Still Undecided about Which Water Ionizer to Buy? Here are some snip-its to help you understand both pros and cons of the most popular water ionizers on the market today, followed by mini-reviews of the 10 most popular water ionzers.

Not all Water Ionizers are Created Equal

Water ionizers are an investment. Back about 18 years ago I made my first water ionizer investment [I paid $1100.00 for an Ange water ionizer]. I loved it so much! There had actually been no other single health-related product that has helped my family more than that water ionizer. Years later, after leaving my 24-year teacher/principal career, I decided that I wanted to pursue spreading the news about water ionizers. 

I found several water ionizers which were all better than the one I loved so well: all had better warranties, were made with better parts, had better certifications, and produced better ionization than that original Angie water ionizer. I would be happy with any one of my water ionizers! 

Water Ionizer Testing: How Well Do Each of the "Best" Water Ionizers Ionize?

My original Ange water ionizer was very similar to the Enagic water ionizer and was made by the same manufacturer. It was definitely a wonderful water ionizer, but was not the best. Why?

One of the big differences between water ionizers that I discovered over the years is the internal water-cell cleaning process. The water ionizers that use continuous-cleaning don't allow any calcium to ever even form a light film on the plates. That one feature of keeping the platinum-coated plates completely free of calcium was and still is the single most important difference between water ionizers.

How was I to differentiate which water ionizers really were the best?

Of course the companies all say they are the best, so to really find out I actually had to buy and test all of the main water ionizers as an important part of comparing them. When I did that I found out something interesting. The Athena water ionizer, with 5 electronically efficient mesh plates was delivering an equal or even better ORP (oxidation reduction potential) at the pH levels suitable for drinking [such as 9, 9.5 or 10] than the ionizers with 7 large plates and higher wattage. 

So I purchased the Athena Water Ionizer and started to drink that water for several months. Drinking ionized water which had such high levels of ORP [over -600 ORP] caused my spider veins to disapear! It was then that I realized how important it was to find out all of the water ionizers that can give strong levels of negative-ORP at drinking levels of pH.

The single real difference that accounted for the Athena's superior ionization ability was the internal continuous-cleaning system it used. It turns out that part of the ionization process itself is catalyzed by platinum touching the water. If you let even a tiny bit of calcium to stick to the plates it foils this process.

There are other gauges I use to differentiate best, such as length of warranty, quality of materials, certifications of manufacturer and ionizer, integrity of company, quality of filtration, and efficiency of plate design. But the type of cleaning used on the plates is absolutely the most important one.

A lot of things that other companies were claiming as their reason for being “Best” turned out to be only important, if you had well water or lived in certain regions, such as Washington state, Arizona, Michigan, or a few other difficult pockets around the country. I have had to learn how to guide the people in these difficult water-regions, so they were matched perfectly to the water ionizer that has been found to work best in that area. Other than that, the mini-reviews, below will act as a general guide to finding the best water ionizers along with reasons you might find that water ionizer best for you.

Over the years I have learned to mostly ignore hype about water ionizer comparisons, such as “water ionizer of the year awards” that were put there by the companies themselves, I also take celebrity endorsements with a grain of salt. [Just keep in mind that an endorsement for one water ionizer does not equal a rejection of the other ionizers.]

I have collected other actual facts that are far better indicators of quality than “hype”, such as certifications, lab reports, and quality of platinum and titanium used in the plates, and lots of my own hands-on testing of every aspect of each water ionizer.  I highly recommend you check out our Alkaline Water Pus - Water Ionizer Comparisons page!  Over the years Alkaline Water Plus has tested and compared alkaline water machines to find the best water ionizers, because no one else was honestly and/or reliably doing it!

Mini-Reviews of the 10 Most Popular Water Ionizers

Our water ionizer comparisons at Alkaline Water Plus are the most non-biased out there, because we sell (or have sold in the past) all of the major water ionizers, and we actually want you to get the best alkaline water system for you and your family. We videotape most of our water ionizer comparison testing so you can see for yourself.

