Why We Chose It:
- High capacity.
- Regenerates only if it needed.
- Great features for controllers.
Technical Specifications:
- 1.5 cubic feet high capacity.
- Treats up to 12 gpm service flow rates.
- Treats moderate to very hard water.

Do you suffer from an excess of hard water in your home? It shouldn’t be hard to find the best water softener for your needs. Yet all too often, finding the right softener to make your water drinkable becomes a serious logistical and economic nightmare. You shouldn’t have to pay big bucks just to get usable water. But it pays to know exactly what you’re looking for and where to get good clean water. This is why it’s an excellent idea to use the web as your handy resource to find the very best deal.
Depending on who you talk to or what softener reviews you choose to pay attention to on the web, you’ll find plenty of candidates for “the best water softener.” Reading reviews comes in handy because it will give you a perspective on which criteria you should be following to choose the water softener that is right for you. It’s your house, it’s your water, and you know what you need.
What you are ultimately looking for is a water softener that will remove hardening agents such as calcium, magnesium carbonate, and manganese. If your laundry always looks spotted, your coffee maker has nasty looking rings, and your sinks and tubs are always rusty, this is very likely due to the presence of hard water. So now that you have diagnosed the issue, it’s time to find the best water softener for your needs.
The Best Water Softeners
There are any number of first class water softener models that can buy to guarantee clean, soft water for your home. The object here is to choose the one that will give you the most soft water for the very least amount of money. While considering your various options, you will also need to keep a number of different factors in mind.
How recent or how old is the water system in your home? What condition are your water pipes in? What kind of softener will work best with the water system that is featured in your home? Finally, you will also need to find out what kind of water softener unit will run the most efficiently in your home while costing you the least possible amount of money.
If you are not an expert on these matters, you will need to seek out accurate facts and figures on the models that many industry figures are recommending for use in your home. It may be wise to take a moment to check out this list of some of the best and most cost efficient softener models currently available on the marketplace.
Fleck 5600SXT

When it comes to guaranteeing a full supply of fresh, soft water for your home, you have plenty of options to choose from. But if you want the very best water softener, there is one unit that you should definitely know more about. This is the Fleck 5600SXT. When industry experts tout the virtues of a particular softener, this is the one that tends to be most frequently mentioned.
The Fleck 5600SXT is a unit that includes a tank, control head, resin, and brine tank. These are all the essential elements you need to make the perfect softener for your hard water. From there, all you need to do is add the salt and water that the unit uses to do its job. It’s a quick, simple process that isn’t complicated by extra elements. Above all, the unit is easy to install and cost effective to operate.
The reason this particular water softener gets mentioned with approval by experts is because of its amazing cost effectiveness. If you are looking for a softener that gives you the best value on water and salt expenditure, this is the one to buy. The Fleck 5600SXT softener has been specially engineered to give you the ultimate water softening experience. For this reason, it’s well worth taking a closer look at.
Tier 1

One of the finest water softener models on the market is the new Tier 1. This model provides clean and soft water through a specially engineered program that is rife with recent improvements. The softener system comes complete with a brine tank, mineral tank, and a newly reengineered flow valve with bypass and adapter. These are the features that make the Tier 1 a highly recommended model for new home owners.
It also deserves to be noted that the Tier 1 softener is rated very highly on energy efficiency. Because this softener unit has been primed to save the maximum amount of salt and water, you will end up using lower amounts of tap and sink water during the course of your daily activities. This will also end up saving you a great deal of money on your utility bill in the long run.
The specially designed Tier 1 turbine meter has been incorporated into the unit itself, rather than included separately. The entire unit consists of a 10 x 54 inch mineral rank as well as 15 x 34 inch brine tank. By accommodating both systems in a much reduced amount of total area, you are able to save over 4 feet of floor space. This gives you a great deal of freedom to include the Tier 1 in different areas of your home where you able to store it safely and securely.
Fleck 9100SXT

