The Best Water Ionizer: 7 Models Reviewed and Ranked (2024)

Updated on:
January 8, 2024

If you’re looking for a way to improve your digestion and bone health while staying hydrated at the same time, no doubt you’re looking for a water ionizer. But the struggle to find the best water ionizer in a crowded market can leave you frustrated and confused. You’re not alone!

In this article, I’ll review and rank the seven best water ionizers available on the market today. I’ve applied my experience in the water purification industry to analyze user manuals and reviews, interview existing customers and industry experts, and even test the systems myself, all in an effort to help you buy the right ionizer for you.

1. Tyent UCE-13 Plus Water Ionizer: 9.75/10

  • The best ionizer for users who need to customize their water pH levels
  • 99 settings option, touchscreen display, and motion sensor activation

The Tyent UCE-13 Plus water ionizer is the best water ionizer I’ve reviewed because it has 99 custom pH settings that allow users to configure their water pH levels to their taste.

Pros

If you want the highest levels of healthy antioxidants available in your tap water, the Tyent UCE-13 Plus water ionizer is your best choice. It has a sleek and durable, modern stainless steel design that fits easily under the counter. Its 13 solid/mesh hybrid plates are more efficient at producing highly alkaline water than titanium versions.

I was particularly impressed by the UCE-13’s convenience features. The included motion proximity sensor allowed me to fill a glass without having to touch the faucet. This is an extremely useful feature for cooks, who often have messy hands.

The touchscreen display simplifies operation, allowing users to customize their water pH levels with ease. The system has a pH range of 1.7–12.5, which can be adjusted in 99 different ways. This level of control is invaluable. You can tune each of the seven power settings to various household applications, whether it’s drinking, cooking, or cleaning.

The Eco and Turbo modes are another welcome addition. The Eco mode conserves energy and reduces water waste, while the Turbo mode produces water with a higher pH and a more negative oxidation reduction potential (ORP) of -1,150 millivolts, which provides six times more hydration than your regular tap water. 

The integrated Hydrogen Boost technology adds at least 1.8 ppm (parts per million) of hydrogen to water, improving the body’s mitochondria and controlling ATP, and also functions as an antioxidant in the long term.

Furthermore, the self-diagnosis and cleaning functions ensure the system remains in top-notch condition, minimizing maintenance hassles and potential downtime. The automatic shutoff sensor adds an extra layer of security to your home by shutting down automatically, preventing costly water damage if you leave your ionizer running. 

If you don’t have a reverse osmosis system or other filtration system, you’ll appreciate that the Tyent UCE-13’s dual 0.1 micron filtration is effective against 200 contaminants, including drugs and heavy metals, like lead.

In fact, it’s been accredited by over 20 international third-party organizations and is covered by a manufacturer’s lifetime warranty. This tells me that the system meets the best standards for safety and performance, and by offering an impressive warranty, Tyent proves to customers that it’s willing to stand behind its product.

Cons

The Tyent UCE-13 water ionizer is more expensive than some other water ionizers on the market. However, this is due to its advanced features and high-quality construction. The price may be a concern for some users, but it is important to consider the long-term benefits of investing in a high-quality water ionizer.

At about the size of a computer CPU, the Tyent UCE-13 water ionizer takes up space under the counter that you could use for other items. However, this is a price many people are willing to pay on their quest for alkaline water.

Overall

Overall, the Tyent UCE-13 Plus water ionizer is a high-quality product that offers a range of benefits and features that make it stand out from other water ionizers on the market. 

Its advanced features and benefits can help improve the user’s daily life in a variety of ways, making it a great investment for anyone looking to improve their health and well-being.

If you want a premium water ionizer that is durable, easy to use, and offers loads of customizable settings, check out the Tyent UCE-13 water ionizer today.

2. Tyent ACE-13 Water Ionizer: 9.40/10

  • Less expensive than the Tyent UCE-13 Plus
  • Sits on the counter for easy access

The Tyent ACE-13 water ionizer is a cheaper version of the UCE-13 Plus, but it still offers a range of benefits that make it a top choice for people who want the best-quality alkaline water.

Pros

The Tyent ACE-13 has a pH range of 1.7–12.5, with 99 different settings, just like the UCE-13 Plus, enhancing customization and flexibility. You can adjust the settings on the color LCD touchscreen, which also includes motion-sensing technology that lets you pour a glass of alkaline water without touching the unit.

Also like the UCE-13, the ACE-13 has a self-diagnosis feature that alerts the user if there is an issue with the water ionizer and a self-cleaning feature that makes it easy to maintain and keep clean. It also filters out contaminants and heavy metals thanks to its active-carbon ceramic filter and UF membrane filter.

