Written by: Gene Fitzgerald // Expert Fact-Checking: Buddhini Dolapihilla, MBSS // Last Updated: Feb 1, 2024
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In this review, we’ll be taking a closer look at the Mavea Elemaris XL Water Filter Pitcher to see how it works and if it’s worth your money. Let’s get started!
Note: Mavea no longer manufactures new pitchers. You can still buy replacement filters if you own a Mavea pitcher, but new Mavea pitchers are no longer for sale.
The Mavea Elemaris XL Water Filter Pitcher filters water using MAVEA MAXTRA technology. This technology features activated carbon media that adsorbs chlorine and other chemicals and ion exchange beads that soften hard water and trap heavy metals.
What’s more, Mavea filter media is silverized, preventing bacterial growth and thus prolonging the filter’s lifespan. Mavea also uses a micro-screen that reduces the release of carbon particles into the filtered water.
Aside from the filtration process, the Mavea Elemaris XL has a 9-cup filtered water capacity and an automatic pour-through lid that allows for easy refills. It has a 40-gallon per cartridge capacity, and replacement cartridges cost about $75 annually.
Made in Germany, the Mavea pitcher comes with a filter life indicator that displays the remaining filter capacity as well as when to change the filter.
Product warranty: 60 days.
The Mavea Elemaris XL pitcher has its fair share of pros. First, it’s made from BPA-free materials, so you don’t need to worry about recontaminating your water.
But what’s even more important, we have some NSF-standardized testing for contamination reduction rates. Testing was conducted against NSF standards 42 and 53 (more on that below).
Then, replacement cartridges are really affordable – around $75 a year or $10 per cartridge.
Besides, the water pitcher keeps you up-to-date with filter replacements with its filter life indicator. The Mavea Meter micro-computer uses a 3-way measurement to determine when to change filters. The display of the MAVEA Meter clearly shows how much capacity the current filter has left and when it’s time for a new one, which is pretty cool.
The pitcher is also designed for easy refills, thanks to its automatic pour-through lid.
Finally, the Mavea Elemaris XL has rubberized feet that keep it from scratching on surfaces and a rubberized handle for a more comfortable grip.
The Mavea pitcher is claimed to remove:
You can assemble and prime the Mavea Elemaris XL Water Filter Pitcher in a few simple steps. Here’s what to do:
The Mavea Elemaris XL is one of the more affordable pitchers to maintain – maintenance costs around $75 a year, or $10 per cartridge. And as mentioned before, the Intelligent filter status feature (Mavea Meter) also lets you know when to change the filter so you never miss a replacement date.
Here’s how to read the filter life indicator:
Filter capacity is 40 gallons which is rather short. To change a filter:
Here is a link to the official manual:
https://www.mavea.com/downloads/1054251-00-ELA_GA_MAXTRA_2023_MAVEA_v01_150dpi.pdf
We checked online, and this pitcher only holds the NSF 42 certification for material safety.
To our knowledge, there are no earlier versions of this product.
The biggest con with this pitcher is that Mavea no longer manufactures it. This also means replacement parts like new lids or filter life indicators are no longer available. And although Mavea still sells replacement filters, it’s possible that they could stop selling those too eventually.
In addition, we checked online for Mavea’s NSF certifications and found only one for NSF standard 42 (material safety only). However, Navea claims to have NSF standards 42, 53, and 372 – this makes us a little skeptical.
Aside from that, the Mavea is only tested for the reduction of 6 water impurities/contaminants and even these reduction rates are lackluster.
And then there’s the issue of the warranty – even if you could still claim your warranty (which we doubt), it would only cover the first 60 days after purchase.
In our opinion, the Mavea Elemaris XL Water Filter Pitcher is best for water with low contamination levels. The reason is that the pitcher apparently isn’t tested or certified – at least as far as we can tell – to remove a wide range of harmful substances. So, if you’re not dealing with a lot of pollutants and you’d just like better-tasting water, this pitcher might serve the purpose.
Overall, customer feedback for Mavea water filters is positive. We saw positive reviews with people expressing that they like the taste of the filtered water and that their pitcher handles hard water well.
That said, the Mavea water filter pitcher isn’t available anymore, so…
How does the Mavea Elemaris XL fare against its competitors? Let’s compare it to two other water filter pitchers: the Clearly Filtered and the Epic Pure/Nano.
The Clearly Filtered holds the cake amongst water filter pitchers. It’s been tested against NSF standards 42, 53, and 401 to remove over 350 water contaminants. This testing is pretty hardcore for a water filter pitcher, and the results are impressive – the Clearly Filtered pitcher is certainly much more powerful than the Mavea Elemaris.
The Clearly Filtered Pitcher (reviewed) removes contaminants like fluoride, disinfection byproducts, chromium-6, lead, chlorine, pesticides, chloramine, VOCs, PFAS, semi-volatile compounds, radiologicals, arsenic, pharmaceuticals, and more. It has a filter life of 4 months (100 gallons), a total storage of 17 cups, and a 10-cup filtered volume — this beats the Mavea.
The Clearly Filtered Pitcher filters water using several proprietary filter media and granular activated carbon. It’s built with BPA-free materials and made in the USA.
Other noticeable perks are the removable lid that makes refilling easier and the 30-day satisfaction guarantee and lifetime limited warranty. The only downside with the Clearly Filtered Pitcher is high purchase and maintenance cost.
The Epic Pure/Nano is another quality water filter pitcher. It costs less than the Clearly Filtered but is still very effective.
The Epic Pure pitcher (detailed review) is designed for fluoridated tap water, while the Epic Nano can handle well water (with microorganisms). Nano and Pure cartridges are designed to be interchangeable, so you can swap them when the need arises.
Epic filters remove over 200 contaminants in water. They are tested against NSF standards 42, 53, 401, and the Epic Nano has additional testing for P231 (for microorganisms).Contaminants removed include mercury, chlorine, VOCs, nitrate, disinfection byproducts, PFOA, pesticides, sulfate, fluoride, arsenic, PFAS, hexavalent chromium, lead, cadmium, and pharmaceuticals.
Epic pitchers are made with BPA-free materials in the USA and come with a lifetime warranty and stress-free return policy. They have a long filter life of 150 gallons (more than Clearly Filtered and Mavea), and a 14.8-cup total storage.
Epic pitchers have a filter life countdown timer that tells you when to replace cartridges. There are also some privileges to enjoy when you purchase an Epic pitcher. For example, you benefit from Epic’s recycling program, where you exchange four used filters and get one replacement filter in return. Epic also has special discounts for teachers, students, first responders, medical personnel, seniors, military personnel, and employees and owners of non-profit organizations.
Bottom line: The Clearly Filtered Pitcher is our favorite here. Epic comes in a close second. The Mavea filter pitcher isn’t as effective as the Clearly Filtered and Epic pitchers, plus it’s no longer available for sale. You couldn’t get a new one even if you wanted to.
This completes our review of the Mavea Elemaris XL Water Filter Pitcher. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
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