# Brita Tahoe 10 Cup # Brita Tahoe 10 Cup: The Jug, The Cartridge and The Real Bill **strong** The Original filter is rated *em* or about *em*, and Brita's own performance data sheet prints *em* and *em* with five substances inside them. The listing on file sits at rank **strong** and in a higher band than Brita's own store charges for the same jug. *em* [Brita Tahoe 10 Cup Specs](#specs) [Brita Tahoe 10 Cup Score](#score) [Who the Brita Tahoe Fits](#who) [Brita Tahoe Pros and Cons](#proscons) [Brita Tahoe Cost Per Gallon](#cost) [Brita Tahoe vs the Field](#compare) [Brita Tahoe FAQ](#faq) [Where the Brita Tahoe Lands](#verdict) **strong** This article contains affiliate links. **strong** at *em*. **strong** retail prices move daily, so we quote ranges and send you to the live figure on the listing. **strong** *em* Every number on this page traces to manufacturer documentation, an IAPMO, NSF or WQA certification record, or a published performance data sheet, held against the claims on the box. No free products, no paid placements, no manufacturer relationships. Scoring rules are public on our [methodology page](/methodology). [](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSHJJJGX?tag=waterfilternerd-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1) ## Brita Tahoe 10 Cup Specs: Ten Cups, One Cartridge, Two Months **strong** Model OB60, made without BPA, listed at 1.62 pounds empty and 10.39 inches tall. It's the same body Brita sells with an Elite cartridge in white for a little more, and the two boxes make different promises. For where both of them sit against the rest of the aisle, our [pitcher filter rankings](/best-pitcher-filters) hold the running list. Here is what the documents actually say, and where they stop talking. - Certification: the performance data sheet for the Original filter, model OB03, prints NSF/ANSI 42 and NSF/ANSI 53 with a full reduction table, and lists model OB60 inside its system numbers. It names no certifying body on either line, which the pitcher pages of this index have been tracking since the sheets were first read. - Certified reductions: chlorine at 95 percent and zinc at 64 percent under 42, then cadmium at 91 and 94 percent, copper at 89 and 73 percent and mercury at 86 and 82 percent under 53, each figure given at pH 6.5 and pH 8.5. Five substances, one of them aesthetic, and no lead anywhere on the table. - Capacity: 10 cups, about 80 ounces, which is the whole point of this body over the 6 cup version. - Filter life: 40 gallons or about 2 months, whichever arrives first, on the manufacturer's own sheet and product page. - Indicator: an electronic SmartLight indicator with a coin cell battery, so the reminder is a light rather than a sticker you date yourself. Brita calls it the most accurate pitcher indicator it makes. - Dimensions and weight: 10.39 inches high, 5.68 wide, 10.22 deep, and 1.62 pounds empty with the cartridge out. - Materials and care: BPA free plastic throughout, and the pitcher components are hand wash only. Brita says no dishwasher and no abrasive cleaner. - Warranty: Brita's own 30 day money back guarantee on pitchers and filters, printed on its performance sheets. - Price band: $50 to $55 at our last check, in stock from a third party seller with one unit left and the buy box. Check the listing for the live figure, because the band had already moved by our last check. - Category position: rank 107 in Pitcher Water Filters. The Everyday Elite pitcher, the same ten cup idea with the Elite cartridge, sits at rank 6 in the same records. - Not published: a flow rate, a pressure rating, a micron rating, and a certificate or listing number. Two of those four omissions are the reason this pitcher lands at 4/7 below. **strong** *em* *em* **strong** Drink a gallon daily and the capacity runs out first, at about day 40, and the sticker never gets a say. At two glasses a day the sticker wins, and it retires a cartridge that has done under a fifth of its rated work. Think of it this way A Brita cartridge carries two expiry dates at once, like **strong**. 