7 Best Water Filters for Lead Removal in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

When looking to purchase a water filter that removes lead for your home, you’ll need to decide if you want all of the water filtered or just the water from the kitchen sink. You will also need to know if you need a multi-stage filter and the benefits of each type.

We’ve chosen seven brands to review for you so you can see the differences. We’ll list the pros and cons and tell you about the features they provide and anything else that might be interesting. We’ve also included a short buyer’s guide, where we discuss how the filters work and which parts are essential to clean water.

Join us while we discuss the flow rate, filter stages, ease of installation, filter lifespan, and more to help you make an educated purchase.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites

Rating	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Frizzlife SK99 Under Sink Water Filter System	Removes 99.99% lead Three-stage filter Less waste	CHECK PRICE
Best Value		Waterdrop WD-FC-01 Faucet Water Filter	Certified for lead removal Certified for chlorine fluoride and taste removal Long life	CHECK PRICE
Premium Choice		iSpring WGB32B-PB Water Filtration System	Three-stage filtering Third stage devoted to removing lead Easy to install	CHECK PRICE
		Woder WD-S-8K-DC Water Filtration System	Long-lasting filter Easy to install High flow rate	CHECK PRICE
		PUR FM2500V Classic Faucet Mount Filter	Easily attaches to the faucet Replaceable filters Led replacement reminder	CHECK PRICE

The 7 Best Water Filters for Lead Removal – Reviews 2024

1. Frizzlife SK99 Under Sink Water Filter System – Best Overall

The Frizzlife SK99 Under Sink Water Filter System is our pick for the best overall water filter for lead removal. It removes 99.99% of lead, other heavy metals, chlorine, fluoride, and VOCs. The Frizzlife uses a three-stage filter to remove contaminants. Each stage has a canister with a replaceable filter inside. It produces less waste than many single-use filters because you re-use the cartridge, and only the small filter is discarded and replaced. It’s easy to install and includes thorough instructions.

One of the first things you’ll notice when using this brand is that it doesn’t reduce the water flow nearly as much as most models. However, if one of the Frizzlife’s canisters becomes clogged, it can cause water to leak. If the filter system is under a sink, you may not notice it immediately.

2. Waterdrop WD-FC-01 Faucet Water Filter – Best Value

The Waterdrop WD-FC-01 Faucet Water Filter is our pick for the best water filter for lead removal for the money. It is NSF-certified for the removal of lead as well as chlorine, fluoride, and odor removal. Like many brands, it uses an activated carbon filter and is very easy to install. Each filter has a long life and can last 3 months or more, and the flow rate is high, so you’re not standing around waiting for your glass to fill.

The downside to the Waterdrop WD-FC-01 Faucet Water Filter is that it’s not very durable. The housing is flimsy, and a light bump can easily crack it, causing a leak. We also found that it leaks where it connects to the faucet, especially after a few weeks.

3. iSpring WGB32B-PB Water Filtration System – Premium Choice

The iSpring WGB32B-PB Water Filtration System is our premium choice. It is a little more costly than most brands, but it filters exceptionally well and can purify up to 100,000 gallons of water before the filter needs to be changed. It’s a three-stage filter, and each stage removes a different impurity. One stage removes sediment like rust and dirt, one removes iron, manganese, and lead, and one removes odor, taste, chlorine, herbicides, and pesticides. The lead canister can remove up to 15,000 parts per million (ppm) before requiring a change and will produce water with less than 15 ppm. It’s effortless to install and comes with complete instructions and YouTube videos.

We had no problems using the iSpring WGB32B-PB Water Filtration System. When you change a filter, it gets some water on the wall and floor because the cartridges are full of water. If you mount it sideways, it will be especially messy. It’s also quite heavy at 50 pounds, so you’ll need a firm surface to install it.

4. Woder WD-S-8K-DC Water Filtration System

The Woder WD-S-8K-DC Water Filtration System features a unique carbon and silver filtration system that can remove up to 99.9 percent of the lead in your water. It also removes other contaminants, like chlorine, mercury, VOCs, and more, which will improve the taste. It has a high flow rate, allowing up to 2 gallons per minute to flow through its filter.

We liked the quick and easy installation, but the Woder WD-S-8K-DC Water Filtration System isn’t without problems. First, we noticed that the water slows down as the filter gets clogged. When we first installed it, you could hardly notice the filter was working, but about 6 months later, the water only trickled out. We had to buy a replacement to bring the flow rates back up. We did it twice; both times, we got 6 to 8 months, which is shorter than the 3-year claim on the packaging.

5. PUR FM2500V Classic Faucet Mount Filter

The PUR FM2500V Classic Faucet Mount Filter is one of the most popular water filters in the world because it does a great job of removing contaminants and leaves your water tasting fresh. It’s easy to install and doesn’t require any tools. Once installed, you only need to change the inner filter. You can find replacement filters at most grocery stores, and there is also a large selection of compatible off-brand filters that you can use. However, the off-brand filters may not be the same quality. Each filter lasts about 3 months, and an LED indicator goes from green to yellow to red, so you know when it’s time for a replacement.

