Log In or Register

St. Paul Mercantile is NOW CLOSED through the end of March.   We will OPEN again April 1-7.  While closed, you will be able to browse and add items to your cart, but will not be able to check out until we reopen April 1-7. While closed, if you try to check out, the system will say We Are not accepting payments from your region at this time.

Compare Crystal Drop to Big Berkey

Comparison and Review of Crystal Drop Water Filter Pricing to Big Berkey Water Filter Pricing

Everybody has heard of Big Berkey water filters.  They have been selling high-quality water filters in the United States since the late 1990s and they do a lot of marketing and advertising.  Their filter bodies can be purchased with their Black Berkey filter elements or with white ceramic filters, also called candles.  Crystal Drop is a newer brand of stainless steel filter bodies available in the United States.  These filter bodies can be ordered with many different variations of ceramic filters, or the body can be purchased separately and the customer can then buy any brand of filters they desire. 

Here are several price comparisons for the consumer to consider.  Big Berkey pricing was obtained from Amazon.com on November 21, 2014.  Crystal Drop pricing was obtained from www.stpaulmercantile.com  

(NOTE: St. Paul Mercantile actually had a 10% sale active on November 21,but for a fair price comparison, we are showing the everyday pricing here, not the lower sale prices for the Crystal Drop water filters.)

View or Buy Crystal Drop Water Filters Here:

http://www.stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=71

Comparison Pricing of Crystal Drop Ceramic Water Filter to Big Berkey Ceramic Water Filter

Big Berkey with two 9” ceramic filters - $275.  Crystal Drop with two 10” ceramic filters - $155, a huge savings of $120.  

Big Berkey with four 9” ceramic filters - $360.  Crystal Drop with four 10" ceramic filters - $196, an even larger savings of $164.

The priced Big Berkey’s were equipped with Berkefeld brand Super Sterasyl 9” ceramic candles.  The Crystal Drop filters were equipped with AquaCera CeraGrav ceramic candles.  Both brands of ceramic candles are well known and respected and the bacterial and chemical removal characteristics are barely distinguishable between the two brands.

View or Buy the Crystal Drop 2.6 Gallon Water Filter Here:

http://www.stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=71&products_id=212

Comparison Pricing of Black Berkey Filtering Elements used in Crystal Drop Stainless Steel Body vs Berkey Stainless Steel Body – or – How To Save $51 on a Black Berkey Water Filter

Many consumers are attracted to the Black Berkey filtering elements because they claim to remove high percentages of heavy metals in addition to removing bacteria and common chemicals.  But does it make any difference whether the Stainless Steel body has the Big Berkey name on it vs the Crystal Drop name?  Did you know that the Crystal Drop body is larger and that it costs less?  The Big Berkey body holds 2.25 gallons of filtered water, whereas the Crystal Drop model CD26 holds 2.6 gallons.

Amazon’s price for the Big Berkey stainless body with two Black Berkey filtering elements is $258. 

You can buy the Black Berkey elements separately on Amazon for $107, and the Crystal Drop CD26 stainless steel body can be purchased at St. Paul Mercantile for $100, for a total of $207.  You will save $51 by purchasing your filter this way.

View or Purchase Just the Crystal Drop Stainless Steel Body Here:

http://www.stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=71&products_id=213

Comparison Pricing of Royal Berkey Water Filter with Crystal Drop CD38 Water Filter

The Royal Berkey is simply a larger stainless steel body, weighing in at 3.25 gallons of filtered water compared to 2.25 gallons for the Big Berkey.  Crystal Drop has a 3.8 gallon model, model CD38.  So if you need a larger filter body for a larger family, the dollar savings by choosing Crystal Drop over the Royal Berkey are about the same as mentioned above.

Amazon’s price for the Royal Berkey with 2 Black Berkey elements was $283. 

The larger Crystal Drop Model CD38 could be purchased for only $232 (by purchasing the Black Berkey elements on Amazon for $107 and the CD38 body only at St. Paul Mercantile for $125), once again saving you $51.

Equipped with ceramic candles, the savings with the Crystal Drop filters (compared to the Royal Berkey with ceramic candles) would range from about $120 to $190.

View or Purchase the 3.8 Gallon Crystal Drop Water Filters Here:

http://www.stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=71&products_id=214

Conclusion

If you decide to use ceramic filters, the clear choice is Crystal Drop water filters from St. Paul Mercantile.  You will save at least $100 by going this route and you could save as much as $200.  If you have your own favorite brand of filtering element, such as the Black Berkey filter elements, consider purchasing the filter elements separately on Amazon or from a Berkey dealer, then purchase the stainless steel body from St. Paul Mercantile and save around $50.

St. Paul Mercantile offers lower pricing because we have out stainless steel bodies custom made and we import them by the thousands, then sell directly to the consumer.  By purchasing them directly from the manufacturer, we pay about $50 less per body than if we purchased them from a US Distributor.  We pass that savings along to you.

St. Paul Mercantile sells three sizes of Stainless Steel filter bodies:

 1.2 Gallon model CD15 - $75

 2.6 Gallon model CD26 - $100

 3.8 Gallon model CD38 - $125

View or buy Crystal Drop Bodies (without filters) here:

http://www.stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=71&products_id=213

These prices include the spigot, rubber stoppers for unused holes, a free circular cleaning brush and a scratchy pad for cleaning ceramic candles.  Stands are also available for under $10.

Author

The author of this page is John Squires, Founder and Owner (also shipping clerk and janitor) of St. Paul Mercantile, an online Family Preparedness business founded in 1998.  Search the Internet for the website name or the owner’s name and you will see the good reputation earned by John and the company by offering cool and unusual products at reasonable prices.  

Corrections and Questions Welcomed

If you find any factual errors or have any questions you want to see answered, please email John at john@stpaulmercantile.com and you will receive a personal response.  If you have a great idea on how to get the word out on how to save money with the Crystal Drop brand, let me know and I might send you a coupon to save an extra 10% on my website.  For example, if you come across a blog or user group where these issues are being discussed, post a link to this page and let me know.