BRITA MAXTRA + Water Filter Cartridges - Pack of 12

These were supplied as Maxtra+ rather than the pictured (old) Maxtra, and they are RUBBISH. They filter extremely slowly, to the point where you think they've stopped.Why do companies always have to mess with things that work well?

I have been using filter jugs here and in the US for well over a decade, so my review will be a bit "comparative".I have owned jugs that feature Brita, Aqua Optima and PUR (in the US) filters. So how do these stuck up to the others, especially the easily found Aqua Optima?-Taste:This is the most important aspect for me and it is a point where Brita comes after both Aqua Optima and PUR. If you give me a glass of water from a Brita jug, I can immediately recognise it - it has a slight yet distinctive taste. Of course it is a great improvement over tap water, however Aqua Optima and PUR give me water closer to good spring water - I can't really tell they came from a specific filtration method.-Filtration speed:Brita is in the middle of the "speed" spectrum between the fastest (Aqua Optima) and the slowest (PUR - especially when the filter is getting old).-Filter replacement:It's a shame neither Brita nor Aqua Optima feature the built-in indicator old PUR filters used to have which moved depending on the filtered water. So you just have to rely on the counter on your jug (my Brita Marela counter cheats too...).-Price:It is a bit more expensive than Aqua Optima, especially if you buy the double life Aqua Optima filters, so when it does not perform better as it seems to me, it is not such a good value.So, I'd be happy with these if I had not tried alternatives. Note that I don't have a lab to measure the actual filtration performance, so I only compare what is perceivable to a regular user.

I've used these since buying my Brita water filter jug around 4 years ago. In my opinion, the originals are the best in this case. My Mother used cheap supermarket alternatives in her filter jug, and they turned the water black. They also smelled nasty in use, and the water tasted both chalky and metallic.These Brita filters are the real deal and the best option in my opinion. The water from them is always crystal clear, and tastes the way water should.I tend to run each filter for 2 months instead of 1. They are more than capable of producing the same quality filtered water for this period of time. If you take this into account, you can easily get 2 years' worth of filters for the price of 1. Bargain!

The water does not taste as nice with these as with the one I bought earlier.Unsure as to why as it is also by BRITA.I noticed immediately with the first cartridge and after having used four cartridges, the taste has not improved.Will not buy this product again.

First off these are great value for money: a 12 pack breaks down as £2.49 per cartridge. Over 30 days that's 8 pence per day. To buy a 1.5 litre bottle of Volvic is about 64p from the supermarket, so that's a saving of 56p per day / £16.80 per month! Not to mention that fact that shop bought plastic bottles contain Phthalates. Although water, in and of itself, does not go bad, the plastic bottle it is contained in does "expire" and will eventually start leaching chemicals into the water. If you look at the expiry dates on bottled water, it's 2 years, so in theory that water could have been sitting on the shelf for that long! For me personally, I like cold fresh water, which I've filtered and from which I know the source. i.e. my kitchen tap! I've been using Maxtra Water Filter Cartridges for 5 years now and won't use anything else. My Brita fridge jug has also stood the test of time and is still going strong. My jug has a set timer which indicates when the cartridge needs replacing. I always make sure to give the jug a good clean each month before inserting the new cartridge. The cartridge is so easy to use. It comes in a sealed plastic bag, which is easy to open and has clear instructions. After I've cleaned the jug, I submerge the filter in water for 30 seconds to ensure it's fully soaked then insert it into the filter hole in the jug. From there I push down gently until I feel it click into place. After I add water and let it filter through, pour away then repeat twice more, close the lid, set the timer and place in the fridge to chill! That's it! Now I have fresh water for the next 30 days and at a fraction of the cost of what it would cost me to buy in the shops. The taste of the filtered water is very clean with no strange aftertaste - I often find that shop bought water has a slight metallic taste and bizarrely sometimes fails to quench my thirst. A truly great product and one that I'll continue to use for years to come. Thanks Brita for making such a quality product.