For your peace of mind, the manufacturer has you covered with a lifetime warranty, which means you don’t have to worry about replacements if your countertop water ionizer breaks down.

Cons

The Tyent ACE-13 has 13 platinum-coated titanium plates, while the UCE-13 Plus has 13 solid/mesh hybrid plates. The hybrid plates are more efficient at producing alkaline water than other water ionizers with fewer plates, but the ACE-13’s plates are still durable and efficient, and other ionizers have only nine plates. 

This is an above-counter water ionizer, while the UCE-13 Plus is an under-counter water ionizer. This means that the ACE-13 takes up more counter space, while the UCE-13 Plus is more discreet and can be installed under the counter. However, the design difference is not significant enough to affect the performance or quality of the water produced by the Tyent ACE-13.

Another notable difference is that the ACE-13 doesn’t have the dedicated dual faucet you get with the UCE-13 Plus. The outlet hose for alkaline water and drain outlet for acidic water that you do get are quite the downgrade from the UCE-13’s fancy faucets. 

The Tyent ACE-13 may be a downgraded version of the UCE-13, but it’s still far better than what the competition has to offer.

Overall

Overall, the Tyent ACE-13 water ionizer is a high-quality product that offers a range of benefits and features that make it a popular choice among consumers. While there may be some minor differences between the Tyent ACE-13 and UCE-13 Plus, these differences are not significant enough to affect the overall performance or quality of the water produced by the Tyent ACE-13.

If you like the premium features of the Tyent UCE-13 Plus but don’t want to spend a lot of money on a water ionizer, the Tyent ACE-13 is a great second choice.

3. AlkaViva Vesta H2 Water Ionizer: 8.60/10

  • Voice confirmation for hands-free operation

While the AlkaViva Vesta H2 has only nine plates, its voice recognition will be a fun and often useful addition to your water ionization.

Pros

The AlkaViva Vesta H2 is another countertop ionizer, filtering your water before producing a pH between 2.5–11.4, ORP up to -840mV, and free hydrogen levels up to 1.3 ppm. While these figures are lower than Tyent’s offerings, they still measure up quite well against other models.

I like that this machine gives you control over the pH level you want in your ionized water. It has eight presets, five of which produce varying levels of alkaline water. Two are for acidic water, and the last is for purified neutral water. 

What really sets this machine apart is its voice recognition. If you’re used to talking to your car, your lights, and your tv, you’ll be glad to know that this system also has integrated voice recognition technology that allows for hands-free operation. I had a lot of fun playing around with this feature, and it never failed to recognize my voice. 

The AlkaViva Vesta H2 is certified by several organizations, including the EPA, NSF, FDA, and CE. Plus, it’s approved as a medical device in Korea, where water ionization is extremely popular.

Lastly, you’ll get a limited lifetime warranty and a five-year labor warranty on this machine. 

Cons

The AlkaViva Vesta H2 water ionizer has 9 or 11 platinum-coated titanium plates, while the UCE-13 Plus has 13 solid/mesh hybrid plates. This means the H2 system’s plates don’t have enough surface area to effectively ionize water as well as the UCE-13 or ACE-13. 

Its pH range of 2.5–11.5 and an ORP range of up to -800, while respectable, are slightly lower than the pH and ORP range of the UCE-13 Plus (1.7–12.5). A larger pH range is often correlated with lower ORP values, which suggest stronger antioxidant potential.

The AlkaViva is not as customizable as the Tyvent models. Its eight presets don’t quite measure up to the 99 options you get with my first two models. Of course, some would say 99 settings is overkill and eight is plenty. It all depends on what you’re looking to get out of your water ionizer.

Overall 

The AlkaViva is reasonably priced and offers many features, including DARC II continuous cleaning, auto-adjusting power supply, dual filtration, a self-diagnosis system, and electroplated electrodes that last. 

You can choose your desired pH levels from eight presets and adjust the flow rate as well — with just your voice.

If you need a water ionizer you can talk to that requires minimal maintenance and is made to last for years, learn more about the AlkaViva Vesta H2 here

4. Jupiter Athena Water Ionizer

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly yet efficient and space-saving solution, the Jupiter Athena water ionizer might be what you want. Priced lower than the first three units, the Jupiter Athena uses five mesh electrodes that consume up to 80 watts of power. Due to the small amperage, it has a slow flow rate of 1.5–2 L/min. 

It’s a compact and well-built unit that offers a pH range of 2.5–11, infuses up to 9 ppm of free hydrogen, and produces water with ORP as negative as -700 mV. 

I like that it has an efficient DARC automatic cleaning system that works silently without your input. One catch though: You can’t customize the presets installed in this unit. 

