The MINA Slim alkaline water pitcher is the Canadian firm Santevia Water System’s latest alkaline pitcher and is positioned alongside their Classic model, which until the MINA Slim’s arrival was the only alkaline pitcher in their product line-up.
Providing consumers with convenient access to mineralized alkaline water is at the core of the company’s ethos, so we’re excited to find out just how the MINA Slim stands up in daily use.
Product Features
Santevia claim that the MINA Slim not only increases the pH levels of filtered water, but also remineralizes it, adding calcium and magnesium to the water that passes through the included filter.
In addition, it is also claimed that both chlorine and lead are reduced by up to 99% as well as the removal of a raft of heavy metals in every glass of filtered water.
Other features include:
- A ‘Tritan’ plastic construction which is claimed to be unbreakable
- Dishwasher safe design
- A multi-stage activated carbon mesh filter that is easily recycled
- A digital filter indicator which alerts the user to the status of the filter
- Up to 80 gallons or 300 litres of filtered water per each filter
- 9 cup filtration capacity
- NSF 42 and 53 certifications for the reduction of chlorine and lead and the improvement of water taste and odor
Included In The Box
Inside the box you will find 1x pitcher complete with lid, 1x shrink-wrapped filter and a color instruction leaflet which outlines the process for setting up and operating your new filter.
We particularly liked the fact that the instruction leaflet also includes step by step instructions on how to recycle each filter once it has reached the end of its life.
Design
The design of any product can be split into two categories; aesthetics and functionality. We’ll cover these two points separately.
Aesthetics
It must be said that from an aesthetic point of view, the MINA Slim is one of the better-looking alkaline pitchers we’ve been able to get our hands on. It simply looks and feels like a quality product.
The handle is perfectly shaped and feels great in the hand and is seamlessly integrated into the body of the reservoir, with no possibility of it breaking apart through regular use.
Functionality
From a functionality point of view, we have two issues.
The first issue is that the first water reservoir where unfiltered water sits before being passed through the filter is very shallow for a water pitcher. This limits the amount of water that can be filtered at any one time, requiring several fills before you would want to return it to your refrigerator.
The second issue is that our shrink-wrapped filter had leaked some of its contents on arrival. As the filter is designed to be recycled, it can be opened from the top via a rotating cover. This cover was locked shut but wasn’t seated properly, hence allowing a small quantity of the filter media to escape.
We took a look inside the filter and also noticed that a smaller plastic mesh filter of sorts was sitting inside, seemingly out of place. After consulting the instruction leaflet again, it seems that this piece of plastic is a divider which should be separating the contents of the filter.
The final point we need to note is that each filter needs to be securely pushed into the housing to form a good seal. Failure to do so may result in the filter falling out in use or a small quantity of water bypassing the filter altogether.
Build Quality
The BPA & BPS free ‘Tritan’ plastic used to construct this pitcher is marketed as being unbreakable. Whilst we haven’t put this claim to the test, we are confident that the pitcher would survive several drops onto a hard floor and still retain much of its functionality.
The only potential weak point we could see is the filling flap which is semi-integrated into the lid via a hinge mechanism. The flap is removable but is fixed into place at its hinge by two tabs – if either of these were to break, the filling flap would essentially become unusable.
Both the pitcher and the filter are labelled as being made in Canada.
Value For Money
The MINA Slim occupies the upper end of the alkaline pitcher market and in our opinion is being marketed as a premium product. How much you’re willing to spend on such a product is personal to you but we feel that the asking price is reasonable.
It also important that you consider the ongoing costs of this product which are of course the replacement filters that you will require, which are priced at around $18 dollars each.
Each filter is said to last for up to 300 litres of filtered water which equates to around 136 days if you’re consuming a single pitcher full of filtered water per day.
How Good Is The Quality Of Filtered Water?
The most important aspect of any water filter is of course the quality of water it produces.
Chlorine Removal
The municipal tap water that we have access to naturally has a very chlorine like taste. Using the MINA Slim pitcher has successfully removed both the taste and odor associated with chlorine.
Lead Removal
There is no lead present within our local municipal water supply, so we cannot comment on the lead reduction capabilities of this filter which would require analysis via a laboratory.
Taste
Unfiltered tap water from the faucets here at our HQ is generally unpleasant with a distinct taste to it, but this is of course subjective as everyone has different tastes and preferences.
For those here who have drunk filtered water from the MINA Slim, the general consensus is that the taste is indeed noticeably improved.
Alkalinity
Santevia have made no claim on the product packaging or marketing material as to the water alkaline levels that the MINA Slim produces. On their website, it states that Santevia Alkaline Water ranges from between 8.5 pH and 9.5 pH providing that the pre-filtered water was pH neutral or 7 pH, so we assume that this is the same for the MINA Slim.
Final Verdict
It is clear that a lot of thought has gone into the design and manufacture of Santevia’s new MINA Slim pitcher. It is attractive, well made and ticks the sustainability box due to the recyclable nature of the filters.
The only area for improvement we would like to see is the level of QC applied to each filter. It may have only been an issue with the model we received, but we wouldn’t want to have to reseat the covers on every replacement filter to ensure they’re ready for use.
