Home & Kitchen · Head-to-head
Waterdrop G3P600 Reverse Osmosis System vs APEC ROES-50 Essence
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Reverse Osmosis Systems: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The G3P600 gets rid of the storage tank, produces 600 gallons a day, wastes half what older systems do, and tells you its TDS and filter life at the faucet. The APEC is the better buy if you want a system with no power supply, no electronics and a published operating envelope you can check against your own water.
Waterdrop G3P600 Reverse Osmosis System
Buy itTankless, 600 gallons a day, and the only system here that reports its own water quality.
- 600 GPD tankless output, so there is no pressure tank eating the cupboard and no stale stored water.
- A 2:1 pure-to-drain ratio, against the 3:1 and 4:1 that older tank systems typically run.
- Certified to NSF/ANSI 42, 58 and 372, and the smart faucet displays TDS and remaining filter life.
- It needs mains electricity, so a power cut means no filtered water.
- At 32.4 pounds and 18.11 by 5.67 by 17.73 inches it is the largest single unit here.
- Three filter lives to track, at 6, 12 and 24 months.
APEC ROES-50 Essence
Buy itNo electronics, no power lead, and the most completely published specification in the category.
- Runs on line pressure alone, so there is nothing to plug in and nothing to fail electronically.
- APEC publishes the whole operating envelope: 40 to 85 psi feed pressure, 40 to 100F, maximum 2000 ppm TDS, feed pH 2.0 to 11.0.
- Five stages built around a FILMTEC membrane, with a four gallon pressurised tank and full installation hardware in the box.
- 50 gallons a day at 60 psi, and APEC states that drops to 30 gallons a day at 50 psi.
- The four gallon tank is 11 by 11 by 15 inches and has to live in the cupboard alongside the 15.5 by 5.25 by 17 inch manifold.
- No TDS readout, so you find out a filter is spent by taste.
Side by side
| Waterdrop G3P600 Reverse Osmosis System | APEC ROES-50 Essence | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | A household of three or more that wants the cupboard back and does not mind a power lead. | Anyone who wants water treatment with no electronics, and who has cupboard space for a tank. |
| Price tier | $$ · premium | $ · mid-range |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Waterdrop G3P600 Reverse Osmosis System - Tankless, 600 gallons a day, and the only system here that reports its own water quality. Choose the APEC ROES-50 Essence instead if anyone who wants water treatment with no electronics, and who has cupboard space for a tank.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Reverse Osmosis Systems: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).