The Jupiter is a decent unit, but you can’t expect it to filter tricky pollutants in your tap water. It uses two filter cartridges made of activated carbon, silver-embedded carbon, fiber, tourmaline, and coral calcium, but the pore size is not smaller than 0.1 microns. It cleans out chlorine, chlorine by-products, and sediment but is incomparable to the ultrafiltration in the Tyent UCE-13

Although it has only five plates, the Jupiter is still stronger and more efficient than most ionizers because of its high-quality components. You don’t have to buy bottled alkaline water anymore.

5. Aqua Ionizer Deluxe

The Aqua Ionizer Deluxe 9.5 is a small unit that can fit in tight spaces. It produces highly negative ORP water, with pH levels between 3.5 and 11.5 and hydrogen concentrations up to 1.6 ppm. 

At a price point of over $2,000, you expect some kind of electrical protection built into the system so the machine can survive power surges. This device consumes 400 watts and has no power regulatory technology. 

Another major issue is its cleaning process. Unlike the top contenders, the Aqua Ionizer uses intermittent acid washes. First, this method leads to scale buildup and requires thorough manual cleaning once a month. And second, the machine stops for 15 seconds after ionization to clean itself before you can pour your water. So inconvenient.

It doesn’t have dual filtration and uses only one carbon filter to trap chlorine in the water. Without a pre-filter, filtration is not as good. 

It has seven presets, out of which one is called “cleaning,” and produces pH levels of 3.5–4. The manufacturers claim this pH is suitable for disinfection and has antiseptic properties.

Although it produces highly antioxidant water with varying pH levels, it’s too expensive for its mediocre features.

It’s a wonder this model is more expensive than the Aqua Ionizer Deluxe 9.0 and Aqua Ionizer Deluxe 7.0. Why produce upgraded models if they still can’t stand up to the competition?

The AlkaViva Vesta H2 offers better features for around the same price. Or better yet, say “no thanks” to those awkward hoses and get the Tyent UCE-13 with its two dedicated faucets.

6. AquaGreen Alkaline Water Ionizer

The AquaGreen uses five platinum-coated titanium plates to produce 3.5–11 pH, ORP up to -500mV, and an unsatisfactory amount of free-hydrogen concentration. It has a single coconut-shell activated-carbon filter that reduces the chlorine smell in water and needs changing every six months.

The AquaGreen is a small and sleek unit that takes only 10 minutes to set up. One caveat is that if you fail to install it properly, it will leak all over your countertop. 

The unit costs $479, so it’s far and away the cheapest water ionizer on this list. It uses the intermittent acid wash process to clean its plates after every ionization cycle. You’ll have seven presets to choose from. Like the Aqua Ionizer, this also features a “cleaning/disinfectant” preset that produces mildly acidic water of 3.5 pH.

Its cheap price point might interest some people but know that you can’t find a high-quality, durable water ionizer that lasts 10+ years for less than $1,000. 

7. Life Ionizer MXL-15

Priced at a whopping $3,497, Life Ionizer’s MXL-15 uses 15 plates dipped and baked with platinum to produce ionized water, as well as consuming 800 watts. Keep in mind, a higher number of plates does not necessarily equal better ionization. Instead, this arrangement deteriorates the machine and significantly reduces its efficiency.

The manufacturer claims that this machine produces water with ORP as negative as -1000mV, but my test results painted a different picture. This unit was able to produce -600 ORP levels. At such a high price point, this performance is a disappointment.

This machine uses intermittent acid washes to clean the electrodes, which is an ineffective method. To make things worse, the Life Ionizer uses meshed plates, which is a bad idea because calcium gets trapped in easily without a proper cleaning system. 

Lastly, you’d need to install pre-filters separately in your kitchen sink water supply because the filters of this ionizer are substandard. 

I suggest you go with the Tyent UCE-13 Plus or ACE-13 instead.

The Bottom Line

In the competitive landscape of water ionizers, the Tyent UCE-13 Plus emerges as a standout choice, earning its reputation as the best ionizer on the market.

Boasting advanced features like two dedicated faucets, a multitude of ionization plates, and a user-friendly touchscreen display, the UCE-13 Plus provides unparalleled customization for users seeking optimal pH levels in their water. 

Its robust design, flood prevention sensor, and dual-filtration system contribute to its reliability and durability, making it a top pick for health-conscious individuals.

While its price is high, it’s outweighed by the overwhelming benefits and features. You can’t find a good ionizer for cheap, and if you’re going to spend, you may as well get quality. The lifetime warranty will make up for it.

The Tyent UCE-13 is the high-quality and highly efficient water ionizer you need for your home.

