BRITA Faucet Mount Water Filter System, White, No-Wait Filtration, Easy Install, Multi-Use Tap Water Filter for Kitchens, Bathrooms & Small Spaces

I wanted cleaner-tasting water without adding a pitcher to my counter, so I tried the Brita faucet filter. After a few weeks of daily use in a small apartment kitchen—and a quick stint on a bathroom sink—here’s how it held up.

Setup: truly tool-free (with a couple caveats)

Installation took me about 10 minutes. The box includes several adapters; I picked the one that matched my faucet threads, hand-tightened it, and clicked the filter body into place. No tools, no leaks. Two notes:

• It fits standard, non-sprayer faucets only. If you have a pull-out or pull-down spray head, this isn’t compatible.
• If your faucet is unusually thin-walled or angled, expect a little trial and error with the included washers to get a snug, drip-free fit.

The unit is compact—roughly the height of a small can—and didn’t dominate the sink. The selector dial is a simple toggle between filtered and unfiltered water, which matters because you’ll still want full flow for rinsing dishes or filling pots.

Daily use: on-demand filtering without the pitcher wait

The main win is convenience. Flip the dial and filtered water is immediate. No waiting like a gravity pitcher, no refilling a reservoir. That meant I actually used it for everything: drinking water, coffee, tea, ice trays, and quick rinses of produce.

Flow rate is understandably reduced on the filtered setting, but not to a crawl. Filling a 12-ounce glass takes a few seconds. For larger tasks—soaking pasta, washing a pan—the unfiltered setting gives you full faucet pressure. The “No-Wait” claim isn’t marketing fluff; it’s just the nature of a faucet-mounted filter and it’s genuinely handy.

Taste and odor: clear improvement, especially with chlorine

My tap water skews chlorinated and sometimes metallic. The difference through the Brita filter was immediate: no pool smell, cleaner taste, and a smoother finish. Coffee tasted less harsh, and iced water lost that faint chemical edge. I also ran a basic chlorine test strip out of curiosity; the filtered side read near-zero, and the unfiltered side matched my usual tap baseline. That tracks with the cartridge’s rating for reducing chlorine taste and odor.

If your main complaint is “my water tastes off,” this makes a noticeable difference.

What it filters—and what it doesn’t

This is a carbon-based filter with additional media rated to reduce:

• Lead (up to 99%)
• Chlorine taste and odor
• Asbestos
• Certain particulates
• Benzene and a handful of other listed contaminants

That’s a solid set for many municipal supplies. It is not a softener and won’t significantly reduce hardness (limescale), TDS, or salts. If your water leaves white crust on your kettle, this filter won’t stop that. Likewise, it’s not a substitute for reverse osmosis when you need broad-spectrum contaminant reduction. It’s targeted at improving taste and reducing specific contaminants effectively and conveniently at the tap.

Use cold water only on the filtered setting; hot water can damage the media and push impurities through.

Filter life and the status light

The cartridge is rated for 100 gallons or around four months for average use. In my one-person household, the indicator stayed green well into month three. The light steps from green to yellow to red as you approach the limit. It’s simple and easy to see, but like most faucet filter indicators, it’s an estimate based on flow, not a lab sensor. I’d still set a reminder if you’re particular or if your usage fluctuates a lot.

Replacing the cartridge is a one-click affair: twist off, pop in, flush for five minutes, done. No messy priming or o-rings to wrestle.

Build quality and ergonomics

The white housing is clean, compact, and lighter than it looks. The selector lever has a positive feel, and it’s easy to flick mid-stream. On my faucet, adding the unit didn’t stress the neck or cause sagging, but if your faucet is very small or already loose, a mounted filter can amplify wobble. The spout angle is fixed; if your sink is very shallow, a small splash guard or moving the stream to one side helps.

I also liked that it didn’t block adjacent sink accessories, and it didn’t interfere with my window ledge. That said, on a very short faucet where the outlet is only a few inches above the sink, you’ll lose some space below the filter.

In small spaces (and bathrooms), it shines

Beyond the kitchen, this works well on a bathroom faucet for brushing teeth or filling a bedside carafe—especially in older buildings where the bathroom tap can taste rough. The compact footprint makes it renter-friendly: no drilling, and swapping it to a new apartment is as easy as unscrewing an adapter.

Because it’s on-demand, it’s also efficient in homes where not everyone drinks filtered water. Switch to filtered for a glass, back to unfiltered for cleaning—no wasted filter capacity.

Downsides and quirks to know

• Compatibility limits: Not for pull-out or spray-style faucets, and some decorative or ultra-short faucets can be awkward fits.
• Flow trade-off: Filtered flow is slower by design. Great for drinking; plan to bypass for big fills.
• Indicator accuracy: The light is helpful but not scientific. Treat it as a guide and replace on schedule if your water quality is a priority.
• Not a softener: If your problem is scale, you’ll need a different solution.

None of these were dealbreakers for me, but they’re worth considering so you match the tool to the job.

Value and ongoing costs

Cartridge life of roughly 100 gallons works out to a low cost-per-gallon at typical retail prices, especially compared to bottled water. More importantly, it’s hassle-light: no under-sink plumbing, no service calls, and replacements take seconds. If you’re replacing a daily bottled water habit, the environmental and convenience gains are immediate—this kind of setup can displace a lot of single-use plastic over a year.

If you need higher throughput, multi-stage filtration, or broad contaminant coverage (including nitrate, fluoride, or PFAS in certain concentrations), an under-sink system or RO unit is a better fit. But those come with installation overhead and higher maintenance costs.

Who it’s best for

• Renters, dorms, and small kitchens where space is at a premium
• Households on municipal water with chlorine taste/odor or concern about lead and select contaminants
• People who want fuss-free, on-demand filtered water without adding a pitcher to the fridge
• Anyone seeking a simple way to cut down on bottled water

Less ideal for homes with very hard water, specialty faucets, or those requiring comprehensive contaminant removal.

Final take

The Brita faucet filter hits the sweet spot of convenience, meaningful taste improvement, and targeted contaminant reduction in a compact package. Installation is truly easy, the on-demand operation makes it more usable than a pitcher in day-to-day life, and cartridge swaps are painless. It’s not a cure-all—don’t expect water softening or RO-level performance—but it does exactly what a faucet-mounted filter should, and it does it well.

Recommendation: I recommend it for most households on city water who want better-tasting, cleaner-feeling drinking water without altering plumbing or sacrificing counter space. It’s a practical, low-commitment upgrade that’s easy to live with and easy to maintain. If you have a pull-out faucet, very hard water, or need comprehensive filtration, look elsewhere; otherwise, this is a smart, affordable step up from the tap.