UBS Vitafresh Shower Filter Original Classic

My desire was to find a tool to accurately measure the free and total chlorine before and after installation of this filter. Sadly, I am not rich nor aware of what is best to use for that and most of the kits below $20 seemed to be reviewed not accurate for subtle changes in chlorine content. That said I went off of my experience.First off, many have complained this took several weeks to receive. It took me 3 days as it shipped from GA, so hopefully they are using a warehouse in the US to ship this rather than direct from Korea. Once I received it installation was obvious and needed no instructions, took about a minute or two. Be careful not to overtighten as these parts are made of plastic and could break with too much pressure. I used the product for a shower and the result was immediately obvious as the chlorine smell was gone and the 2ater just felt like rain. I am Irish and my skin is always dry in the PA winters we have here, after getting a shower it's quite miserable due to the chlorine and humidity. After the shower last night and now the next morning I have no dry skin and feel very good. This filter clearly is working.I intend to replace a worn out Sprite filter cartridge to use both in tandem until I can afford a while house system. Till then this is great for keeping yourself safe and worth every penny.

I've been using the UBS Vita Fresh Shower Filter for about 9 months now and I'm still on the fence about its effectiveness. After about 4 months of using it (from Dec-April), I did notice my skin felt softer, but this could also be due to the change of season. I usually take 1-2 showers/day and this filter lasts only about 1 month. I've already gone through several cartridges. On the one hand, the system was very easy to install and tightens easily by hand. The cartridges are also very easy to change. I just wish they would last longer. I notice some rust on the filter while in use and when changing the cartridge. I wipe the filter down, but the rust returns. It's made of very cheap material. When I purchased this filter, I also included a Sprite filter, which is supposed to filter chlorine at any temperature, and requires changing once a year. The two filters are very compatible and I have never experienced a leak (see photo). I liked the idea of the Vitamin C for the skin, and when I read that it also neutralizes chlorine I was intrigued. I feel like all I need is the Sprite filter. I honestly do not know if I will continue using The UBS Vitamin C filter with it.

The water where I live is heavily chlorinated and I noticed that my skin was itchier and drier since moving to the area. Lotions and oils also weren't keeping my skin moisturized and I was breaking out into hives more easily. I decided to take a chance on this filter since the regular carbon filters were not working (If you take hot showers, the carbon filters are pretty useless). I can tell that the filter is working because my skin feels a lot better and is much softer now. Also, I can tell the water supply has a lot of chlorine in it, because much of the vitamin c powder has dissolved away and I'll have to replace the cartridge in a few weeks. It's a small price to pay for non-chlorinated water! It was really easy to install - just don't try to tighten it too much, as it's entirely made of plastic and may crack. (I also take baths frequently, but instead of filling the tub with the shower-head, I just bought a container of vitamin c crystals to sprinkle into the water after drawing a bath.)

Update SEPT. 2022: 1star. The threads on the filter housing cracked for no reason during shower spraying water everywhere. Had to take off unit to finish showering. Item is junk now and lasted only 3 months. Not even a 1 year warranty from manufacturer. DO NOT BUY!In depth review for all. I bought this with my money so this is an honest review.Does it work? YES! If your water supply from city or town has chloramine (monochloramine) in it. I dont have a way to test if it 100% removes chloramine or just reduces it considerably (I know there is another review that shows digital test results saying it doesnt remove chlorine so not sure what to say).So I have normal to oily hair and oily skin but both dried out over the winter when I moved to new town for the first time ever. I also have a hairy body and this caused static in clothes which was very annoying. Dryer sheets and static spray was temporary relief for the clothing but i was uncomfortable constantly. I even switched to moisturizing body wash and that didn’t help. My arms and legs skin was very dry. I couldn’t figure out what to do. I DID NOT want to use lotion on hairy body!! I began to buy/tried the can style shower filters that are suppose to filter for water hardness and saw no change.Finally I researched "what will neutralized chloramine" and saw that Vitamin C does. I Bought THIS filter but didn’t expect much results based on my skepticism BUT after 1st shower I noticed my head hair was not as dried out as before and combed much differently. The body skin didn’t itch as much after the shower but I still was not fully satisfied. I decided to keep going for another few days to give it a chance and my body to adjust. YES, no more static on body hair!! Reminds me of showering in a cabin that has a spring water with no chlorine supply.Some points to consider:This item will NOT change TDS (total dissolved solids) or make harder water soft. I live in a town that has hard water in the winter, but very soft water in the spring/summer (due to snow melt) and my results were the same with water supply with both the hard and soft water. It did work at neutralizing the chlorine but did not change the water hardness.The plastic housing seems flimsy and I do not expect it to last long.This filter WILL reduces water pressure 5-8psi. I have low water pressure (30psi normally and adding this made it weaker for sure) I think this is best if used with 60 or more psi city water supply. Then you wont feel much of a change.This filter also lowers the showerhead 6 inches. So if youre tall (over 6 ft) you may want to add an extension arm.I did wrap Teflon tape around the plastic tube that holds the Vitamin C cartridge so that itseasier to unscrew when replacing the cartridge. The cartridge lasts about 30 days for me.You will also smell the Vitamin C instead of the chlorine when your face is in the water so be ready for that. Its NOT like a lemon or orange its much more chemical smell.Price to buy replacement cartridges runs me about $100 a year.This USB brand one is only similar to the Sonaki brand. The cartridges are the same however but the housing for Sonaki is more up to date.In conclusion: YES buy this if you KNOW that chloramine is causing your skin issues. I will post any updates as time goes on.UPDATE: If you have a white or almond bathtub or light color tile in shower stall it WILL stain them pretty well after 2 weeks. It does clean off but takes alot of work.