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Our Verdict (Best For)
The CuZn UC-200 is an inline under sink water filter that’s easy to set up and use, with a compact, well-made design including durable braided metal tubing, and strong water flow. With an average price tag, a 5-year warranty, and US manufacturing, it sounds like a great deal. But in practice, the CuZn is a letdown. While the filtered water tasted and smelled great, in our lab testing, the system failed to remove 6 contaminants either wholly or partially. The system also holds no NSF certifications, and although the company did lots of contaminant testing, it’s unclear whether it was tested against NSF standards. On top of that, the testing was limited to 300 gallons, which makes the already unrealistic 50,000-gallon lifespan even harder to believe. Bottom line: Not our favorite under sink water filter.
The CuZn UC-200 is an under sink water filter that connects to your plumbing and installs inline, allowing you to keep using your regular kitchen faucet. It’s designed for use as a drinking water filter purifying municipal water (not 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 and a filtration speed 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 Water Filter |
| Price (May 5, 2025, w/o Short-Term Sales): | $199.95 |
| Yearly Cost Based on Adjusted 1-Year Filter Life (May 5, 2025): | ~$200 |
Final Rating: /5.00
What We Like Most
- Filtered water tasted and smelled flawless.
- Easy to set up, prime, and use.
- Strong enough water flow for everyday use (you keep using your regular faucet).
- Simple, but sturdy, high-quality, space-saving design; uses braided metal tubing.
- Comes with chlorine test kits.
- Affordable upfront considering that the filter is Made in USA and backed by 5 years warranty.
What We Don’t Like
- No or partial reduction for 6 contaminants in our lab testing.
- No NSF certifications for contaminant reduction and no third-party testing that’s available right now.
- 50,000-gallon or 5-year filter lifespan seems highly unrealistic (except maybe for chlorine) with no data to back it up.
- No filter life indicator.
- 3rd-party customers complained about taste issues, leaking (cracked plastic), and filter not reaching advertised life.
How the CuZn UC-200 Compares to…
18 Other Under Sink Water Filters
In this video, Sara highlights our under sink water filter top picks. The CuZn UC-200 was included in our testing, but didn’t make the cut.
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 CuZn UC-200
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) | ✖ | ✖ | 1.22 | 0 | 100% |
| Disinfection Byproducts | |||||
| Bromodichloromethane (µg/l) | ✖ | 2.04 | 0 | 100% | |
| Bromoform (µg/l) | ✖ | 1.86 | 0 | 100% | |
| Dibromochloromethane (µg/l) | ✖ | 2.82 | 0 | 100% | |
| Chloroform (µg/l) | ✖ | 1.07 | 0 | 100% | |
| Metals | |||||
| Copper (mg/L) | ✖ | ✖ | 0.04 | 0.01 | 75% |
| Barium (mg/L) | ✖ | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0% | |
| Boron (mg/L) | ✖ | 0.06 | 0.04 | 33% | |
| Lithium (mg/L) | ✖ | 0.01 | 0 | 100% | |
| Strontium (mg/L) | ✖ | 0.42 | 0.4 | 5% | |
| Salts | |||||
| Nitrate (N) (mg/L) | ✖ | 1.96 | <0.5 | Anywhere Between 74% and 99% | |
| Fluoride (mg/L) | ✖ | 0.58 | 0.61 | 5% Increase | |
| Other | |||||
| Uranium (µg/L) | ✖ | 1 | 0 | 100% | |
| Impurities NOT Detected in Unfiltered Tap Water Sample | |||||
| Zinc (mg/L) | ✖ | 0 | 1.21 | ||
| Manganese (mg/L) | ✖ | ✖ | 0 | 0.01 | |
| 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.