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Our Verdict (Best For)
The APEC Essence ROES-50 under sink RO is a solid pick if budget is your top priority. It delivered excellent results in our lab testing, removing most contaminants effectively, and the filtered water’s taste and odor were flawless. The unit also feels well-made, and it’s easy to set up, prime, and use with plenty of water provided and very fast faucet flow. Filters aren’t modular so changing them out requires a bit more work but the process isn’t complicated. Plus, since they’re standard-size, you can go off-brand to replace them. On the downside, the APEC system holds just 1 NSF certification for TDS, which isn’t very impressive, and the company doesn’t publish additional NSF testing or contaminant reduction rates. Additional cons: It wastes a fair bit of water even without the tank, and our unit leaked from the feed water valve, likely due to a missing gasket.
The APEC ROES-50 Essence is a tank-based under sink reverse osmosis system that requires a plumbing connection. It’s designed for use as a drinking water filter and can purify both tap water and properly disinfected well water.
As usual, we’ve tested the system with our own hands:
- Hands-on experience: We installed/assembled, used, and maintained it.
- Filtration effectiveness: We sent an unfiltered and a filtered tap water sample to a professional lab for analysis in order to determine real-life contaminant reduction capabilities. Plus, we checked for NSF certifications and other test data.
- More testing: We performed a taste & odor test, a filtration speed test, a tank-filling speed test, a usable water test, and a wastewater test.
- All other product aspects: We considered initial + long-term cost, product warranties, additional features, frequent customer complaints, etc.
Contents
Final Rating: /5.00
Filtration: /5.00
Usability: /5.00
Costs: /5.00
| Type: | Under Sink Reverse Osmosis System |
| Price (May 5, 2025, w/o Short-Term Sales): | $199.95 (Save 5% With Filter Subscription) |
| Estimated Yearly Cost Based on Rated/Claimed Filter Life (May 5, 2025): | ~$50-100 (Save Up to 15% With Filter Subscription) |
Final Rating: /5.00
What We Like Most
- Achieved excellent results in our lab testing for contaminant reduction.
- Filtered water tasted and smelled 100% clean.
- Easy to set up, prime, and use, with very fast faucet flow.
- Provides plenty of water for day-to-day use.
- Looks and feels well-made, simple but sturdy faucet.
- Uses non-modular filters but they are easy to change (filter wrench included).
- Standard-sized filter cartridges allow you to use off-brand replacements.
- Highly affordable to buy and maintain.
- 2-year warranty (with registration).
What We Don’t Like
- Only 1 NSF certification for contaminant reduction (for TDS) and no additional third-party testing.
- Our system leaked from its feed water valve (seemed to be missing a gasket).
- Wastes a fair bit of water even without the tank.
- No filter life indicator.
- 3rd-party customers complained about leaking.
How the APEC ROES-50 Essence Compares to…
10 Other Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Systems
In this video, Sara explains why we consider the APEC ROES-50 Essence a solid budget pick among the 11 under sink RO systems we’ve tested.
Please note: Our full guide on the best under sink reverse osmosis systems is available here.
Video Chapters + Comparison Sheet
- Link to Comparison Sheet
- 00:00 – Intro
- 00:22 – What’s New?
- 01:11 – Our 11 Under Sink ROs
- 01:54 – How We Tested & Rated
- 05:08 – Our Recommendations
- 06:11 – Best Overall (Cloud RO)
- 20:57 – 2 Best Tankless Units (Waterdrop G3P600 & X12)
- 35:38 – Highest Filtration Score (Aquasana SmartFlow)
- 37:22 – Made in USA (USWS All American & Home Master TMHP-L)
- 41:28 – Budget Pick (APEC ROES-50 Essence)
- 42:50 – Summary
18 Other Under Sink Water Filters
In this video, Sara explains why we consider the APEC ROES-50 Essence a solid budget pick for an RO system among the 19 under sink water filters we’ve tested.
Please note: Our full guide on the best under sink water filters is available here.
