A water ionizer is a mechanical device that uses electrodes to change the molecular structure of water to make it cleaner and healthier.
Ionized water is antioxidant and mineral-rich and produces an array of health benefits ranging from more effective hydration to enhanced cognitive function.
Our product experts subjected scores of today’s most popular ionizers to rigorous examination and determined the following are the best water ionizers of 2021.
Rankings
1. IntelGadgets IONtech IT-757 Water Ionizer
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With a handsome, brushed stainless steel shell, easy to understand controls, and the ability to adjust pH levels from alkaline to acidic, the IntelGadgets IONtech IT-757 is affordable, beneficial tech for busy households.
What we like: Not every water ionizer gives you the ability to produce alkaline water or acidic ionized water. But the IONtech IT-757 does. And they make it super easy with their seven different presets. Complete with carbon filter to remove impurities.
Flaws: Might have to replace that filter more often than the marketing suggests.
2. Bawell Platinum Alkaline Water Ionizer
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From the discrete minimalist design to the high flow rate and rock-solid construction, the Bawell Platinum Alkaline Water Ionizer is hard to beat. At only 11 pounds, it is one of the lightest countertop ionizers on the market as well.
What we like: We are partial to ionizers that provide a wide range of control over the final product. The Bawell Platinum is one of the best at that. With a high flow rate, easy setup, intuitive control, and a lifetime warranty, it’s worth the financial stretch.
Flaws: You will pay more for the Bawell Platinum, but it will not let you down.
3. HealthyWiser Alkaline Water Ionizer
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The HealthyWiser Alkaline Water Ionizer looks great, runs quiet, pumps out a robust flow, and provides an insane amount of control over the pH level of your water. Whatever you need ionized water for, this machine will produce it for you.
What we like: The water filtration system is one of the best. You get precise control over alkaline or acidic content. The device cleans itself after every use. And if you don’t want to set it up on the countertop, you can do so under the counter just as easy.
Flaws: The control panel is too invested in looking good and not invested enough in being practical.
4. Aqua Ionizer Pro Deluxe 7.0
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Some of the units we looked at so far are pretty large. Not the Aqua Ionizer Pro Deluxe 7. It fits comfortably on just about any countertop, where it purifies your water and then ionizes it to meet your specific needs.
What we like: The Aqua Ionizer Pro Deluxe provides seven pH settings ranging from highly alkaline to highly acidic. The platinum-coated electrodes should last for years. And if they don’t, you’re covered by the lifetime warranty.
Flaws: The stock model does not remove chlorine. And the control panel looks a bit cheap.
5. Alkaviva Authentic Melody II Water Ionizer
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The engineers behind the Alkaviva Authentic Melody II put as much effort into making sure it purifies your water as they did into making sure you have fingertip control over pH levels. They did not skrimp on the aesthetic either, so you don’t have to hide it behind a plant.
What we like: This relatively compact, very attractive, well-built ionizer will make a fine addition to most kitchens. The water that emerges is noteworthy for its purity and is rich in antioxidants and beneficial minerals.
Flaws: It’s marketed as a ‘value’ ionizer. We don’t know if we’d go that far. But overall quality more than justifies its high price.
6. Life Water Ionizer Next Generation M11
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Life makes a full line of water ionizers, but for our money, this is their best. The Next Generation M11 is easy to set up, easy to use, and provides a great deal of control over final pH levels. If pure, antioxidant-rich water is what you’re after, the M11 will provide it.
What we like: Despite its size, the M11 features a sleek, attractive profile. It’s powerful but energy-efficient, and the titanium plates are not going to rust out from under you. The resulting antioxidant-rich water is tasty and contains lots of calcium for strong bones.
Flaws: The unit is large and weighs more than 27 lbs, so be careful moving it around.
7. Cosan Alkaline Antioxidant Water Ionizer
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Because there is no mechanical pump and no LCD screen, the Cosan Alkaline Antioxidant Water Ionizer does not require electricity. That alone will make it worth the price for many environmentally conscious individuals and families.
What we like: The Cosan Antioxidant Water Ionizer has the sleek, stylish appearance of a high-end coffee maker. Fortunately, it also removes more than 220 impurities from your tap water and provides alkaline water that’s rich in antioxidant benefits.
Flaws: Requires 4 AA batteries. So you need to be sure you always have some available.
8. IntelGadgets IT-580 Alkaline Water Ionizer
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IntelGadgets makes a second appearance in our rankings with their outstanding IT-580. This is a versatile, lightweight (8 lbs), countertop ionizer that sets up fast and provides seven pH presets. It’s also one of the most affordable units on our list.
What we like: The IT-580 is less obtrusive than some other countertop units. But it doesn’t sacrifice functionality for that compact size. Resulting water is highly-pure, tasty, and ready to enhance your health or wash your vegetables.
