The Best Countertop Water Filter: Bon Del

Made in the USA

If you've already read our history page, you know that Bon Del began when inventor Ray Ward read about the technology NASA perfected in the '70's for filtering water using a combination of granular activated carbon bound to silver.

Ray had just moved to Arizona in 1977 and the first thing Ray set out to do was improve the taste of his drinking water, or as he put it, to get rid of the "little floaties" that made the water taste funny. He did some research on water filtration. His research led him to call NASA (National Aeronautic and Space Administration) to get information on the bacteriostatic water purification system developed for the Space Shuttle. Intrigued by the NASA system, he looked into the possiblity of making a smaller bacteriostatic unit for the home. NASA experts told him to forget it—it would be too expensive.

Bon Del Water Filters have been cleaning water longer than any other major brand. In continuous production using NASA technology for 27 years.

Click Here to Order a Bon Del Water Filter Right Now

That was all the challenge Ray Ward needed.

First, he tried a formula of silver and activated carbon, a known filter of organic elements. Then he combined the formula with a myriad of mechanical combinations—wrecking his kitchen and cleaning out his bank account in the process. Finally one night, after combining a Thermos casing with his NASA-inspired filtration media and some plumbing fixtures, Ray realized he had it. The prototype for what would be the Bon Del filter was born.

Now in dire financial straits, Ray put together several of the makeshift water filters and sold them immediately. Satisfied customers bought more to sell to their friends, and soon Ray was filling orders for his filters day and night. Ray's business grew beyond his wildest expectations, and millions of Bon Del filters have been sold in the last 27 years.

As the company developed and prospered, the Bon Del family of filters grew and became more sophisticated, as did the entire water filtration industry. Until 1999 Bon Del filters were sold through a multi-level marketing program, however now the filters are sold through local dealers as well as factory direct. In fact, you can buy our best-selling filters right on the Web. Click here to order a Bon Del Water Filter right now.

There are many reasons Bon Del has become such a success, but the major reason is simply this: Bon Del offers a simple, affordable way to get the freshest tasting water possible.

Our technology consists of these basic component pieces:

Granular activated carbon absorbs many impurities out of your water, and removes the bad tastes and smells
Silver bonded to the activated carbon inhibits bacteria growth
Our housings are built from plastics designed not to leach impurities into the water, and in the case of the countertop unit are augmented by a pre-filter which removes sediments before they even get into the main filter

Our Water Filters Use Granular Activated Carbon

Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) is a form of charcoal which has undergone treatment by being subjected to high temperatures and steam in the absence of oxygen. This process produces extremely porous, small granules which have a surface area on which organic molecules can "cling." The surface area per granule is extremely high: one pound of GAC provides a surface area equivalent to 125 acres).

The best GAC is made from Coconut Shells (strange but true) because the pores in the carbon are quite small and it provides more surface area.

Don't get confused. Granular Activated Carbon is not just activated carbon, and it is not just charcoal.

Additionally, most filters that use carbon, charcoal, or even Granular Activated Carbon don't bond their carbon to silver, like we do at Bon Del. We use small amounts of silver bonded to granular activated carbon as a proven means of inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside the filter.

The Silver Lining in Water Purification

Since 1893, medical science has used silver as a powerful bactericide and fungicide. In fact relatively small amounts of silver in drinking water have proven effective against Salmonella bacteria and against viruses such as Herpes. And no studies have ever shown that silver is harmful to man. —The Silver Institute Letter, August 1987, Volume XVII Number 4. (Italics are theirs)

At Bon Del, we use small amounts of silver bonded to granular activated carbon to make our filter an actual purifier. In other words, not only do we screen harmful sediments out, we inhibit the growth of harmful organisms that otherwise would breed inside the filter element. Silver is the proven method to do this effectively and non-toxically (see below for more information).

The Housing Market for Water Filters

The housings of our filters are made out of schedule 40 grade PVC, in other words plastics that are designed for home water supplies and are certified to not leach dangerous materials into the water.

Each filter uses a nominal 5-micron fabric at either end of the filtration media to screen out large sediments.

Additionally, our CT-5000 Countertop filter, as pictured in the diagram above, pre-filters the water through a nominal 5-micron mesh. This pre-filter, which is great at removing sediments from the water, can be replaced as needed without having to replace the whole filter.

Bon Del filters are designed for use with municipally treated water