SparkPod Ultra Shower Filter - Shower Head Water Filter and Cartridge - 150 Stage Equivalent - Removes Up to 95% of Chlorine and Heavy Metals - for Soft Hair and Skin (Vintage Oil Rubbed Bronze)

Purchased 2 for our main shower - Overhead Waterfall and the handheld shower - Easy install, once in place if they match your pipeworks finish they blend in surprisingly well - look a bit retro even. Easy to replace the filters when the time comes. Been in for nearly six months - and swapped out the replaceable Filter cartridges a few times and definately say they make a huge difference to our area's very hard water.The proof is when you compare the used filter cart to a new one - the used is dull brown/ beige with all the impurities compared to the new cart ! Excellent product - well done Sparkpod !

I like this filter and have bought two now because the filters I had purchased cant be used as its impossible to twist and open the pod. shame as will have to return the filters.

The media could not be loaded. Took quite a while to arrive over a month so not sure where it came from but it got here eventually. Comes in a nice padded box and has a set of rubber washers with filter mesh and a small reel of PTFE tape, if needed. It feels well made with good quality chrome finish and a transparent bowl for the filter. I will be interested to see what this traps as other filters around the house have trapped bits of sand which I guess is from the water filter beds, we do sometimes get a chlorine smell from the water so it will be interesting to see how it impacts on that. The Q&A gives a link for replacement filter element but that seems to be an import from America and is at a ridiculous price so we will see if that changes anytime soon, at the price shown it would be cheaper to by a complete replacement filter! I mounted the unit at the end of the shower pipe next to the wall as when full of water it will be a fair weight, it could also have gone on the other end of the flexible pipe under the shower bar but is more out of the way up high. There does not seem to be any impact on flow on my mains pressure shower. Not sure what effect it will have on the shower experience I will need a bit of time to evaluate that. Dead easy to fit but I did need a spanner to tighten the top nut as it dripped a bit, half a turn did the trick. It seems that they come in a range of finishes black, grey, nickel etc. I like the clear bowl though as you can see the state off the filter. Interesting to see people also fitting them to sink taps.

Feel free to get one and you’ll know why I leave this comment. Structurally, there is no way water will pass through the filter, that means water just go straight out unfiltered. Another piece of plastic added to the land fill.

Water content varies across the country, but in my case I was not able to measure any difference between the water from my shower before and after fitting the Sparkpod (measured approx 100ppm both times). My water is not particularly hard, so you may see better results if you're starting from a higher baseline, though based on my results, I cannot confirm that.So given it failed me on it's main purpose, I would not recommend this to anyone with comparable water, however, there are still some good points. Installation was simple, with detailed instructions. The filter comes pre-installed in the pod, which means you can get going quickly. I found there was almost no restriction in flow for me, which was surprising. The unit, when installed, looks pretty attractive to me.Some improvements could be made here though. The housing is plastic for the most part, with some metal parts to connect to the shower outlet piping. This is a good, solid connection, however the other end is threaded plastic, which is a bit of a liability. Once installed it's probably not going to be an issue, however a lot of care is required during installation, as it's certainly a weak point. The filter holder is also a bit problematic, as the o-ring is very easy to trap during re-assembly.Generally this is a well made product which is offered at a reasonable price. It's an easy way to add filtration to your shower, but did not provide any measurable benefit to water with reasonably low contamination. If you live in a very hard water area you may fare better, for anyone else, I cannot personally recommend.

Living in a harder water area, I already know the benefits of filtering tap water but had limited filtering on the shower (I have used some others in the past but am always looking for something better). Seeing the new SparkPod Ultra range, I decided to try it as a replacement for the standard SparkPod style filters.The filter comes with a single refill and is enough to last 3-4 months. Replacements are available although on Amazon for around half the price of the complete unit, so not the cheapest filters around.The actual filter body is shiny chrome with a transparent elongated dome that houses the filter and screws into the main body. The body is screwed in in-line between the shower and the shower head – I have used it with a standard electric shower but with the body being fairly large, it isn't the easiest to fit. On power showers etc. The filter can fit nearer to the shower head, so this is likely to make it easier to fit.Fitting the filter into the body is simple as it pushes in with an O-ring to stop water seeping through without being filtered. The end result is a strong seal and fully filtered water.There are a couple of important things for a shower filter – the first is that it doesn't impede the water flow level too much and the other is that the filtered water makes the showering more pleasant with softened water (that also stops limescale from building up on the shower head). With this filter it works well for both. I have noticed no reduction in water flow through and the water really is softer and makes my hair feel cleaner and softer. This is one of the best filters I have used and will be one that I carry on using for as long as I can get replacement filter elements. Not the cheapest but one of the best.A little side note - the item label of each type of filter is incorrect. The listing title has the correct version in it. Mine if chrome and transparent but is labelled radiant rainbow.