Flaws: The design, while not a deal-breaker, is not far from being that.
9. iRayer Alkaline Water Ionizer
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The iRayer Alkaline Water Ionizer is handsome, affordable, dependable, and (relatively) compact. It gets everything right from purifying the tap water to providing a screen big enough to read from a distance. Hooks up easily to any kitchen or bathroom tap.
What we like: One of the easiest water ionizers to use. It also has one of the largest LCD screens, which we really appreciated. A great looking device as well that will not detract from your kitchen decor.
Flaws: The light weight is the result of a plastic body.
10. Tyent Alkaline H2 Hybrid Ionizer
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We’re skeptical about any company or product touted as the gold standard. But in the case of Tyent, it turns out that the accolades the company has been enjoying are well-earned. The Alkaline H2 Hybrid Ionizer is easy to use, dependable, and produces pure, antioxidant-rich water.
What we like: The H2 Hybrid Ionizer provides a great deal of control over the pH level of your water. The LCD screen offers intuitive control, and the device cleans itself after every use. Toss in the company’s lifetime warranty, and you have our #1 water ionizer.
Flaws: It’s not the smallest unit on our list, so you will need plenty of space to set it up.
Who Needs A Water Ionizer?
The human body is 70% water, and that water needs constant replenishment. Skip drinking water for even one day, and you are bound to pay dearly. Most tap water is loaded with chemicals and often has a funky taste to it. Bottled water, on the other hand, tastes better, but every year billions of plastic bottles wind up in landfills and the ocean.
A water ionizer can turn your iffy tap water into a tasty, mineral-rich, toxin-free beverage that will provide more effective hydration, while at the same time delivering a slew of health benefits, which we’ll get into shortly. Ionized water is brimming with antioxidants that fight oxidative stress. It is also loaded with beneficial minerals, including magnesium and calcium.
So who needs a water ionizer? Anyone who wants to enjoy better-tasting water, more complete hydration, and better overall health in both the short and long-term.
How We Ranked
From a scientific standpoint, water ionizers are not terribly complicated. First, tap water is passed through a filter to remove impurities (some ionizers also use UV light to kill bacteria). Then the purified water is passed over an electrode that either adds electrons and produces alkaline water, or removes electrons and produces acidic water. Not all ionizers do both.
The science does not change from machine to machine, so it is not difficult to determine if an ionizer is working. All that’s needed is to test the pH content of the output water. Once we winnowed down the many dozens of ionizers to those couple of dozen that do the most reliable job ionizing the water, other considerations reared their head.
First, we insisted that any ionizer for home use be easy to install. A person should not have to hire someone to do the job for them. All the water ionizers that made our list passed the installation test with flying colors. Any countertop water ionizer must also be easy to use with a very agreeable learning curve.
Next, we looked at energy usage, because most human beings are aware by now of the importance of energy conservation. So any device that runs on electricity should incorporate the latest energy-saving technology.
Once we had pared our list down using the above criteria, we considered aesthetics. Looks are important because, after all, this is going to be sitting on your kitchen or bathroom counter for all to see.
Finally, we weighed price and warranty. The best water ionizers are not cheap. So they needed to pass muster regarding all of the above criteria, and they needed to offer comprehensive long-term warranties. For the most expensive ionizers, we wanted to see a warranty of at least five years.
FAQs
Q: What is ionized water?
A: Ionized water is produced by adding or removing electrons from water molecules. Adding electrons to water molecules produces alkaline ionized water. Removing electrons produces acidic ionized water. Many water ionizers allow you to adjust the pH levels of your water. When you do so, you are either adding (alkaline) or subtracting (acidic) electrons from the water molecules. The different types of ionized water serve different purposes.
Q: How does a water ionizer produce ionized water?
A: Adding or removing electrons seems like a job for a supercollider. But it is not as difficult as you may think. Inside the ionizer, water is run over electrodes that are either positively or negatively charged. This produces either alkaline water or acidic water, respectively. The water then emerges from the machine, and you are free to use it for whatever purpose you have in mind.
Q: Can ionized water enhance physical performance?
A: During exercise the use of muscle glycogen increases substantially (1). However, this has a negative effect on the pH balance of muscle tissue. Expending glycogen produces pyruvic and lactic acids and CO2, all of which erode pH levels in muscles, reduce stamina, and compromise a person’s ability to achieve optimal performance. Alkaline water produced by a water ionizer can
Q: What should I expect when I start drinking ionized water?
A: Your experience will depend in large part on your lifestyle. If you are an active person, you are likely to have greater energy and perhaps think a bit more clearly. If you are athletically inclined, you may experience more effective workouts, more stamina, and less muscle soreness. However, if you are mostly sedentary, the benefits may be confined to better hydration and a reduced chance of developing chronic conditions like heart disease.