40 gallons is the distance, 2 months is the calendar, and the maker's own instruction is to replace on whichever comes around first. *em* Rated filter life in gallons, the Tahoe pitcher against three other filters Bar chart of rated filter life: the Tahoe pitcher in this review is rated 40 gallons, the ZeroWater 10 Cup Pitcher 15 gallons, the Brita Faucet Mount 100 gallons, and the Brita Everyday Elite Pitcher 120 gallons. Rated filter life, in gallons The jug in this review is fine. The cartridge under the lid is the short straw - 0 50 100 150 200 gal Brita Tahoe 10 Cup ZeroWater 10 Cup Brita Faucet Mount Brita Everyday Elite 40 gal 15 gal 100 gal 120 gal Rated capacity per manufacturer documentation and performance data sheets. Rated filter life for four units in our records. The navy bar is the pitcher in this review. Forty gallons is respectable for a pitcher and less than half of what the same brand gets out of the Elite filter that drops into the same shaped body, which is the arithmetic this review keeps coming back to. Ten cups, one cartridge? Open the Tahoe sheet ## Brita Tahoe 10 Cup Score: 4 of 7 Every product in this index is rated 1 to 7 across seven verifiable criteria. One point per criterion. No partial credit. I am an enthusiast with a long memory and a spreadsheet, not a lab, and the scorecard below is the entire method in one table. Each line asks two questions: is the number on the record, and does it hold up against the rest of the class. The line stays at zero when the document is missing or the number is the worst in its class. On this jug, 3 of the 7 points sit at zero, and no two of them are the same kind of problem. One is a limit of the cartridge, one is a limit of the paperwork, and one is a number nobody printed. Criterion Points Evidence Certified removal scope0 pointsChlorine, zinc, cadmium, copper and mercury are the whole certified list, with no lead and no 401 entry, while the Elite filter that fits this body carries the lead listing Certification and test transparency0 pointsThe data sheet prints standards 42 and 53 with a reduction table, and names no certifying body and no certificate or listing number Filter life and rated capacity1 point40 gallons and about 2 months, both published, which is six cartridges at the manufacturer's household figure Cost per gallon1 pointAbout 12 to 14 cents on the three pack, which is among the cheapest certified pitcher gallons in our records Flow rate and pressure drop0 pointsNo flow rate published for the pitcher, the cartridge or the sheet, while ZeroWater publishes 6.5 ounces a minute Install and footprint1 pointNo plumbing, no tools, one counter or fridge door shelf Maintenance burden1 pointSix changes a year at Brita's own household figure, a quarter of the ZeroWater pace The scope line is a limit of the cartridge, not a bookkeeping one. Five substances are on the certified table and lead is not among them, while the Elite cartridge that drops into the same shaped body carries an IAPMO R&T listing for lead in a set of pitcher models that includes OB60. Two boxes, one body, and the paperwork changes hands with the cartridge. The other two missing points are a page and a measurement. Brita prints its standards on its own sheet but names no certifying body and no number a reader can key in, and it publishes no flow figure at all for a pitcher that takes minutes to move 80 ounces. A tank of water is a wait, and this record refuses to say how long. The maintenance point follows the same cartridge record we scored on the Original three pack page, which counts six changes a year as a point because ZeroWater asks for four times as many. At a gallon a day the pace is 9 cartridges instead of 6, and that is the number to carry into the cost section below. Want the wider contaminant list? The ZeroWater ## Who the Brita Tahoe Fits: The Jug and the Household The question is never which filter is best. It's which filter matches your tap, your wallet and the contaminant you actually named before you started shopping. This jug answers the volume question and answers the lead question by leaving it alone. Ten cups is the size that changes behavior, because a tank that refills a glass and a half of a morning is a tank you keep full. If you already know the lead question is the one you brought, the Elite cartridge in the same shaped body carries that listing, and the Brita family pages lay the two boxes side by side. The two person kitchen: 80 ounces is a bit over a day of drinking for two, which puts the refill rhythm and the cartridge clock roughly in step. - The fridge door household: 5.68 inches across is a door shelf, not a counter, and the lid is designed to be filled from the tap in one pass. - The single person who drinks a lot: a gallon a day is 365 gallons a year, and that is 9 cartridges rather than the 6 the manufacturer's household figure assumes. - The person who