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 enlarge | Brand: MegaHome
Category: Health And Beauty
List Price: $159.99
Buy New: $129.00
You Save: $30.99 (19%)
New (2) from $129.00
Rating:  61 reviews
Sales Rank: 3164
Color: White
Shipping Weight (lbs): 27
Dimensions (in): 9 x 9 x 13
Model: MH943
UPC: 471986196009
EAN: 0471986196009
ASIN: B00026F9F8
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 After 12 Months of Use... September 25, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have this distiller from a different manufacturer and it includes both "auto shut off" AS WELL AS a built in circuit breaker for close to the same price. Given the high voltage of this appliance, and the high likelihood that you're going to forget to turn it off on occasion... ...not to mention the high likelihood of blowing a fuse (very common with the cheaper distillers and its expensive / time consuming to replace)... I would highly suggest making sure that any distiller that you buy includes auto shut-off and an automatically resetting circuit breaker.
Additional "auto shut off" benefits and considerations:
* You can leave the machine to distill water before you go to bed.
* You can leave the machine to operate prior to leaving for work or before leaving for several hours day.
* You will want "quiet time" when you just don't want to hear this machine running, so the ability to run the machine and then leave is important. I actually plan my water batches around when I know I'm about to leave the house or go to bed.
Extra features aside...
Pro's:
* this distiller makes a gallon of water every several hours.
* the finished water is better than water from the grocery store, because the grocery store water is filled with leeching plastic (the store bought distilled water enters the plastic jugs at a high temp and thus the leeching plastic taste).
* If you need a low cost water distillation option, this general sized model is your best bet.
* distilling tap water is a lot easier than lugging bottles of store bought water... ...water which may or may not be as pure as advertised.
My apt is a 3rd floor walk-up so this appliance is a godsend.
* This distiller will pull the fluoride out of your water.
* I have noticed that after rain storms and on hot weather days... ...the residue and stench left behind after a batch of water increases severalfold. This confirms what I have always suspected... That my city water authority increases the chemical additives of the city water when bacteria growth is more likely. This machine will give you added piece of mind that you're removing most of the toxins that were never meant for regular human consumption.
Con's:
* the distiller can be loud at times. I would place the noise level somewhere between "louder than an electric fan" but "quieter than a window a/c unit." The first several months was LOUD, as in this buzzing noise and my neighbors below could hear it. It's easy to get used to though, and I have noticed that the noise goes down after several months of use.
* the distiller puts out some serious heat which can be good or bad depending on your needs. I find myself turning on the a/c at times because of the heat from the distiller.
* for a single individual or a couple, this distiller CAN be sufficient. But know that if you insist on using distilled water for everything - everything as in coffee, tea, boiling water for cooking, soaking veggies, and then drinking water - you're going to be running a machine of this size constantly. I'm single and I use distilled water for everything, and I drink a lot of water during the day. I run the machine no less than 3-4 times /day. If you're not as neurotic about using distilled water for everything, you'll probably do better than I do.
How the above point translates to a potential "con"...
* constantly rinsing out and refilling the unit can be tedious. You don't need to deep clean the unit each and every time you use it, but you should rinse it with hot water in between batches of water.
* I noticed that my electric bill went up considerably after the first month of use. It's hard to say exactly how this impacted the electric bill because my electric co is deregulating and passing the cost increases onto customers... But this is a 500w-1000w appliance (depending on the model you buy), and if it's running 12-24 hours /day you're naturally going to see an increase. KEEPING THE BIG PICTURE IN MIND, I still find this to be a value in that I know where my water is coming from... ...I'm not going to the store constantly (no pressure to go out when the weather is bad), I'm removing the fluoride out of my water, I'm not paying more for water that contains leeching plastic,
and I'm not having to lug jugs of water up to my 3rd floor apt.
* The plastic bottle is most likely #7 polycarbonate... ...the same plastic at the center of the BPA health concerns that you see all over the news. Further, the freshly distilled water hits the plastic container at a warm temperature. Warm water and BPA plastic is the worst combination and almost always leads to leeching issues.
* My $20 solution? I don't use the plastic bottle at all. Instead, I use a large, round glass bowl from Anchor Hocking ($5 at Wal-Mart). The water drips into the round bowl, and if I want to cover the top I can just use plastic wrap. I then move the finished water one of my several glass sun tea pitchers which I then move to the fridge ($2-$5/each depending on the season). If you want something more stylish, you can find glass containers at Crate & Barrel or even shell out the $100 for the glass bottle. But don't let the BPA water jug stop you from using this appliance.
Additional Considerations:
* the coffee maker cleaner crystals work very well for cleaning the stainless steel tank.
* I use wet cutips to clean the coils on the above half of the unit. A mini-pc vac would be the best way to clean the upper coils.
* Check the measurements of this appliance and compare them to the measurements of your planned location for the unit. The appliance is often larger than most people expect, and it doesn't fit under a lot of people's hanging cabinets (on the counter, under the cabinets). The appliance needs several inches above to ventilate properly.
* If you have small children, you'll want to place this appliance and the cord attached to it well out of reach of children. If the appliance were to tip over the water inside would easily scald adults and children alike.
* Many of the knock-off / no-name brand distillers are not NSF certified, they lack the UL stamp, and their warranties are iffy at best. Many of them are shipped from China, and the instructions are very likely written in bad Engrish (which can be fun if you're in the right mood).
I bought my full featured "Love Model 4" distiller for $150 total, knowing very well that if it breaks I might be out of luck. I highly suggest doing google searches using the words "complaints" and then also the name of the supplier and the model number. That way you know in advance your potential risk. For example, I did a google search on my distiller supplier, and I saw a laundry list of complaints relative to returns and warranty services... ...but at least I knew about the risk in advance, and I hedged the risk accordingly by purchasing my machine on Ebay or Amazon ( for the added seller protections), and I bought it with a credit card that includes built in warranty protections, etc.
I think a good rule of thumb is that a low cost, knock off distiller is a good risk (but use a credit card with a warranty if you can)... But if you're spending $300-$1000 or more, you'll definitely want something with a guaranteed warranty, an actual invoice, and the ability to have the appliance serviced. I plan to buy a large, auto refilling / auto cleaning model when I finish grad school, and knowing that I'll be spending $1000 or more... ...I won't take the chance of buying something without a brand name, a brand name warranty, and low cost service options.
Your homeowners / renters insurance might have a clause requiring you to only operate NSF or UL certified appliances, so keep this in mind as well.
 Love it. September 7, 2008
I have had this about six months. Many complain about the fan noise.
It is like a room fan. With tv on, i can not hear it and i do not play my tv loud. The water tastes great.
My Daughter paid three times what i did and hers died within a year.
Competent Unit but issues for colloidal mixtures August 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
For those of you who may be considering this unit to make distilled water for purposes of making your own colloidal silver solutions take note: The charcoal filter that comes with the unit must not be employed or else the distilled water will be too conductive and you will be unable to properly suspend silver in the solution. Otherwise competent, albeit noisy - so I would keep this in a closet or basement rather add to the din in a typical kitchen.
Perfect distilled water July 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This product is very efficient (you put in a gallon and it makes a gallon)and makes great-tasting water. It's simple to use (I'm appliance-challenged usually) and easy to keep clean.
Buying another for a back up June 15, 2008
I've been making 4 gallons of water every other day since I got it. Love it! It pays for itself in 3 short months! The saved cost of gas to get to the store and the saved cost of water refills. Not to mention the savings in labor drudgery hauling all that water weekly. Do the math for your savings. Surrounded by one tainted water crisis after another, I plan to buy another for an emergency back up.
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