My mom tried to convince me her water was just as good as the bottled water I insisted on buying. She made me do a taste test out of glasses. I could easily tell a difference. And some bottled water is good, and some is just plain nasty!!!! Aquafina, anyone? Yuck! Unfortunately, bottled is super expensive! So I use a Brita now. I had a roommate once who's Brita had a light that flashed green when the filter was good and then did orange for a while and finally went red. I poured a glass one day, made a comment that we needed to change the filter because it was starting to taste off, and then the light flashed green so he brushed it off. The next glass that got poured, the light flashed orange. Whenever I make something with powder (Gatorade, Crystal Light) I just use the water straight from the tap. It's flavored anyhow. I will make myself sick from thirst before I drink from the tap though. I can't stand the taste; it makes me nauseous.