forgets dates: the SmartLight indicator reads usage rather than the calendar, so no sticker to write on and no anniversary to remember. - The budget buyer who wants taste fixed: chlorine and zinc off the tap for about 13 cents a gallon is a real improvement at a small running cost. #### This Is Not Your Pitcher If - You need lead, PFAS or a 401 claim. This box ships the Original cartridge, and that data sheet doesn't name any of them. The Elite version of the same pitcher does, and the price difference is small. - You drink more than 4 quarts a day. Nine cartridges a year on a 40 gallon rating is a chore before it is a cost, and a plumbed filter stops asking. - You want one purchase instead of a rhythm. Every pitcher here is a subscription with a handle, and a under sink filter is the version of this decision that stops repeating. - You are on hard water. Brita's own guide says hard water shortens filter life, so the 40 gallon figure is a ceiling rather than a promise in a limescale house. The way I see it **strong** The Tahoe body, model OB60, shows up on Brita's lead paperwork, and the listing that gives it the claim is the Elite cartridge, not the Original one sitting in this box. *em* Cartridge changes per year at one gallon a day, the Tahoe pitcher against three other filters Bar chart of cartridge changes per year for a household drinking one gallon a day: the Tahoe pitcher with an Original cartridge needs about 9 changes, the ZeroWater 10 Cup Pitcher about 24, the Brita Faucet Mount about 4, and the Brita Everyday Elite Pitcher about 3. Cartridge changes per year, at one gallon a day Same habit, four different maintenance loads - 0 6 12 18 24 Brita Tahoe with Original ZeroWater 10 Cup Brita Faucet Mount Brita Everyday Elite 9 changes 24 changes 4 changes 3 changes 365 gallons a year divided by rated capacity, standard public guidance on consumption. Cartridge changes a year for one gallon of drinking water a day, using each unit's rated capacity. The navy bar is this pitcher with the cartridge it ships with. Nine changes is the honest number for a serious single drinker, and it is why the maintenance point is earned narrowly rather than comfortably. One serious drinker? The Tahoe jug ## Brita Tahoe Pros and Cons #### What You Get Ten cups for a small band: the largest tank in the cheapest tier of the pitcher aisle, with no plumbing and no tools. - A published capacity and a published clock: 40 gallons and about 2 months, both on the sheet, so the running cost can be worked out before you buy rather than after. - The cheapest certified gallon we track in a pitcher: about 13 cents, which is roughly a quarter of what the widest spectrum pitcher on file asks. - A reminder that reads usage: the electronic indicator resets itself, so the replacement moment doesn't depend on your handwriting. - Two standards, not one: 42 for taste and odor, 53 for three metals, both printed on the manufacturer's own table with a percentage beside each. - A body that accepts the better cartridge: the same shaped pitcher takes the Elite filter if the lead question ever moves up your list. #### What It Costs You - No lead, no PFAS, no 401: the certified table stops at three metals, while the same brand asks a few dollars more for a cartridge that adds both lead and the emerging compounds list. - No flow rate anywhere: the patience a gravity pitcher asks for is real, and the manufacturer does not put a number on it. - Nine changes a year if you drink 365 gallons: the maintenance load is small at household volume and noticeable at yours. - The clock can retire a half used cartridge: at two glasses a day the two month sticker ends a cartridge that has done well under half its rated gallons. - Hand wash only: no dishwasher, which is a small daily annoyance rather than a risk, and it is printed in the care instructions. - The listing band sits above the manufacturer's own store: the same jug with the same cartridge is cheaper direct at our last check. Compare before you click. [Keep the cartridge this jug runs on](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004SU18?tag=waterfilternerd-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1) ## Brita Tahoe Cost Per Gallon: The Cartridge, Not the Jug **strong** I have run this arithmetic across every pitcher in the index, and the Tahoe lands in the cheap column on a consumable that is easy to buy in packs. The running cost lives in our own [replacement cartridge comparisons](/best-replacement-cartridges), and