I've been using my pitcher for about 2 years before that I had a Brita, which was ok. The pitcher is expensive but the filters are not and they last 3 months and you can clean them with vinegar water. I never cleaned my Brita, which I used for about 6 weeks and I wouldn't be surprised if I had more bacteria in that than in unfiltered tap water, but you can't clean those. TuraPur is designed to be cleaned and it's easy.
The water tasted good and I got used to it and didn't like the taste of other water. I couldn't tell if I felt better because I didn't feel bad to begin with. It's a water filter, not a magic wand. I think the people doing these negative reviews expected the water to make them feel like they weren't smokers or junk food junkies. The point is to have good water and not spend lots of money on bottled water.
Yes, you have to hold the top of the pitcher when you pour it, I had to do that with my Brita also, its physics, and it's not a big deal, and if you pour it slowly without having a lot of excess water in the top then you don't have to hold it. If you don't know that, how do you walk across the floor without hitting things? The pitcher is square too and fits in the fridge better than round pitchers but I'm sure half of these negative reviewers bumped their hand with it and went ouch, this sucks, a round pitcher wouldn't have hurt. One star.
I don't know about the pH, hydrogen or antioxidant content of it, all I know is the filter has 2 sides to it so it's being double filtered, and since the filters can be cleaned you can use them way longer than the store types and in the long run, it's cheaper.
Length of Use: 1–2 years
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Pros and Cons
Water tastes good and it filters fast
I can clean the filter easily
Filters are cheaper than bottled water
I spilled water once, I wasted a paper towel
Didn't taste good after 20 cigarettes
Didn't solve all my personal problems