the Epic Nano filter are highly capable, each removing more than 200 contaminants.

Features of the Epic Pure

Activated Carbon Block Filter Media Blend

The Epic Pure uses a blend of activated carbon block filter media, which adsorbs common city water contaminants.

Features of the Epic Nano

Nanoalimuna and Spunbond Polyester Filter Media

The Epic Nano uses two layers of spunbond polyester that sandwich a nanoactivated alumina, powdered activated carbon & silver media which removes common well water contaminants down to microbial level.

📝 Filter Info

Epic Pure

The Epic Pure water filtration system uses a solid carbon block filter that blends three activated carbon media.

Activated carbon block is the most effective filtration media for removing common public drinking water contaminants, like chlorine. The filter’s adsorption process pulls contaminants out of water and sticks them to the media, allowing only water particles to pass through.

The solid carbon block design extends the filter’s contact time with water, allowing for greater contaminant removal.

epic pure solid block carbon filter cartridge

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Epic Nano

The Epic Nano uses a nanoalumina, PAC, silver and spun bound polyester filter.

Activated alumina is a relatively new filter media that adsorbs contaminants like fluoride and arsenic. Nanoactivated alumina is capable of nanofiltration, enabling the Epic Nano to remove microbiological contaminants.

Polyester has excellent dirt holding abilities and doesn’t cause a significant drop in pressure, so it’s a good choice for gravity filtration. This filter is ideal for camping, well water, or when boil water advisories are issued.

Epic Nano water filter cartridge

🧫 Contaminants Removed

Epic Pure

The Epic Pure filter removes more than 200 contaminants from water, including chlorine, chloramine, fluoride, nitrate, arsenic, aluminum, lead, chromium-6, iron, pesticides, VOCs, TTHMs, pharmaceuticals, herbicides, and microplastics.

The Epic Pure filtration system targets all of the most common city water contaminants, so it’s the ideal choice for people who get their tap water from a municipal supplier. The filter has been tested to remove contaminants according to NSF/ANSI Standard 42 (chlorine, taste & odor), 53 (health-harming contaminants, like lead), and 401 (emerging contaminants, like pharmaceuticals and some pesticides). The filter has also been tested for the reduction of PFOS, PFOA, and haloacetic acids.

The table below lists the contaminants that the Epic Pure water filter can remove or reduce.

ContaminantRemoval Rate
Benzene99.8%
Chlorine98.4%
Fluoride97.88%
Nitrate88.2%
Chloramine 98.89%
Sulfate79.6%
Aluminum76.70%
Arsenic94%
Cadmium96.70%
Chromium 699.20%
Copper 95.80%
Iron99.94%
Lead99.94%
Mercury 91.80%
Chloromethane>99%
MTBE>98.2%
Pesticides>99.8%
VOCs>99.0%
Total Trihalomethanes>99.4
Pharmaceuticals>99%
Herbicides >99%
Haloacetic Acid>99.99%
Perfluorooctanoic Acid
(PFOA)
>99.6%
Perfluorooctanane
Sulfonate (PFOS)
>99.8%
Microplastics99.62%
Radiological Elements99.73%

See datasheet for complete list.

Epic Nano

The Epic Nano also removes more than 200 contaminants from water, including giardia, E.coli, nitrite, fluoride, arsenic, pesticides, iron, manganese, zinc, PFOS and PFOA, VOCs, pesticides, TTHMs, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, herbicides, and radiological elements.

The Epic Nano’s contaminant removal capabilities are very similar to the Epic Pure’s, but the Epic Nano can also remove radiological and microbiological contaminants, and the Epic Nano can’t remove some contaminants that the Epic Pure can remove, like chloramine.

Like the Epic Pure, the Epic Nano has been third-party tested according to NSF Standards 42, 53, and 401, and tested separately for PFOS, PFOA, and haloacetic acids reduction.

The contaminants reduced or removed by the Epic Nano are listed in the table below.

ContaminantRemoval Rate
E. coli99.99%
Giardia99.99%
Cryptosporidium99.99%
Kiebsiella pneumoniae99.99%
Pseudomonas aerugini99.99%
Virus MS2 Phage99.95%
Lead99.4%
Chlorine96.8%
Fluoride68%
Nitrate88.2%
Sulfate91.8%
Aluminum99.5%
Cadmium96.7%
Chromium 696.6%
Copper98.9%
Lead99.4%
Mercury91.8%
Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)>99.6%
Perfluorooctanane
Sulfonate (PFOS)
>99.8%
Pesticides>99.9%
VOCs>99.0%
PCB's>99%
Herbicides >99%
Bisphenol A>99%
Radiological Elements>99.73%

See datasheet for complete list.

🚦 Performance

Epic Pure

In terms of contaminant removal, you can’t fault the performance of the Epic Pure. This pitcher water filtration system can remove far more than a handful of contaminants – it targets both chlorine and chloramine (a rare feat for any water filter, let alone one as small as a gravity pitcher filter), as well as fluoride and arsenic (two notoriously difficult-to-remove contaminants), and over 200 more.

The flow rate of the Epic Pure is pretty decent for a gravity filter. A new filter takes about 11 minutes to filter a full jug of water. This flow rate gets somewhat slower as the filter begins to degrade. If you want to drink water from the jug as it’s filtering, you can do – pouring from the spout won’t cause cross-contamination.

epic pure water filter pitcher sitting on countertop

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Epic Nano

The Epic Nano has a similarly impressive performance, rivalling a reverse osmosis system with its ability to remove microorganisms, fluoride, heavy metals, and VOCs – but the benefit of this filter is that it retains healthy trace minerals in water.