Vesta Water Ionizer

The Vesta H2 water ionizer comes with all the highest certifications and ratings possible, including medical device certification. It has a similar ORP to the Athena, but the best ORP at a fast flow-rate that I’ve ever tested! It has continuous cleaning of the plates, uses exceptional materials and workmanship, customized power-settings, onboard computer circuitry, lifetime warranty and excellent filtration. The Vesta water ionizer is built to last around 20 years.

Jupiter Athena Water Ionizer

The Athena water ionizer is very well-built, easy to use, is made of only the finest quality materials and workmanship, gives fantastic ORP [antioxidant levels], uses a patented, very sophisticated “continuous-cleaning” system, has an easy-to-use ”power-booster” function that allows you to customize the ionization to your water source, uses computer circuitry to optimize performance, has a lifetime  warranty, and has a variety of excellent filter choices [including the Biostone Plus which was made specifically for U.S. city water]. The Athena water ionizer is built to last around 20 years. The Athena is the one that I use.

Jupiter Melody Water Ionizer

The  Jupiter Melody water ionizer has been replaced by the Melody II water ionizer. It gives great ORP [as the Athena]. It has a power-booster, and dual filtration. It is a sturdy work-horse water ionizer, of excellent quality. The Melody II may even be the best water ionizer if your water is medium-hard and easy to ionize. It comes with UltraWater filtration, and is smart, economical and a super-wise choice.

Smart Water Ionizers

The Smart Water Ionizers are an upgrade of the Athena. Smart water ionizers come with either 7 or 9 plates and use SMPS (advanced electronics). Smart Water Ionizers have a superior ability to produce antioxidants in the Ionized water.

Nexus X-Blue Water Ionizer

The Nexus X-Blue water ionizer is a very well-built water ionizer and is certified as medical device. It’s used by hospitals in both Korea and Japan! The superior engineering and design makes the X-Blue very efficient in its ability to produce a wide range of ionized water [great ORP at all levels of pH]. Right now the Nexus X-Blue water ionizer turns out to be our cheapest water ionizer, but certainly does not sacrifice any quality in alkaline ionized drinking water for the health of you and your family. The Nexus water ionizer is built to last around 20 years.

Enagic Kangen Water SD501

The Enagic SD501 water ionizer uses 230 watts, gives strong ionization [sometimes too strong if you want a slower flow-rate] and gives a 5 year warranty. The ORP test results for Kangen water are comparable with the Athena, Vesta, and Tyent 9090 , and because it uses a saline-injection-port the pH range is predictably 2.5 to 11.5. The most distinctive feature of the Enagic is the flow-rate, although some people [such as myself] prefer a slower flow-rate in order to get better filtration. The Enagic water ionizer is built to last around 20 years.

KYK Generation II Water Ionizer

The KYK water ionizers are a bit more complicated and unpredictable than the other water ionizers listed here, but since the KYK water ionizers were award-winning about 15 years ago, they are still popular. The KYK is built to last around 15 years.

Chinese Water Ionizers

One huge problem with Chinese water ionizers is that the quality of Chinese electronics, workmanship, materials, platinum, titanium, and filter material are not reliable because the Chinese are not subject to the same levels of scrutiny, testing, and regulation as you’ll find in Korea and Japan for these things. I highly recommend you buy your water ionizer only from countries who at this time have governmental controls [such as the Korean FDA or the Japanese Ministry of Health] on the proper manufacturing of their countries’ water ionizers. If you need the low expense, don’t let that sacrifice quality. Quality counts when it comes to the health of you and your family. For the lowest price, without sacrificing highest quality, check out the Nexus, described above.

Life Water Ionizers

I’ve tested Life, but found it to me of lesser quality than the average water ionizer. More information about this company is fully described on the Water Ionizer Reviews page.

Tyent Water Ionizers

I’ve tested Tyent water ionizers dozens of times, and found it to be of good, but not best quality. More information about this company is fully described on the Water Ionizer Reviews page.