The only downside to the PUR FM2500V Classic Faucet Mount Filter is that it dramatically reduces your water flow and can take a long time to fill a coffee or teapot. If you need to filter water at multiple points, you must purchase multiple units.

6. Brita 42201 Tap Water Filter System

The Brita 42201 Tap Water Filter System is another popular filter that can reduce lead levels in your water. Besides lead, the filter can remove up to 60 contaminants contributing to poor-tasting and foul-smelling water. Each filter lasts about 3 months, depending on how much you use it, and it also features an LED indicator light that lets you know when to change your filter.

The unit is easy to install and features three settings for filtered, unfiltered, and unfiltered spray. The biggest downside to the Brita 42201 Tap Water Filter System is that it falls off the faucet too often. It also reduces the water flow considerably, and it can take several minutes to fill a coffee pot.

7. Watts Premier WP500313 Water Filter System

The Watts Premier WP500313 Water Filter System features two-stage filtration. One stage removes sediment, while the activated charcoal canister removes smaller particles, like lead and VOCs. This brand mounts under the sink or in a small room and can deliver filtered water to multiple locations. The filters have a long lifespan and can filter up to 600 gallons before they need to be changed.

There are also a few downsides to the Watts Premier WP500313 Water Filter System. Our model didn’t come with any of the required connectors, and even after we had purchased them, it was still a problematic installation. The canister walls use a flimsy plastic that does not feel durable, and ours began to leak after only a few weeks.

Buyer’s Guide – How to Choose the Best Water Filter for Lead Removal

In the buyer’s guide, we will talk about the important aspects of the water heater.

Flow Rate

One factor that is difficult to escape when you use a water filter is the flow rate. The flow rate is how fast the water comes out of the faucet. When you connect a filter system to the waterline, the water must pass through the filter, which takes time and reduces the flow rate.

Brands that mount below the sink or on the wall often have less of an effect on the flow rate. Brands that attach to your faucet will have a more dramatic impact on the flow rate. These devices often reduce the flow rate so much that filling a coffee pot can take several minutes.

Another issue regarding the flow rate is that some models will clog as the filter becomes loaded with contaminants. Some models can slow to a trickle, making them unusable. We tried to mention any brands that affected the flow rate in our reviews.

Filtration

Each filter brand is slightly different and removes various components from the water. To ensure a filter you are interested in removes the harmful substances you’re concerned about, look for an NSF rating for those contaminants. NSF stands for National Sanitation Foundation, which is an independent third-party testing service. They have strict rules that govern how a filter must perform to be certified.

Because this guide is about water filters that remove lead primarily, you should look for a brand that states NSF certifies it for removing lead. Most of the brands on this list are NSF-certified, but if you do additional shopping, you can look for this important quality indicator.

Water Testing

Besides using NSF guidance for clean water, you can also test it yourself or have it professionally tested to ensure it is indeed lead-free. You can call the EPA’s Safe Drinking Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 to get a list of qualified water testers in your area.

If you want to test the water, you mustn’t use a TDS tester. A TDS tester tests the conductivity of the water. The more conductive the water is, the more particles are in it, so it’s natural to assume that conductive water requires more filtration.

However, many elements in water are helpful and beneficial to your health. Valuable minerals include calcium, zinc, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. These minerals are left in the water by all of the filters on this list, and they will cause a TDS test strip to show conductive liquid. The harmful heavy metals and chlorine are filtered out, and it’s the fault of the test method that doesn’t differentiate good minerals from bad.

Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis is a different filter that pushes water through a permeable layer. Only water molecules are large enough to pass through the layer, leaving all contaminants behind. This type of filtration can remove the useful minerals like zinc and magnesium that we discussed earlier and will result in a low TDS reading.

Filter Life Expectancy

Another factor often different from brand to brand is the life expectancy of the filter. Most filters can last 3 months to 2 or more years, depending on how much you use them and how many contaminants are in the water. If the filter has more than one canister, it’s called a multistage filter. Each canister has a specialized filter inside that removes different chemicals. These filters require changing at different times, so even when one canister is full, your water will still benefit from filtration.

Bulky models that hang on the wall or under your sink have large canisters that can last a long time before they need replacing. Smaller models attached to your sink faucet have single-stage filters lasting about 3 months.

In Conclusion

When choosing a water filter for lead removal, you can’t go wrong with our pick for the best overall. The Frizzlife SK99 Under Sink Water Filter System is a three-stage filter that removes lead and most other contaminants. Each of the three filters removes something different from the water, so only one will need replacing at a time, and the water flow reduction is hardly noticeable. If you want a model that you can clip on a faucet to produce clean water, our best-value pick is the perfect choice. The Frizzlife SK99 Under Sink Water Filter System delivers 3 months of clean water and is certified for lead removal. It’s easy to install and remove, and the replacement filters are cheap.

We hope you have enjoyed reading our reviews and found a few models that interest you. If we have helped you get closer to safe drinking water, please share this guide to the best water filter for lead removal on Facebook and Twitter.