If you have been searching for a water softener that offers you maximum savings on salt and water, the new Fleck 9100SXT is sure to fit the bill. This softener unit offers you 15 percent savings on both water and salt. The reason this is possible is because, unlike many softener units that operate on preset systems, this one doesn’t regenerate automatically.
In fact, this new twin-tank system is programmed to regenerate itself with soft water only when such an operation is absolutely necessary. And when it finally does so, it is guaranteed to use a full 100 percent of the tank. This means that you are able to save up to 15 percent of the normal amount of salt and water that is used in such an operation. The ultimate result is a serious reduction in your energy bill.
These are not the only benefits that come with making use of the new Fleck 9100SXT. Like other Fleck models currently on the market, the 9100SXT makes use of a specially compressed two tank system. This means not only a reduction in the amount of salt and water that are used, but also a serious reduction in the amount of space that the unit occupies. This alone should make the Fleck 9100SXT a worthy contender.
Aquasana

The latest water softener model from Aquasana comes complete with a quite audacious guarantee. This softener model is reputed to last for a full one million gallons or 10 years, whichever of the two comes first. According to industry experts, this is the only claim of its kind that is currently being made by a leading manufacturer of softener units. Whether it lives up to this claim remains to be seen over the coming years.
As for the unit itself, the new Aquasana softer comes complete with a specially designed high performance water filtration system. According to the accompanying press release, this system is designed to provide healthy water to every device and area in your home that needs to make use of water throughout your entire home. Its special filtration system dispenses with excess draining, flushing, and water waste.
Perhaps its greatest point of appeal for some homes is that the unit is set up to removes 97 percent of the chlorine from household tap water. This will naturally result in healthier and better tasting water from the various taps and sinks in your home. It will also make cleaning your bathtubs a much easier task. These are a few of the reasons why the Aquasana is now being heralded as one of the finer softener units on the market.
Fleck Iron Pro 2 Combination Water Softener and Iron Filter

The new Fleck Iron Pro 2 Combination Water Softener and Iron Filter is a model that is garnering quite a bit of attention on the market these days. This brand new water softener comes straight from Fleck, one of the leading authorities on clean water and softener units. This new model is bound to be one of the most popular and cost efficient softener systems available to most commercial and private properties.
One of the biggest perks of using the Fleck model to soften your water is its relative portability. The unit is sized a bit smaller than other comparable units. It is also priced somewhat more reasonably than many larger sized softener models. For these reasons, this may well be the best softener for you to purify your water with if you find yourself on a tight budget.
On The Go Portable Water Softener

Many homes feature two separate water softener and iron filtration systems. While adequate for most water softening needs, this system can in practice be extremely time intensive and costly. This is why the new On The Go Portable Water Softener is making such a big splash in recent times. This unit is a softener for your household water while also functioning as a high grade iron filter.
Another major perk that comes with buying this softener unit is its portability. Since all functions of the unit are contained in one system, you no longer have to worry about clearing away adequate space to keep it in. This gives you the option of storing the softener anywhere in the home where it can be easily connected to a source of water.
The softener unit is designed to remove many different types of mineral and sediment build up in order to purify and soften your water supply. In fact, the system is able to removes hardness from your water up to a total of 75 grains per gallon. Iron and manganese are removed up to the 6 particles per measure range. The system likewise removes the majority of sediment, sand, rust, and other impurities from your water supply.
iSpring ED2000

One of the major issues that many users have with their water softener units is the need to incorporate a large number of excess chemicals. These chemicals are usually introduced by the softener unit into the water supply of your home. In most cases, the solution of salt and water that the average softener uses is sufficient to solve most hard water issues. However, the excess chemicals that are left behind can sometimes cause additional issues that can give you serious trouble in the long run.
This is why the iSpring ED2000 softener unit is such a breath of fresh air – and water, for that matter. This new softener system has been specially designed to solve a host of hard water issues without needing to include any of these extra chemicals. In fact, the iSpring ED2000 is one of the very few salt-free units currently available on the market. This eliminates the need for constant salt level maintenance.
Perhaps the main virtue of this new softener unit is its ability to reduce the total intake of salt and water that is normally required by such a system. Meanwhile, the unit itself is specially designed to allow your water to retain healthy minerals. Of course, minerals that cause hardening of your water are excluded. This prevents scale deposits and other unhealthy mineral byproducts to slowly break down and disappear.
Poly Salt Free

