Welcome to our ultimate Aquasana vs Pelican water filters comparison guide. In this review and guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the Pelican PC600 & Aquasana Rhino EQ-600 whole house water filters before you buy, along with a shower filter comparison.
Why choose a whole house water filter instead of a traditional under-sink water filter, faucet filter, or pitcher filter? The main advantages are the convenience, all the water in your house is filtered including your shower water, the long life of the filters, more powerful filtration, fairly straightforward installation, and scale reduction in your appliances.
Whole-house filters are also great to use before other water filters such as a refrigerator water filter, water ionizer, or reverse osmosis system. The bottom line is a whole-house filter is a worthy investment, and today, you’ll learn who wins the battle of Aquasana vs Pelican.
Let’s start with a quick summary of each company’s profile before we look at the Pelican PC600 vs Rhino EQ-600 side-by-side comparison (feel free to skip to the comparison using the Table of Contents links below).
Who is Aquasana?
Aquasana is a Texas-based company founded in 1997 that manufactures a wide range of water filtration products in direct accordance with NSF International standards.
Their water filters are made with heavy chlorine reduction in mind, and they aim to reduce/remove all common water contaminants while leaving essential minerals intact. Leaving essential minerals intact is a key ingredient for healthy drinking water.
There’s a common misconception that low TDS or 0 TDS water is healthy. TDS and PPM are not accurate indicators of water quality.
Who is Pelican Water?
Pelican Water Systems is a lesser-known Florida-based water filtration company founded in 2007 with a focus on whole-house water filters and salt-free water softeners.
One of the standout differences between their filters and competing brands is the attractive stainless steel Pelican filter housing. Pelican is a transparent company that publicly posts authentic independent lab test results for its filters.
Now that you know both companies are legitimate and trustworthy, it’s time to see who makes the better filters.
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| Feature/Spec | Pelican PC600 | Aquasana Rhino EQ-600 |
| Main Filter Capacity | 650,885 Gal | 600,000 Gal |
| System Life | 5-Year | 6-Year |
| Sediment Pre-Filter Life | 6-9 Months | 3 Months |
| Chlorine Reduction % | 96.6% @ 8 GPM | 96.9% @ 7 GPM |
| NSF/ANSI Standards | 42 & 61 | 42 |
| Filter Media Types | Catalytic Granular Activated Carbon (Coconut) & KDF-55 | Coconut Shell Activated Carbon & KDF-55 |
| Warranty | Limited Lifetime Warranty | 6-Year Limited Warranty |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 90-Day Satisfaction Guarantee | 90-Day Satisfaction Guarantee |
| Operating Pressure | 25 – 80 PSI | 20 – 100 PSI |
| Operating Temperatures | 36° – 120°F | 40° – 90°F |
| Flow Rate | 8 GPM Service / 12 GPM Peak | 7 GPM |
| Minimum Clearance (Dimensions) | 49.5″ Height x 18″ Depth & Width | 50″ Height x 30″ Depth & Width |
| Price | Check Price at Pelican #ad | Check Price at Aquasana #ad |
Key Considerations
- Catalytic Granular Activated Coconut Carbon Media comes standard in the Pelican PC600. This type of activated carbon is effective for chloramine removal. If you live in an area of the country with chloramine-treated municipal water, the Pelican system is the superior choice, or opt for the Aquasana EQ-400.
- The Pelican stainless steel filter housing is reusable, while the entire Aquasana filter including housing and media gets replaced.
- The Aquasana system is bulkier, requiring added floor space to install.
- The sediment prefilters for both systems are 5-micron, however, the Aquasana prefilter requires more frequent replacement at every 3 months compared to every 6-9 months for the Pelican system.
- Aquasana certifies its system directly through NSF International while Pelican employs an ANSI-accredited third-party lab. In our opinion, the Pelican lab tests appear more authentic than the Aquasana-supplied lab results on its website, although, we do trust the reports posted by both companies.
- Both systems employ KDF-55 filtration media for enhanced water contaminant removal and to keep the systems mold & bacteria-free.
Who Wins?
Pelican PC600
We chose the Pelican PC600 over the Rhino EQ-600 system for the following reasons:
- The superior Catalytic Granular Activated Coconut Carbon Media comes standard with the Pelican system while the Aquasana Rhino EQ-600 requires a costly upgrade for chloramine removal.
- The reusable stainless steel filter housing takes up less floor space
- Longer sediment prefilter life
- A lifetime limited warranty as opposed to the 6-year Aquasana warranty
- The Pelican system is easier to install and maintain.
- We’re more trusting of and put more faith in the Pelican customer service team.
