5/5

posted Dec-16-2010

"After getting a quote of approximately $950 for a reverse-osmosis water filter from a local company, I decided to look to see if there was a cheaper alternative. A web search turned up APEC, with filters that seemed to do just as much, if not more, for about 1/3 the cost. I ordered one with a bit of trepidation wondering what the quality would be like.

When the box arrived, I opened it and was immediately impressed by the competent packaging and obvious quality of the components. There is nothing "cheap" about it. The installation instructions are good. I did note a couple of very minor points that could be corrected, and a few details that could be elaborated upon a bit, but all in all they are well done.

You may have to buy some additional fittings. The installation assumes you have a 1/2" pipe feedwater line to your cold faucet. I have 3/8" compression, so I had to come up with my own fittings to make it work. It's my belief that in plumbing it's possible to adapt anything to anything, and a F-M-M compression tee, a connecting hose for an icemaker, a compression to 1/4" pipe adapter, and a 1/4" to 1/8" pipe adapter again proves the point. An easier solution would be a self-piercing saddle for 1/2" copper tubing, but I didn't want to go that route.

Installation, except for having to crawl under the sink, went fairly well. BE CAREFUL to use the proper tubing inserts with the compression fittings (the instructions warn you about this), be sure to push the tubing fully into the quick-connect fittings, and expect leaks anyway. Or maybe you'll be luckier than I was. I hate plumbing, and maybe the plumbing gods conspire against me because of it.

Installation of the faucet was probably the hardest part. I was concerned about drilling the hole, but I bought a top-quality coated 1/2" 135 degree split point screw machine twist drill and had little trouble. I first center punched the hole location with a good whack on a sharp punch and had no problem with getting the hole where I wanted it.

It was almost impossible to reach the nut that holds the faucet in place, but I was just able to. It would have helped to add a stack of washers, or some other spacer, to move the nut down to where it was easier to reach.

I discovered that the compression nuts, advertised as requiring a 1/2" wrench, are actually 13mm.

The claim of "Made in the USA" may be slightly exaggerated--the bottoms of the filter containers say CHINA on them--but certainly most of the parts are made in the USA, it's assembled in the USA, and regardless of where some of the parts may be from, they are all of excellent quality.

It all tucked under the sink with no problem, even though we have a garbage disposal. It's chugging away as I type, filling the storage tank. It's good!
"

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5/5

posted Feb-09-2008

"GREAT COMPANY! This company stands out from the rest as a well-organized, professional business, that goes over the top in customer support. They competitively provide a superior RO water system with superb documentation. They even go so far as to color code all the tubing to the filters and supply sources. If you have a question now or years later, they promptly provide the comprehensive answer. In fact, they go to extremes to not over-sell the product replacement filters. Each kit comes with a water tester to help you determine when it's time to change components. GREAT COMPANY!!!"

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5/5

posted Jan-12-2012

"I purchased my APEC RO system in early December. I researched different manufactures and the entire Reverse Osmosis technology and found APEC to be the best company for this product. American made was another big seller for the company with American made parts; I really didn’t want something made in China or overseas. After a couple of weeks of research I kept coming back to APEC water systems, after a pro’s and con’s list APEC RO system came on top.

When I received the water system the instructions are straight forward and easy to read and installation is easy as well. Your average home owner or person can install one of these water systems. The hoses are color coded and you really can’t mess that up.

I have been using it now for about a month and what a great addition to the kitchen, we use it from drinking water, cooking to my new infant’s formula milk and making some really great hot tea.

Prior to the water system me and my wife was always going to the store to refill 1 gallon jugs for filtered water and it just became a burden over time. This water system is right at the sink or wherever you place it, and ready and available to use.

Future next step is that my wife wants an entire whole house filter system and APEC will be the company I go with.

I would highly recommend this to family and friends and I have.
"

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5/5

posted Sep-14-2011

"Great unit. Very well-engineered. I spoke to a sales rep at length. Very knowledgeable, helpful and patient. I had a lot of detailed questions - competent and helpful support."