Video Chapters + Comparison Sheet
- Link to Comparison Sheet
- 00:00 – Intro
- 00:34 – How We Tested & Rated
- 01:53 – Our Recommendations
- 03:01 – Best Overall (Cloud RO)
- 15:11 – 2 Best Tankless ROs (Waterdrop G3P600 & X12)
- 27:26 – Best Non-RO Filter (Epic Smart Shield)
- 31:22 – Highest Filtration Score (Aquasana SmartFlow)
- 32:02 – Made in USA (USWS All American & Home Master TMHP-L)
- 32:34 – Budget RO Pick (APEC ROES-50 Essence)
- 32:51 – AO Smith AO-US-200 & Culligan US-EZ-4
- 33:34 – Summary
Full Analysis of the APEC ROES-50 Essence
Filtration: /5.00
1. Lab Results: /5.00
Remember that our before vs after lab comparison is not an exact science. It’s informational and subject to variability, inaccuracies, and interferences caused by natural fluctuations in water quality, accidental contamination, human error, instrumentation issues, and more. Furthermore, our lab-testing is limited to those contaminants present in our water supplies and at their respective concentrations. As such, it can only give us a general idea for how effective a certain water treatment product might be.
Lab Results Chart
| Potentially Harmful | Aesthetic Issues | Feed Water Level | Filtered Water Level | Reduction Rate | |
| Water Disinfectants | |||||
| Chlorine (mg/L) | ✖ | ✖ | 1.67 | 0 | 100% |
| Disinfection Byproducts | |||||
| Bromodichloromethane (µg/l) | ✖ | 3.18 | 0 | 100% | |
| Bromoform (µg/l) | ✖ | 3.51 | 0 | 100% | |
| Dibromochloromethane (µg/l) | ✖ | 5.8 | 0 | 100% | |
| Chloroform (µg/l) | ✖ | 1.36 | 0 | 100% | |
| Metals | |||||
| Copper (mg/L) | ✖ | ✖ | 0.07 | 0 | 100% |
| Iron (mg/L) | ✖ | 0.02 | 0 | 100% | |
| Aluminum (mg/L) | ✖ | ✖ | 0.01 | 0 | 100% |
| Barium (mg/L) | ✖ | 0.04 | 0 | 100% | |
| Boron (mg/L) | ✖ | 0.05 | 0.03 | 40% | |
| Zinc (mg/L) | ✖ | 0.01 | 0 | 100% | |
| Lithium (mg/L) | ✖ | 0.01 | 0 | 100% | |
| Strontium (mg/L) | ✖ | 0.46 | 0.01 | 98% | |
| Salts | |||||
| Nitrate (N) (mg/L) | ✖ | 1.69 | 0 | 100% | |
| Fluoride (mg/L) | ✖ | 0.42 | 0.14 | 67% | |
| Other | |||||
| Uranium (µg/L) | ✖ | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
| RO Salt Rejection | |||||
| TDS (mg/L) | ✖ | 297 | 18 | 94% | |
| Impurities NOT Detected in Unfiltered Tap Water Sample | |||||
| Explanation: | |||||
| Full Removal | |||||
| Considerable Reduction | |||||
| Concentration More Than Double of Unfiltered Water Sample | |||||
| Potential Leaching Reached or Exceeded the Strictest Public Health Guideline We Could Find | |||||
*100% means reduction to below the minimum detection level. To learn more about our testing procedures check our editorial guidelines.
Link to Filtered Water Report
Link to Unfiltered Water Report
Usability: /5.00
Costs: /5.00
Please note: This page is still a work in progress. Additional content and details will be added shortly – stay tuned!
About the Author(s)
Sara has been a lifelong home-improvement fan (she’s been hooked on This Old House since she was five) and taught herself any project she didn’t already know by watching YouTube tutorials. She is also an award-winning filmmaker. Armed with this skillset, Sara installs, primes, samples, uses, and maintains nearly every point-of-use water treatment systems we test – then brings her results to life on camera for our YouTube channel.
Raoul has a background in mechanical engineering and has been writing about home water treatment since 2015. He designs our product review processes, analyzes the results, and ties everything together. As editor-in-chief, he tries hard to keep the whole operation running smoothly behind the scenes.