here is the version for this jug. - The pitcher: a $50 to $55 band when we last checked, one Original cartridge included, sold by a third party with a single unit left. - The cartridge: the three pack sits in the $14 to $17 band on file, which is about $5 a cartridge. Divide by the rated 40 gallons and you get about 12 to 14 cents per gallon. - Pack maths: Brita's own store sells the single filter under $10, the three pack in the $18 to $19 band, and a six pack near $30, which is about $5 a cartridge and the cheapest route of the three. - The annual reality at Brita's own household figure: 11 cups a day is about 240 gallons a year, so a year takes 6 cartridges and about $28 to $34. - The same year at a gallon a day: 365 gallons needs 9 cartridges, which is roughly $45 to $50 and 9 replacement moments you have to remember. - The Elite route, for comparison: the same body with the Elite filter, which our records rate at 120 gallons, which is a longer interval in the same pitcher body and a slightly higher band. *em* **strong** Roughly half the money a Tahoe owner spends in 12 months arrives in the second, third and fourth small order of filters, and the pack size is the only lever in the whole arrangement. Think of it this way The listing in the index asks about **strong**, and it is the same jug and the same cartridge either way. Brita sells this pitcher with an Original filter direct in the **strong** band and the Elite version in the **strong** band, both below where this listing sat at our last check. *em* The gallon price in cents, the Tahoe pitcher against two other filters Bar chart of cost per gallon: the Tahoe pitcher with an Original cartridge runs about 13 cents per gallon, the ZeroWater 10 Cup Pitcher about 105 cents, and the Brita Faucet Mount about 14 cents. The running cost, in cents Cartridge band divided by rated capacity, from the bands in our records - 0 30c 60c 90c 120c Brita Tahoe with Original ZeroWater 10 Cup Brita Faucet Mount about 13c about 105c about 14c Cartridge price bands from our records, capacity from manufacturer documentation. Prices move, bands are indicative. The running cost for this pitcher against two filters buyers weigh it against, in cents. The navy bar is the pitcher in this review. Same tap water out of all three, and a running cost that differs by a factor of about eight. Price six cartridges a year The pack size is where a cheap gallon stays cheap, and the band moves with it. ## Brita Tahoe 10 Cup vs the Field Every row below is a pitcher from our own index, with certifications and capacity taken from the sheets and the catalog records behind this site. Nothing here is a manufacturer comparison chart, and the upfront figures are bands rather than live prices. Pitcher Certified Rated life Upfront band Brita Tahoe 10 CupNSF 42, 5340 gal$50 to $55 Brita Everyday Elite PitcherNSF 42, 53, 401120 gal$38 to $45 Brita Small 6 Cup PitcherNSF 4240 gal$25 to $30 ZeroWater 10 Cup PitcherNSF 42, 5315 gal$27 to $30 PUR 11 Cup PitcherNSF 42not published$28 to $32 The first surprise is that the smaller Brita pitcher runs the same 40 gallon cartridge, so the extra money here buys tank volume rather than filter life. The 6 cup body sits in a lower band with the same interval behind it, and a household that fills one jug a day can hold either. Volume is what you are paying for, and it is worth being clear about that. The second is the Elite cartridge upgrade inside the same shaped body. Its sheet adds standard 401 and a lead claim backed by IAPMO R&T, and it triples the interval to 120 gallons, for a band that sits a few dollars above this one on the manufacturer's own store. That is the honest upgrade path, and it is cheaper than changing pitchers. Third, the budget pitcher tier contains the widest contaminant list in the aisle and the shortest cartridge life in it. The ZeroWater answer to PFAS and lead is real, and its running cost is about 8 times this jug's. One of those two pitchers is better for your tap. The other one is better for your wallet, and only you know which question you brought. Compare the Elite cartridge version Same ten cup body, the Elite cartridge inside, 120 gallons and the lead paperwork attached. ## Brita Tahoe FAQ Does the Brita Tahoe 10 Cup remove lead? Not with the cartridge in this box. The Original sheet names five substances and lead is not one of them. Brita's lead claim belongs to the Elite filter in the same pitcher bodies, and this listing ships