Review: Mavea Elemaris XL Water Filter Pitcher – New 2023
Written by: Gene Fitzgerald // Last Updated:
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Contents
- Mavea Water Filtration Pitchers – Key Features
- Mavea Water Filter Pros
- Setup & Filter Replacements
- Manual
- Mavea Water Filter Cons
- Mavea Water Filter Review: Our Verdict + Best for
Mavea water filter pitchers are good for waters that taste a little off but are mostly free from lead, chromium-6, PFOA etc. That’s because Mavea pitchers aren’t tested or certified – at least as far as we can tell – to remove a wide range of harmful contaminants. So if your goal is better-testing water a Mavea pitcher might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Let’s find out what a Mavea filter pitcher can and cannot do for you!
Mavea Elemaris XL | |
| Price: | $ |
| # of Contaminants: | 5 |
| NSF Standards: | 42, 53 |
| Filter Capacity: | 40 Gallons |
| Warranty: | 1 Year |
Our Rating
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Mavea Water Filtration Pitchers – Key Features
Mavea water filter pitchers come in different shapes, colors, and sizes. But as long as they’re part of the newer Elemaris or Marella generation, they use the Mavea Maxtra filter cartridge to eliminate chlorine taste and odor, benzene, and atrazine (a pesticide).
In other words, Mavea pitchers are mainly for improving water aesthetics. Sure, the company also mentions mercury and copper as candidates on the contaminant reduction list, but only the removal of the first three substances is certified by the Water Quality Association according to NSF/ANSI standards 42 and 53.
What’s inside a Maxtra filter? A mix of granular activated carbon and ion exchange resin beads, so nothing special really. By the way, the ion exchange media also has a softening effect reducing limescale which might come in handy if you’re facing hard water.
Furthermore, the filter media contains silver to inhibit the growth of bacteria and thus maximize filter life.
Mavea Water Filter Pros
More advantages:
- Mavea water filtration pitchers are both affordable upfront and affordable to maintain.
- Mavea products are engineered in Germany.
- Only BPA-free plastic used.
- The unusual filter shape ensures consistent water flow, says Mavea.
- There’s a 1-year warranty covering each pitcher.
One example for a Mavea pitcher model is the Elemaris XL. It can hold up to 9 cups of water. Its two most important features are the pour-through lid and the smart meter.
The lid allows you to fill the pitcher without removing any parts. You can simply hold the pitcher under running water. The water opens the lid and also closes it when the reservoir is full.
According to Mavea, the smart meter measures water hardness and also tracks your water usage and for how long you’ve been using the same filter cartridge. Based on this data the meter tells you when it’s time for a new filter (more on this in a bit).
Last but not least, the Mavea Elemaris XL comes with a rubberized feet to prevent scratching on surfaces as well as a rubberized handle for a comfortable grip.
Mavea Recycling Program
Some online sources say otherwise, but Mavea does no longer accept filters for recycling.
Setup & Filter Replacements
The Mavea Maxtra doesn’t require priming. That’s convenient and makes the assembly even quicker, but we don’t consider initial flushing as it is required with most other water filter pitchers a big deal to be honest.
In terms of maintenance, a new filter is required after every 40 gallons of filtered water – bacteriostatic silver or not.
The good news is replacement filters are super affordable and you can save even more when buying in bulk.
Manual
Sorry, we couldn’t find a manual. We couldn’t even find a performance data sheet for the Mavea Maxtra.
Mavea Water Filter Cons
Our main issue is we’re not sure if Mavea is still selling pitchers in the U.S. The company’s website says they continue to offer products in North America, however, it seems like all Mavea pitchers that can be bought online are currently out of stock. What we know with certainty is that replacement filters are available at amazon.com and other stores.
Above that, Mavea stopped providing replacement parts for its pitchers. So if the battery of the water meter dies you basically cannot replace it. No replacement parts is also a problem when the pitcher handle starts leaking or breaks off. This has happened to a few people.
And speaking of the water meter, we’d really like to know how it measures water volume. Because it looks like there’s a water hardness sensor but other than that… Our guess: The meter calculates the remaining filter life based on water hardness and time. This would mean that it might tell you to install a new filter although there’s some filtration capacity left.
Mavea Water Filter Review: Our Verdict + Best for
Overall customer feedback for Mavea water filter pitchers is positive. People like how the filtered water tastes and many report that their unit handles hard water well. That’s our impression, too.
Just don’t confuse a Mavea with a water filter pitcher tested and/or certified to remove harmful pollutants to provide highly clean, safe drinking water. If that’s what you need you should look somewhere else.
In our opinion, the Mavea pitcher is best for basic water treatment only.
More Reviews:
- Haven’t found your ideal water filter pitcher yet? This list with our filter pitcher top picks might help!
- Also see: Water Filter Pitchers for Well Water – Reviews & Comparison
This completes our Mavea water filter review. Questions? Ask away!
About the Author Gene Fitzgerald