In many ways, the new Poly Salt Free water softener is the ultimate portable softener unit. If the main issue in your home is hard water, this may well be the model that finally solves this pressing issue. To some degree, the Poly Salt Free is a successor to the famous “Magic Bullet” system. However, that unit still left a fair degree of salt and other mineral deposits behind. By contrast, the new Poly Salt Free system is far more consistent and effective at removing them on a permanent basis.
Since the Poly Salt Free unit makes no use of salt whatsoever, your sinks, pipes, and other areas will be cleansed without any fear of aggregate material being left behind. This makes the Poly Salt Free one of the finest portable softener units for smaller homes as well as households on a budget. It’s an efficient, clean, and very affordable source of clean water for your home.
Eddy Water Descaler

The new Eddy Water Descaler is a water softener unit that can be easily installed on metal or plastic pipes. Its versatile set up system allows it to be introduced very quickly into your home. Since the installation is so quick and easy, there is virtually no downtime. The Eddy Water Descaler can replace your existing softener unit or function as the very first such unit in your home.
The unit is excellent for descaling your entire water system. Although it isn’t set up to function quite as effectively for such a long time as a normal water softener, users still report excellent results. The system is generally maintenance free with an effectiveness ratio of up to 20 grains per gallon. For these reasons, the Eddy Water Descaler is an excellent small scale softener for homes on a budget.
Whirlpool

In many ways, the new Whirlpool may just be the ultimate water softener for smaller households. If you live in a home of between 1 to maybe 4 individuals, you don’t really need an entire huge softener system. Instead of paying extra money to have a conventional softener installed, you might do better to buy this handy new portable unit. The Whirlpool is very handy in such a situation. It can remove impurities all the way up to a level 8 particles per measure of ferrous) iron from your water.
Of course, there’s much more to recommend the Whirlpool beyond its undoubted facility at removing iron and other dangerous particles from water. The unit has also drawn a fair measure of praise for its easy portability. If you are planning to move to a small home where no softener system has yet been installed, the Whirlpool may be the perfect model for your needs.
New home owners should take note of the fact that the Whirlpool has drawn rave reviews for its water efficiency. The unit is designed to automatically calculate just how much salt and water will be needed to regenerate the unit. Since it only enters this regeneration cycle at the time that you preset, it will also only use the exact amount of salt and water that are strictly required. This is a conservation measure that is bound to save you a great deal of time, energy, and money.
HydroFLOW