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5/5

posted May-07-2011

"I serched the internet to see what RO I should purchase. I dont have much money in this day and age, however clean water for my family is important, and I have had a kenmore in the past and know that it will be cheaper to buy and RO than it is to buy 80 cent jugs of water. Amazing! and so much better, dont have to carry heavy containers, store lots of jugs or worry about running out.

I read online you should buy made in the USA RO's, because they are tested and built to last, and overseas ones are not regulated and they dont test them, also known for problems.

I was thinking it would be nice to have one for my plants as well, so i purchased both, one on ebay for only 90.00 including shipping, five stage ro with no tank or faucet. I wanted to see how it worked before i spent 300 on a usa model. I hooked it up, and bingo, no water, not a drop came out, after working back and fourth with the guy oversease threw ebay, he had to send me a refurbished membrain. OMG!

I was so frustrated with the time i spent trying to make it work, I was cursing at the guy online.

I never got it to work by the way.

So i purchased a new one from APEC, the company is a five star company hands down. I allrady have a brass faucet and big tank, so they sold me just the parts i needed for a discounted price and threw in free shipping. The agent allways answered all my questions promptly. His name is Calvin W.

The unit arived in two days, i hooked it up following the best instructions ever, and it worked beutifully. I was so happy, and my family is drinking the best water in the world. They also gave me a free digital tester and the tester said the parts per million was only like 6 or something incredibly low.

HURRAY for APEC if I only listened and just purchased the USA made product the first time i could have spent two more entire days with my kids, dam China products! "

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5/5

posted Jun-18-2008

"I read the previous review and was convinced it was written by their marketing department. However, I am very satisfied with my purchase. It was shipped promptly and received quickly. The instructions were clear and concise and appeared to have been written by someone who reads, writes and speaks english. Very shortly after installing I noticed a piece of black plastic at the end of the faucet where the water is dispensed was split and the plastic came off easily. I don't think it was a big deal because you still got the same water and the uncovered end of the faucet didn't look bad at all. But since it was new I called them and they said they would send out a new one. A couple days later my wife mentioned that there was water around the base of the faucet and when I tested it I discovered that after dispensing water when I released the handle to turn it off several drops of water would leak out and collect around the base. I decided to wait until I got the black plastic piece before I called and complained about this problem, also somtimes very small water leaks fix themselves. When the package came it contained an entire new faucet and a prepaid UPS return label to send back the bad one. I installed the new faucet and everything has worked perfectly since. When I test my water coming out of the regular faucet (with the free tester they included) it contains about 230 to 250 ppm contaminates, the filtered water is about 24 ppm. I tested the bottled water we have been buying and it tests at about 32 to 37 ppm. So the water we get is cleaner than bottled water at the store. I would definately recommend both the company and the product at this stage.

Update - Apr. 19, 2009. The new faucet they sent, as mentioned in my original review, has worked perfectly for the 10 or so months that we have had the system. I tested the water a few days ago and it is still at about 24 ppm contaminants, so the same as it was when the system was new. We made a smart choice when we got this one!"

This review was modified by Nasshorn on April 19 2009 07:35:46 PM

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5/5

posted Jan-12-2012

"Purchased the RO-45 System. Ice cubes are clearer, water went from 258PPM to 10 PPM. It even beat out the reverse osmosis bottled water we were buying. Highly recommend for anyone wanting better quality water for your family."

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5/5

posted Dec-29-2011

"APEC sells a truly great RO system that is worth every bit of the initial cost, since you're paying for clean drinking water.

The unit itself is made of noticeably high quality components and the manual was written with great attention to detail, so that even a complete novice could have everything set up and running within a few hours. Using the complimentary water purity tester shows an immediate difference between unfiltered tap and filtered output. Measuring the output again a few months later revealed that the water was even purer than it was at initial setup, which means that the unit is really doing its job, and doing it very well to boot. The filtered water tastes great, whereas the tap tastes nasty.

I would not hesitate to recommend a reverse osmosis system from APEC, one of the few companies left that still makes its products in the USA."

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5/5

posted Aug-29-2011

"I am very pleased with all aspects of ordering a reverse osmosis system from APEC. I examined their website for information on reverse osmosis systems and their system in particular. I contacted their customer service to find answers for my unique situation and they answered all my questions. The system arrived at my home and it was easy to install using their unusually clear instructions."

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