the Original, so the paperwork that gets quoted at you online is for a different cartridge. How long does one cartridge last? Sixty days or 40 gallons, whichever arrives first, straight from Brita's own guidance. A household at the manufacturer's assumed volume gets through six of them in a year, and a single person drinking a gallon a day gets through nine. What flow rate does this pitcher run? None is published, which is why the flow line in the scorecard sits at zero. Gravity pitchers are slow by design, and a manufacturer that will not print the number leaves you to time your own tank. ZeroWater publishes 6.5 ounces per minute for comparison. How much does the tank hold? Ten cups, about 80 ounces, which is a glass and a half short of a day of drinking for two people. Brita lists the body at 10.39 inches high and 5.68 wide, narrow enough for a fridge door. Is it cheaper to buy this pitcher direct? At our last check it was. The listing in our records sat in the 50 to 55 dollar band from a third party seller, while Brita's own store listed the same pitcher with an Original filter in the 35 to 40 band. Bands move, so check both. ## Brita Tahoe 10 Cup: Where It Lands in the Pitcher Aisle The Brita Tahoe 10 Cup earns 4/7, and the three lines that sit at zero are one cartridge limit, one missing certificate number and one missing measurement. It holds a ten cup tank that fills a room for a day, it runs on a cartridge certified to 42 and 53 with a percentage against every substance on the table, and it turns a gallon of tap water into a 13 cent proposition. The original cartridge is also the plainest one Brita sells. No lead, no emerging compounds, no flow figure, and no certifying body printed on the sheet that carries its standards. If you want taste and volume sorted for about 13 cents a gallon, this is one of the most efficient answers across the class. If lead or PFAS is the reason you started reading, pay the small upgrade for the Elite cartridge in the same housing, or look at the lead removal shortlist before you spend anything. A cheap gallon, a small tank of patience, and one cartridge decision that is worth making before the pitcher arrives. Choose the cheap gallon in a ten cup body ### Where It Lands: The Cheapest Certified Gallon in the Pitcher Aisle Ten cups of tank, a 40 gallon cartridge at about 13 cents a gallon, and a light that counts the gallons for you. Chlorine and three metals handled, lead left for the other box. Check the Tahoe price band ## Brita Tahoe Lexicon: Every Standard in This Review NSF/ANSI 42 The aesthetic effects standard. Covers chlorine, taste and odor and the particulates that make water look cloudy. A filter with 42 alone improves how water tastes and does nothing for the health list. NSF/ANSI 53 The health effects standard, certified per listing. On this cartridge it covers cadmium, copper and mercury, with a reduction percentage for each at two pH values. NSF/ANSI 401 Covers emerging compounds, including certain pharmaceuticals, pesticides and flame retardants. The Original cartridge does not carry it, and the Elite cartridge in the same body does. Rated capacity The volume a cartridge filters before its performance is no longer covered, in gallons. This one is 40. It is the honest denominator for any cost comparison, because months depend on how much a household actually drinks. Gravity pitcher A jug where water falls through the cartridge under its own weight, no plumbing and no line pressure. That is why pitchers publish little or nothing about flow, and why the wait is the trade for the price. SmartLight indicator Brita's electronic filter reminder, powered by a coin cell. It reads usage rather than a date, so the replacement moment arrives after a volume of water instead of on a fixed anniversary. Model number The code that decides which cartridge fits and which certification applies. This pitcher is OB60, the Original cartridge is OB03, and the Elite cartridge is OB06. Match the cartridge to the badge before you trust any claim on the box. ## Keep Reading: More Brita Tahoe Reviews Best Pitcher Water Filters: the parent roundup, every pitcher in the index ranked by Nerd Stamp and the running cost. - Brita Water Filters Review: the whole Brita lineup, pitchers to faucet mounts, cartridge by cartridge. - Best Under Sink Water Filters: what this decision looks like when you own the pipes and want the refills to stop. - The Nerd Stamp Methodology: how the 1 to 7 rating is calculated.