The new Hydroflow water softener comes complete with a rather unique selling point. This is a completely salt-free unit, meaning that it will not change the actual chemistry of your water. However, this does not mean the water will not be affected for the better. The unit does an excellent job of softening up your water while leaving all of the beneficial minerals behind that aid in its purity. However, harmful minerals are sifted out with a unique salt-free system.
The unit itself is completely maintenance free and can be attached to your existing metal or plastic pipes. No modifications to your existing plumbing system will ever be required. If you already have a softener in place, you can quickly remove it in favor of the new salt-free Hydroflow model. The Hydroflow softener is easy to install and very easy to look after. Its performance is guaranteed with an all-inclusive warranty.
Which Water Softener Gives You the Best Value for Your Money?
There are many softener models that you can buy to give you the soft water you need. But, in the end, the softener you choose should be the one that gives you the best quality of water. It should also be the one that gives you the very best value for the money you spend. This is why it pays to read the reviews of various types of water softener models that are available on the modern marketplace.
The type of softener that you need to cure your hard water situation will ultimately depend on a number of very important factors. What you need is a unit that includes a tank, control head, resin, and brine tank. These are the fundamental materials you need to guarantee fresh, soft water for your home.
From there, all you should have to do is add in the special soft water creating solution and then add the tiniest possible amount of salt. The softener unit you choose should always include a set of complete instructions to answer any questions that you may have concerning the unit.
While there are plenty of worthy softener models on this list for you to consider, you do have to make a choice in the end. If you want the best quality of water, the softener you need is the Fleck 5600SXT. For the reasons listed above, this is our choice for the most efficient, effective, and economical water softener.
Your Buying Guide for Choosing a Water Softener
When it comes to buying a new water softener, do you know which one is best for your personal needs? This is a question that you deserve an answer to before you go spending your hard earned money. Hard water can be common in certain parts of the United States, but it’s up to you to soften your water with the best possible system. But how can you know which one is truly the best?
The softener that you choose should answer correctly to a few basic criteria. From there, it’s your choice of what extra features you would like to see included with your personal best model. There are a whole host of softener reviews on the market to help you make your choice. But first it may be handy to check out a quick buying guide that will give you the info you need to choose your next water softener.
Water is water, whether soft, hard, or otherwise. But when it comes to buying the best model of water softener, you should know upfront that there are several different types. What follows is a quick list of the various different styles of water softener.
Salt-Based Ion Exchange Softener
The first type of water softener that you should know about is the Salt-based Ion Exchange softener. This model has been specially designed to cycle your household water through two succeeding tanks. The first tank has been fitted with special resin beads.
The second tank has been loaded to the brim with salt brine. This type of water softening tank works through the basic principle of ion exchange. It softens up hard water by substituting salt in the place of the hard minerals that are messing up your water.
Many experts believe that the Salt-based ion exchange water softener is one of the most effect water softening devices that you could install in your home. The main drawback is that using this type of softener may prove to be a bit pricy. The total cost of such a unit will vary depending on the area you live in, the type of pipes your home makes use of, and the general quality of available water in your area. If you are interested in a unit that will treat your whole house, check out our buying guide for our recommendations.

Salt-Free Water Softener
The second type of water softener is known as the Salt-free model. This is the best model to use in homes where salt buildup is already an issue. If you don’t want to add more salt to the water in your home, you can make use of this particular brand of water softener. However, while many experts maintain that this type of softener may be better than having none at all, they also add that this is still the least effective type to have in your home.
A salt-free water softener is set up to regenerate itself by making use of a special potassium chloride substitute. This chemical mixture takes the place that salt would normally have in softening up your water. If you are concerned about your personal intake of salt, this may well be the best type of water softener unit for your needs.
You should also note that this brand of water softener is what is known in the industry as a de-scaler. This means that the unit will not actually reduce the amount of hard water minerals in your water. However, what it is designed to do is to prevent these hard water minerals from depositing themselves as scaly material and stains on the surfaces of your various household tubs, sinks, appliances, and pipes.
Dual-Tank Water Softener
A third type is known as the Dual-Tank water softener. If you suffer from a chronic surplus of hard water in your home, this is the method that may well be best recommended for you to make use of. Many experts tout the dual-tank water softener as the best available remedy to remove hard water from your home in an efficient and cost effective fashion. However, in some areas this type of softener may be rather expensive to lay hands on.
When the average type of water softener is in the process of recharging itself, it is designed to disconnect entirely from your household water system. This means that it will be completely offline during this recharging process. During this time, your water will not be protected from hardening. Since this can obviously be a problem during peak hours, this cycle of regeneration cycle is best preset to occur during the late night or early morning hours.
The lack of usable water during this regeneration process is why it may be wise for you to consider making use of a dual-tank water softener. When you soften your water with a dual-tank unit, you can have one tank in use while the other is recharging itself. This means that water can be supplied through the softener on a continuous basis with no down time. Since this type of unit is designed to operate on demand, it can easily be much smaller than the average single tank water softener.