Methodology 

You must be curious how I tested and analyzed the leading water ionizers on the market. Here’s a peek at how I did it:

Step 1: A big list of popular water ionizers/alkaline water machines

To begin my research, I made a big list of popular water ionizing machines from Amazon, Walmart, and Target. I made sure the products I selected had the highest sales and ratings. 

After scouring the internet and exhausting this avenue, I messaged family and friends, and then their family and friends, asking them all to pour in their recommendations. It turns out every family has a member who is an alkaline water enthusiast. 

By the end of the day, I had 15 water ionizers on my list. 

Step 2: Product analysis

There were many questions in my mind regarding ionizing machines, for example, how do they work? What’s the point? What defines the quality of an alkaline water machine? What technology is the best? 

To satisfy my curiosity, I took to my keyboard and started typing away my queries. Here are some interesting details that helped me judge these water ionizers better.

  • Water ionizers are compact, point-of-use devices that ionize water (split it into alkaline and acidic water) through a process called electrolysis. The resulting alkaline water is full of antioxidants that can benefit your health in many ways.
  • The optimum pH level for drinking water is 8.5 to 9.5. But most ionizers can produce water with pH as low as 2.5 and as high as 11, which can be used for many other purposes.
  • Low ORP water (again, oxidation reduction potential) is highly antioxidant and capable of fighting free radicals in the body. Look for a water ionizer with a highly negative ORP. 
  • The type of plates used (grid, flat, mesh, slotted) and the process of coating these plates with titanium (dipping, electroplating) also defines the ionization efficiency. Dipping and baking is an inefficient process resulting in many defects, whereas electroplating is an advanced and expensive technique that only a few brands can afford.
  • There are typically two types of cleaning processes inside an ionizer: Periodic acid washes and continuous automatic cleaning. Periodic acid washes are less efficient and inconvenient compared to advanced automatic washes. 

Machines with acid-wash cleaning systems tend to develop calcium scale on plates and deteriorate faster with time as opposed to automatic cleaning systems that clean better without wasting water or reducing filter life.

  • Molecular hydrogen in ionized water has healing properties because it neutralizes free radicals in the body. It enhances manifold health benefits. Free hydrogen can only be retained in water for a limited time.
  • The best alkaline water machines feature advanced water filtration (typically ultrafiltration) and long filter life. 

Step 3: Online reviews

Now that I had enough knowledge, I started reading the online reviews and testimonials left by hundreds of customers on websites like Consumer Reports, Trustpilot, Angi, and Amazon. This took me three days, but I was able to identify fake claims, poor efficiency, and low durability of some of the machines just through reading about people’s experiences online.

Step 4: Interviews with real customers

I came across many fake comments and incentivized testimonials during the previous step. To make sure I didn’t fall for fake praise, I decided to hold real-time interviews with some of the customers who were willing to help me with my research.

Some were even willing to send me pH, ORP, and H2 test reports after using their ionizers for a few months. 

Step 5: Interviews with companies

After listening to what customers had to say, I reached out to the brands and asked them a few questions about their plates’ quality, certifications, and product durability. To my surprise, almost all the brands except two responded quickly and followed up a few weeks later.

I removed the brands from my list that didn’t respond within 72 hours.

Step 6: Test drives

Before I could rank the products, I needed my own test results for pH levels, ORP, and molecular hydrogen produced by each water ionizer. For this, I bought a few ionizers and rented others. I got myself a pH at-home testing kit to test the water, Trustlex hydrogen tester, and an ORP meter. 

I spent two months testing ionized alkaline water and judging ORP and hydrogen levels at each pH level produced by the machine. My analysis also included testing the cleaning process, installation, and overall performance.

I was well hydrated after this project, to say the least.

Step 7: Ratings

I gave a final ranking to the products left on my list based on the following factors:

  • pH/ORP levels
  • Free hydrogen levels
  • Plates quality 
  • Cleaning process
  • Ease of maintenance 
  • Installation 
  • User interface 
  • Warranty
  • Cost

The Best Water Ionizer

After months of testing and analyzing, I can safely conclude that the Tyent UCE-13 Plus offers the best value for your money. It is number one on my list for several reasons:

  • Optimal pH levels between 1.7 and 12.5 
  • ORP as negative as -1150
  • 1.8 ppm of free hydrogen 
  • 13 high-quality titanium hybrid plates
  • Self-diagnostic system 
  • 99 presets
  • Certifications
  • Lifetime warranty 

It’s time to take charge of your health. Investing in a Tyent UCE-13 Plus means you can enjoy drinking alkaline water with high molecular hydrogen concentration and antioxidant properties for a long time. Here’s to staying hydrated! 

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