It is a bit of a lemon market, because no one can tell (or few can) from the claims, looks, etc. how reliable it will actually be. I am keen to research stuff

It is a bit of a lemon market, because no one can tell (or few can) from the claims, looks, etc. how reliable it will actually be. I am keen to research stuff online more. I avoided buying the more expensive "Zip" water system, and instead got a RO system and my own chiller. An RO system is mostly plastic and pipes, with most of the $ going into the cartridges. So good value for money. Ugly... but it is under your sink so who cares. It was cheaper (about 1/3 of the price all up), and all the Zip users bemoan how unreliable it is. I also remember anecdotally how many times I have seen an out of order tap of theirs in an office or other place. They also don't filter quite as well as an RO (but they do filter well enough if taste is the concern). You don't always get better buy paying more, or going with the famous brand. I think you have to research all the things.