Q: Why do some water ionizers have a UV light?
A: Some water ionizers have a UV light inside. It’s not there to provide some psychedelic lighting effect. It’s there to help remove bacteria from the water (2). Ultraviolet light can kill many types of bacteria by penetrating them and actually breaking down their DNA. Scientists have long understood the benefits of UV light for purifying water. Recently, some ionizer manufacturers have picked up on this and incorporated it into their designs.
Q: Is there such a thing as drinking too much ionized water?
A: There have been no health studies examining the possible effects of drinking too much ionized water. At the same time, however, there are no credible reports of people suffering ill effects from drinking ionized water on a regular basis. Some health professionals worry that too much high pH alkaline water may have a negative impact on necessary stomach acids. But there is no proof that concern is warranted.
Q: Is it difficult to install a water ionizer?
A: No, it is not difficult to install a water ionizer. At least the commercial countertop water ionizers we are talking about in this product guide. Most can be installed in just a few minutes with no special tools or training of any kind required. One thing older folks should be aware of though, is that some of these machines can get pretty heavy. Like, between 20-30 pounds heavy. So you will want to be careful when lifting and moving them.
Q: Does ionized water stay ionized?
A: Most things want to return to their natural state and water is no different. Ionizing water will provide a wealth of benefits as we have seen, but the effects of ionization on water molecules is not permanent. The antioxidant benefits will usually dissipate in about a day. So drink that water alkaline shortly after making it. Beyond that, the higher pH levels of the ionized water will begin to dissipate after about a week.
Q: Can I use a water ionizer with bottled water?
A: In theory, a water ionizer will work with any type of water. The problem is getting the water into the machine. Most ionizers are designed to be hooked up directly to the faucet in your kitchen. There are, however, some portable units on the market that produce small volumes of ionized water. These are top-loading units you can pour the water directly into. Some are plug-in models. Others are battery operated.
Q: What is the downside of drinking ionized water?
A: There is no known downside to drinking alkaline ionized water. That is the ionized water with elevated pH levels. As we mentioned earlier, some water ionizers enable you to produce both alkaline ionized water and acidic alkaline water. If you have one of those machines, it is important you remember that the acidic ionized water is not intended for drinking. Acidic water promotes oxidative stress (3), and there is no good spin you can put on that.
Q: Is ionized water used in commercial applications?
A: Yes, ionized was is and has been used commercially for decades. Ionized water is used in the dairy industry. It is fed to cows and helps keep them properly hydrated and improve their overall health. Acidic ionized water is also used to keep pests off of crops and ensure veggies at your favorite salad bar stay safe and delicious.
Q: Do I need any special hardware to hook up a water ionizer?
A: In most cases, you will not need any special hardware to hook up a water ionizer. Most come with all the components you will need to attach them directly to your faucet. It is possible that, in some cases, you may need a screwdriver or a small adjustable wrench. But such cases are the exception. Most, can be installed by anyone able to follow simple directions in just about 10 minutes, sometimes less.
Q: If ionized water is so healthy, why don’t cities provide it?
A: There are some sources of naturally occurring alkaline water in the world. But they are few and far between and do not produce nearly enough water to handle the needs of large cities. The cost of setting up ionization plants for a city’s municipal water supply would also be prohibitive. The good news is that anyone can turn their municipal tap water into clean, antioxidant-rich ionized water with one of the above ionizers.
Q: Can anyone drink ionized water?
A: There is nothing preventing anyone, including children and the elderly, from drinking beneficial ionized water. You can even feed it to your pets and let them enjoy the benefits. That said, if you are currently being treated for GERD (4), you may want to consult your doctor before you start drinking alkaline ionized water. That’s because the water may change the acidity of your stomach environment, and that may impact any medications you are taking.
Q: Why should I buy a water ionizer?
A: You should buy a water ionizer because you want to enjoy a higher degree of overall health. You should buy a water ionizer because you want to take advantage of the antioxidant benefits it has to offer, including the ability to help fend off cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline (5), and more. You should buy a water ionizer that allows you to adjust pH levels so you can have acidic ionized water to wash vegetables with.
Q: Will ionized water interfere with medications?
A: There is no clinical evidence to suggest that ionized water will interfere with any prescription medications. The lone exception might be medications to control GERD (acid reflux). Because alkaline water can affect the stomach’s pH balance, you should discuss the situation with your doctor before starting to drink ionized water on a regular basis.
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Recap
Ionized water provides numerous antioxidant benefits, can help restore your body’s pH level, and enables you to enjoy more effective hydration.
Ionized water has virtually no side effects, will not interact poorly with medications, and does not contain harmful chemicals.
The best water ionizers are easy to set up, dependable, energy-efficient, and will serve you well for years to come.