reverse osmosis vs. distiller? (countertop versions)

[evilluckichrm]

I'm awfully confused, and every search I've done on distilled water and reverse osmosis has only added to that confusion, so I'm hoping maybe someone can help me. Forgive me if this has been asked before, but I don't recall seeing it.

I've been researching fluoride lately and, since my city adds fluoride to the water, I've decided to invest in either a distiller or a reverse osmosis system (originally I planned to buy the water itself at the grocery store but I'll be damned, it's really hard to find and not cost effective). I'm moving into an apartment in about two weeks, so it needs to be a countertop unit with no permanent attachments.

Now, my main question is, should I get a reverse osmosis system or a distiller? I feel like the reverse osmosis one might be better, but I've been known to be wrong. I've also heard that reverse osmosis wates a lot of water. I'm pretty constantly broke as a college student and I'll be living with my boyfriend and my best friend - as much as they love me, I'm not sure they'll appreciate wasting water and thus paying more bills. And would it be difficult to continually reattach the sink attachment (for the reverse osmosis systems)?

These are the ones I was looking at.
Countertop Reverse Osmosis #1 (http://www.amazon.com/Countertop-Reverse-Osmosis-Filter-Portable/dp/B000KLSIJE/ref=pd_bbs_sr_5?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1219346680&sr=8-5)
Countertop Reverse Osmosis #2 (http://www.pwgazette.com/ctro.htm)
Countertop Distiller (http://www.amazon.com/Water-Distiller-Countertop-White-Enamel/dp/B00026F9F8/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1219346759&sr=8-1)
Countertop Distiller (same one, just stainless steel) (http://www.amazon.com/Nutriteam-Countertop-Water-Distiller-Stainless/dp/B000ANW7HQ/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1219346759&sr=8-2)

What would you guys recommend? My apartment will be located in northern New Jersey, which has notoriously bad water (actually my state has the worst water quality in the nation, according to AmeriCorp and NJPIRG's Water Watch organization). I already use a Brita filter but again, it doesn't get everything out.

PS: an afterthought question for anyone that's researched iodine supplementation - does adding Lugol's to fluoridated water stop the body from absorbing the iodine? does it need to be pure water for the iodine to work effectively?

[queenfluff]

I was under the impression that reverse osmosis removed more "baddies" but you would need to get the Level 5 one to get out the fluoride. I have been wanting to do this too. I have been using the Brita filter for years but my new town has fluoride in the water (my old town probably did too but I never checked on it)

But this site says that reverse osmosis and distillers also take out all the good stuff out of the water resulting in "dead" water. I don't know if this is really true or they are just trying to sell their product called a Water Ionizer.

http://www.betterwayhealth.com/reverse-osmosis-distilled-water-filters.asp


Here is another really nice article on it too:

http://www.wcponline.com/column.cfm?ID=1744

Looks like this one says to use both for max benefits.

here is another nice article too and compares:

http://www.aquasanausa.com/shopping/page.html?chapter=0&id=3

Let me know which one you decide on. I am looking into this too. Oh, which ever one you pick - I would go for stainless steel housing over plastic though. Glass or ceramic is good for water housing too.

I always thought distilled water was tasteless to me so I probably wouldn't get that for myself. I would love to have a whole home water fillter including a water softener for my shower but too expensive right now!

[evilluckichrm]

Thank you for the links! I'm still looking into all this... at the rate I'm going I might just wind up flipping a coin. If you really need a 5-filter reverse osmosis system to get the fluoride out, though, then my decision might be easier... since fluoride is the whole reason I'm researching this! I haven't seen a 5-stage countertop version of a reverse osmosis system so I might wind up getting the distiller. I'll let you know, and good luck deciding for yourself!