Hub Countertop Water Filter System vs Pitcher: which is safer?
LARQ Pitcher is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Brita
Hub Countertop Water Filter System
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossiblePlastic reservoir leachables (oligomers, residual monomers)
PossibleBacterial growth in filter media and tubing
ReportedInadequate PFAS removal (false sense of security)
Our pick
LARQ
Pitcher
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleBacterial growth in filter housing if unmaintained
PossibleFilter composition leachables (unspecified binders and media)
PossibleThermal shock cracking of borosilicate glass
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Plastic reservoir leachables (oligomers, residual monomers), Bacterial growth in filter media and tubing, Inadequate PFAS removal (false sense of security) and Mold or mildew in housing seams and spigot on the Brita and not on the LARQ.
- We flag Bacterial growth in filter housing if unmaintained, Filter composition leachables (unspecified binders and media), Thermal shock cracking of borosilicate glass and Contaminant removal efficacy not independently verified on the LARQ and not on the Brita.
- The Brita is activated carbon filter media, plastic reservoir housing where the LARQ is borosilicate glass pitcher, replaceable activated carbon filter, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- These two are 5 points apart, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More countertop filters, see the full ranking