Magnetic Water Softener
A different type of salt-free water softener is the magnetic water softener. If you want your water softened without using conventional methods, this may be the one that is best suited to your home. Due to its relative newness, this particular type of softener may be a bit more costly than others.
The magnetic water softener clips onto an incoming water pipe in your home. This arrangement then sets up a magnetic field. This field works by altering the electromagnetic properties of the minerals that are making your water go hard. The field than repels these minerals using this system of pipes. This particular type of softener is very effective in homes where the water system is largely based around incoming pipes.
What Kind of Controls Should Your Water Softener Feature?
Keep in mind that before you opt to purchase a water softener, it’s a good idea to find out more about its specific control features. This way you can safely remove the potential for game changing surprises that could set you back quite a lot of money. When you know exactly what type of controls your softener unit employs, you can get the best feel for what kind of performance to expect from that particular unit.
The first thing you need to do is discover what kind of control system governs the type of softener unit you are interested in buying. You will need to ascertain just what controls each regeneration cycle as well as how long each of these cycles last from start to finish. Since water is a priority in your home, you’ll need to know how much is being used in order to guarantee yourself enough of it for other uses in your home.
You will also need to have an accurate picture of the exact amount of water and salt (if the unit is salt-based) that will be needed for each cycle of regeneration. Since salt-free models tend to cost more, as well as use more water, your first softener unit will very likely be salt-based. You should note that even fully automatic softener models will need to be refilled on occasional with a fresh dose of salt. There are two basic types of controls for softener units, as will be discussed below.

Timer Controls for Water Softener Units
You may choose a type of softener unit that is controlled by a special internal clock or other kind of electronic timer system. These type of units make use of this internal system to recharge at a set time of the day or night. The time the system resets at will be based on the amount of water you use in your home as well as when you use it. The idea here is for the softener unit to reset itself at the time that is most convenient for you.
However, there may be some drawbacks associated with making use of this particular kind of softener unit. The internal timer may kick in at a time when you are using water at a particularly high rate. Since the timer system is based on your average water usage, you will need to plan ahead so that you will not be inconvenienced by the softener shutting down in order to regenerate itself.
This type of softener can also unwittingly waste a great deal of both salt and water. This is because their internal timer compels them to reset themselves for a regeneration cycle even if no such cycle is strictly required on that day. This will normally happen in the early hours of the morning. However, it can still be a costly and wasteful experience that you may prefer to avoid.
DIR Controls for Water Softener Units
The more sophisticated and reliable water softener units are the ones that make use of the DIR (Demand Initiated Regeneration) system. These units provide clean, soft water by using a system of continuous recharging. However, unlike the standard softeners that work on a timer unit, the DIR system is far more economical with both the amount of water and salt that are used.
A softener equipped with the DIR system is able to automatically sense when the time for regenerating the system has come. This time is internally anticipated through electronic sensors. In some units, this regeneration cycle may be predicted through a special meter that is equipped to calculate the amount of salt and water that your home is using.
A water softener that makes use of the DIR regeneration system is one that will save you much more than salt and water. It will also save you a great deal of time, effort, and money in the long run. This is because this particular water softener is one that will not recharge itself unless and until such an operation is completely necessary.

Selecting a Softener for Your Home Has a Lot to Do with Size
Size is hardly the answer to every household question. However, when you are in the process of choosing a new softener to be installed in your home, the issue will come up. What you want to do is select the softener whose size, efficiency, and longevity are right for your personal needs. The size of the softener that you ultimately select for your home will depend on a number of factors.
The softener that you buy for your home will normally be sold in several sizes. Each of these sizes are categorized by a special rating system. The system basically notes the number of hard minerals that can removed from your water between each cycle of regenerations. This number is calculated precisely in terms of grains.
The idea here is for you to purchase a softener unit that will go as long as possible between these necessary regenerative cycles. At least three days is the ideal distance of time. It’s also a good idea to select a softener that will be able to process larger than normal amounts of water due to odd upticks in the total volume that you may use in your home.
How Much Water Will You Need to Use in Your House?
The final question related to the potential size of your softener unit will be just how much water you use in your home on a daily basis. This sum is easy enough for you to calculate in a quick and accurate fashion. All you need to do is multiply the total number of people in your home by 75. This is because 75 gallons of water is the average amount used by a single person. If you have 5 people in your home, the softener unit you select will need to process 375 gallons of water per day.
If your water contains 10 grains per gallon of hard minerals, you will need to buy a softener system that can process and remove 3,750 grains per gallon on a daily basis. This is because each grain per gallon of minerals in your water must be multiplied by 10.