# Unbranded water filters for Sage machines?



## DRAXXMENVONE

Hi folks. I've recently bought a used Duo Temp Pro and ordered some Sage branded water filters for it. On arrival, they look just like the cheap unbranded ones available on Amazon. Does anyone know if the Sage branded ones are ion exchange resin or just plain charcoal? I'd prefer not to pay £15 for something I can get for £5 elsewhere. Thanks for any info.


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## joey24dirt

I used to just get mine from amazon and they were fine


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## DRAXXMENVONE

Aye. I've seen them on Amazon but I'd like to know if the Sage branded ones are different. All the ones I've seen on Amazon are regular charcoal filters that help the taste but I live in a hard water area and would like to know if Sage are using ion exchange resin filters rather than charcoal.


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## joey24dirt

I think the newer DTP has a different style filter. Not sure what it is/does but it's pretty expensive. As far as I know the original sage filters were just the same as amazon, but more money.


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## 4085

it is unrealistic to expect a Sage filter to work against hard water! You would be better off using Volvic or something akin to that. there are plenty of thread son here about bottled water


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## ajohn

You would need to read a recent manual but I'm pretty sure that they mention 40L or 3 months life for the new filter and get this no need to descale. Compared with some 3 months isn't that bad but personally I would still descale. Price wise the filters may stand comparison with using bottled water.







I suspect people would be happier with numbers like £9.99 and free shipping. I don't thing they offer free shipping below £20 or some number like that. That makes filters etc even more expensive.

Other machines that use similar filters warn about not allowing them to dry out. I don't think Sage do.

The interesting aspect is do the new filter holders fit the older tanks? From a manufacturing cost it would have been best for Sage to leave the tanks alone and just make a new holder. It needs a couple of people who live close and have both styles of machine to find out. The old style is still available for the Barista Express. There doesn't seem to be any sign of the new filter on the Breville sites except in Ozz.

John

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## frothycoffeeman

Hello there.

I do not bother with them. Buy still spring water, I get Ashbeck from Tesco. Run it through a Brita job done. Tesco even doing their version of a Brita filter which is a lot cheaper vs Brita. Not used them yet myself,but planning on trying them soon.


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## DRAXXMENVONE

Thanks folks. I'm really not into bottled water because of the amount of waste this creates. Plus over the lifetime of a machine you could probably buy a new machine with the savings of using tap water instead.

The Sage filters that have just arrived feel like they have some kind of jelly in them. It doesn't look like charcoal. I reckon I'll stick with Sage for now until I can find some budget ion exchange ones. They used to sell them on Amazon.com (US) but seem to have discontinued them. I'm not looking to avoid descaling, I'm just looking to protect my machine as best I can (without buying bottled!)


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## frothycoffeeman

Hi again.

Reason for bottled water for me is my tape water is so hard. Even filtering tap water will prob have to run two brita's. One from the tap then the other to re-filter again. Have water hardness test strips. And the tap water maxed out the colour chart. It's that hard the SAS are thinking of recruiting it.


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## dmreeceuk

I would rather give up coffee than use bottled water and the single use plastic waste it produces. We have only one planet and so far we are doing a good job of messing it up with plastic waste. It's anyone's freedom to use bottled water but people should think if their choices are really necessary.


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## MC1

I too have had to recently make the same decision as yourself - to pay extra for the branded Sage filters or the unbranded Amazon ones. In the end I opted for the Sage filters. I feel that we have spent hundreds of pounds on our new coffee machines, an extra few quid (in the grand scheme of things) is worth paying to have the peace of mind that we are not prematurely scaling the machines through using sub-standard filters.


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## ajohn

The original OP asked if the "cheap" small bag like filters were ion exchange types. I would say that is highly unlikely. The manuals say replace every 2 months and nothing else for one and also ion exchange filters generally have some sort of column form / some method of making water flow through a series of filters including the resin. The bag like ones wont soften water or I'd be amazed if they did.

Maybe Sage have changed the manual, I thought I had seen no need to descale when the more expensive Claris filter is use. This is what they say about that on the BE Touch.



> NOTE
> 
> Replacing the water filter after three months
> 
> or 40L will reduce the need to descale the
> 
> machine. Filter can be purchased at Sage
> 
> webpage.


That is pretty typical on machines that use ion exchange tank filters. I did manage to track down the source of a filter of this type for another machine. The manufacturer reckoned that they would soften 100l of water but don't state by how much or from what original hardness. I found them in Germany for around 1/3 of the UK price but the seller wouldn't supply me.

Sage also say



> NOTE
> 
> DO NOT use highly filtered, demineralised or
> 
> distilled water in this machine. This may affect
> 
> the taste of the coffee.


One alternative I would wonder about if needed is units like this one

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reverse-Osmosis-Water-Filter-System/dp/B00JXK1W8M

It appears to have remineralisation built in. Flow rate probably isn't very high so I am not so sure I would want to use it for tea etc out of a kettle as we drink too much around here but that depends on how the 12L tank works. The seller also answers questions so most of the other info that it's best to know is also on the page.

John

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## Ivcha976

Hi All - can you please post which concrete filters and holder I can use on Sage Barist Express? On Amazon I see only filters but not holder itself- and I am looking to alternative over Sage. Thanks


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## mj_10

Hi all, looking for some charcoal filters as well. Finally used up my official Sage ones and can only find unbranded ones. Everything on Amazon looks a bit 50/50, nothing stands out, any recommendations?

I only use Brita filtered water in the machine, do I even need a charcoal filter?

Thanks.


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