The Epic Nano’s flow rate is slightly slower (unsurprising, given that the pitcher uses a nanofilter). A new filter takes about 18 minutes to filter a full 2-liter batch of water. This flow rate slows to beyond 20 minutes when the filter is nearing the end of its lifespan.

Girl getting water from epic nano water filter pitcher

⚙️ Setup

Water filter pitchers are some of the easiest filter models to set up at home, requiring virtually no DIY experience. Epic Water Filters offers a simple design for both its pitcher filters, so assembling these pitchers is quick, tool-free, and commonsense.

Both filters require exactly the same setup:

  1. Open the box and remove the pitcher and filter. Recycle or compost the packaging.
  2. Use warm water and mild soap to hand-wash the pitcher reservoir and shell, and wipe down the lid with a sponge dipped in water.
  3. Attach the filter to the top reservoir and attach the lid, then fill the top reservoir with water. Water passes through the filter from the top reservoir and fills the bottom reservoir.
  4. Discard the first and second batches of water. The filter will now be primed and ready to use.

The Epic Water filters are quicker and easier to assemble than similar filters offered by competitors. Why? Because you don’t have to pre-soak the filters or run them under cold tap water before you can use them. You’ll just need to prime them by filtering two batches of water.

🕖 Filter Longevity & Replacement

Both the Epic Pure and the Epic Nano have identical filter capacities and lifespans. On average, the filters in both Epic Water filtration systems last for 150 gallons. How this gallon capacity equates to time depends on your water usage.

According to Epic Water Filters, both filters should last for three to four months on average (with “normal use”). If you fill the pitcher up once or twice per day (“light use”), the filter should last for four to six months, and if you fill the pitcher more than three times per day (“heavy use”), the filter will last for two to three months.

In our testing, we needed to replace the filter every three months, and most customer reviews indicate the same. This lifespan is bang-on average for a water filter pitcher. The timer on the pitcher lid is set to 90 days, so you shouldn’t forget to replace your water filters when needed.

💡 Replacement filters are available on the Epic Water Filters website, and you can sign up to the manufacturer’s subscription delivery service, Clean Water Club, to save 20% on replacement filter costs.

Changing the filters is easy – you just unscrew the filter from the underside of the top reservoir and screw the new filter in place.

Our readers get 20% off at epicwaterfilters.com 👉 Click here to get your coupon.

🔔 Pros & Cons

👍 What We Like

  • The Epic Nano and Pure filters are some of the best gravity pitcher filters we’ve used. They can each remove more than 200 harmful contaminants, making them only second-best to the Clearly Filtered pitcher, which can remove 365 contaminants.
  • Both filters offer performance akin to reverse osmosis (especially the Epic Nano, which removes bacteria like E.coli), without removing beneficial minerals from drinking water. You get the best water quality from these water pitcher filters.
  • The Epic water pitcher models are all designed and manufactured in the USA, so you know the quality is there.
  • Replacement filters for these pitchers are easy to buy online, and you only need to buy around four filters per year.
  • The Epic pitchers come with a lifetime warranty, which entitles customers to a 100% refund if they’re unsatisfied with their filter throughout the entirety of its lifespan.

👎 What We Don’t Like

  • Once the filters have been used a few times, both the Epic Nano and Pure take about 15-20 minutes to filter water in a full pitcher. While this is fairly standard for gravity pitchers, if you want to drink filtered water on demand, these Epic filters probably aren’t suitable for you.
  • You can’t get an Epic filter that removes high levels of chlorine and chloramine and microorganisms. You can only buy one or the other.
  • The replacement filters for these Epic pitcher models are expensive. You pay for the privilege of 200+ contaminant removal.
  • There aren’t multiple water pitcher designs and styles to choose from. Pitchers come in a single size, with a 2-liter filtered water capacity.

❔ Frequently Asked Questions

Are the Epic Pure and Epic Nano filters interchangeable?

Yes, the Epic Pure and Epic Nano filters are interchangeable. What this means is that you can use either filter in the same pitcher, as they’re both the same size and shape. So, if your drinking water is supplied by a municipality and a boil water notice is issued, you could switch from the Epic Pure filter to the Epic Nano filter to ensure your water was free from microorganisms. You could also use the Epic Nano filter in your Epic Pure pitcher while camping or traveling.

Are the Epic water filters NSF certified?

No, neither of these Epic filter models have official NSF certifications. However, both the Epic Pure and the Epic Nano are tested according to NSF 42, 53, and 401. This means that the filters have been third-party tested to reduce substances outlined in these three NSF certifications.

Are the Epic pitchers fluoride water filters?

Yes. Both Epic Water filters can remove fluoride. The Epic Pure (which is intended for fluorinated city water) removes more than 97% of fluoride, while the Epic Nano (which is intended for well water) only removes 68%.

How long do Epic Water filters last?

Both the Epic Nano and Pure are designed to last for 150 gallons, or three to four months. Your filter may last a few weeks longer than this, or it may not last as long, depending on your water quality and daily water consumption.

Do Epic filters remove minerals?

No. Both Epic pitcher filters retain healthy minerals like calcium and magnesium in tap water.

What other Epic products are there?

As well as its pitcher filters, Epic Water Filters also offers a range of bottle filters and dispenser filters.

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