Aquasana vs Pelican Shower Filter
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| Feature/Spec | Pelican PSF-1 | Aquasana AQ-4100 |
| Filter Life | 15,000 gallons or up to 9 months | 10,000 gallons or 6 months |
| Filter Media | KDF-55, GAC Carbon Media, Far Infrared Balls | KDF-55, Coconut Shell Activated Carbon |
| Flow Rate | 1.5 GPM/1 GPM Water-Saving Mode | 2.5 GPM |
| Chlorine Reduction % | 96% | Over 90% |
| Dual-Flow Shower Head | Yes | No |
| Removes Chloramines | Yes | No |
| Aromatherapy | Yes | No |
| Accessory Clip | Yes | No |
| Warranty | 1-Year Limited | 1-Year Limited |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 90-Day | 90-Day |
| Price | Check Price at Pelican #ad | Check Price at Aquasana #ad |
Who Wins?
Pelican PSF-1
Overall, the Pelican PSF-1 is the best shower filter currently on the market that we have yet to review. At the time of this writing, the Pelican PSF-1 is selling at a major discount .
We chose the Pelican PSF-1 for the following reasons:
- Similar to the whole-house filter, the Pelican shower filter contains a superior form of activated carbon that removes chloramines.
- The dual-flow water-saver option is a nice touch in the Pelican system.
- We like the thoughtful touches such as optional aromatherapy, the addition of far infrared balls to turn your shower time into more of a spa experience, and the accessory clip.
- The Pelican shower filter system uses an “up” flow design instead of a “down” flow like the Aquasana filter.
- The higher chlorine reduction rate
- Longer filter life
The Aquasana Rhino EQ-600 is comparable to the Pelican PC600, but the Pelican PSF-1 is the obvious winner in the shower filter department.
However, I did own the Aquasana shower filter all the way back in 2009 when I lived in Las Vegas. It’s indeed a quality filter that delivers a pleasant shower experience and softer hair. Perhaps Aquasana will evolve its design to catch up to Pelican soon.
Before we conclude our Aquasana vs Pelican comparison and review, let’s see what you should expect from each company.
What to expect from Pelican?
As part of our analysis for each product we review, we do a deep dive into the current information to identify positive and negative trends. We then convey our findings to you to help you make the most informed buying decision.
Here’s what we concluded after investigating Pelican:
- The Pelican shower filter does an excellent job of removing chlorine odor and making hair feel softer.
- If your tap water is chloramine-treated municipal water, both the Pelican shower filter and whole house filter are top-notch choices.
- The water-saver option on the shower filter may increase your shower water pressure.
- You may not like the top-heavy design of the shower filter and need to tighten it with a wrench to get it to remain sturdy.
- Expect a phenomenal experience with the Pelican PC600 system (no exaggeration): better-tasting water, no more chlorine smell, softer hair and skin after showering, happier pets & plants, no decrease in water pressure.
- The Pelican customer service team is engaged and eager to help/answer any questions you have.
- Depending on how handy you are, you may want to hire a plumber to complete the PC600 installation.
- The system lasts for the advertised time period
- The ability to drink filtered water straight from the faucet is a luxury that most people love.
What to expect from Aquasana?
Here’s what we concluded after investigating the Aquasana info:
- You may experience the benefit of softer skin and hair with the AQ-4100 shower filter. I know I did when I used this filter in 2009. The tap water in Las Vegas definitely had a mild chlorine scent, and the Aquasana shower filter did a good job of removing it.
- If you’re someone who suffers from itchy dry skin after a shower, you may find relief with the AQ-4100 shower filter.
- You may feel as though the replacement shower filters are pricey. Plus, the AQ-4100 filter doesn’t last quite as long as the Pelican PSF-1 filter.
- While we do believe Aquasana is a trustworthy company, its customer service marks aren’t on par with Pelican.
- You may find that the Rhino EQ-600 doesn’t remain effective for the entirety of the advertised 6-year period.
- Most people agree that filtered water from the Rhino system tastes good without the chlorine taste/odor that comes with most municipal water.
- Overall, we recommend being careful should you decide to purchase an Aquasana whole house filtration system over a Pelican system.
Bottom Line
In the battle of Aquasana vs Pelican, we choose Pelican products first. We do believe that Aquasana manufactures quality water filters in accordance with NSF/ANSI Standards, but Pelican products are more cutting-edge, sleeker, and efficient.
The greatest advantage of Pelican systems is the standard Catalytic Granular Activated Coconut Carbon Media that also removes chloramines. Since chloramines in drinking water are becoming more common, why not err on the side of caution and install a system that removes chloramines from the start?
Aquasana does offer a chloramines whole house filter. The problem is the jump in price compared to the EQ-600.
Lastly, we like the reusable Pelican stainless steel filter housing that reduces waste and will stand the test of time. The bottom line is Pelican is currently ahead of the pack with its whole house filters, water softeners, and shower filter.
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