Kangen water vs. reverse osmosis: Which is better for your overall health? We know you want to find the healthiest water to boost your health, but figuring out which water system is best can be difficult as there are many options.
We’re here to help! We’ll break down what Kangen water and reverse osmosis water are and explore some important issues to consider before buying a water ionizer or purifier for your home.
What is Kangen Water vs. Reverse Osmosis?
The Kangen water system and reverse osmosis are both water filtration methods that aim to produce healthy drinking water. Each filtration method produces water with different properties, and each type of water serves different purposes. Let’s explore each system and how they differ.
Kangen means “return to origin” in Japanese, and Kangen water is meant to help restore your body’s original state of balance—its normal alkaline state. Kangen is electrolyzed water, or alkaline water, created through the process of electrolysis. The Enagic corporation sells water ionizer systems that generate alkaline and hydrogen-rich water meant to achieve that balanced state and provide a range of health benefits. Kangen water machines add minerals and electrolytes to water through the ionization process.
Reverse osmosis systems are water purification machines that use high pressure and semi-permeable membrane filtration to remove impurities from water. These systems reverse the natural osmosis process, during which water normally moves from a lower-concentration solution to a higher-concentration one. High pressure pushes the water through the membrane, which blocks contaminants (like bacteria or microorganisms) from passing through along with the water. Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are often used for industrial processes, cleaning, agriculture, or in disaster areas where access to clean water is difficult.
Kangen Water vs. Reverse Osmosis Water: Things to Consider
There are so many water filtration and treatment systems claiming to offer high-quality water with amazing health benefits, but do they live up to the hype? Here are a few things you should know before buying Kangen water machines or reverse osmosis systems.
Deadly Chemicals
One of the most important concerns over Kangen water systems is their use of deadly chemicals to make their supposedly “strong” acidic water. Kangen machines aren’t actually powerful enough to create this strong alkaline water, so they require help from Enagic’s “Electrolysis Enhancer.” This enhancer is composed of sodium hypochlorite, which is, in fact, bleach.
Even worse, Enagic doesn’t provide customer education on how to properly handle this chemical. And on top of the concerns over ingesting bleach, when sodium hypochlorite is ionized, it produces a toxic gas.
Although reverse osmosis doesn’t produce deadly chemicals, it doesn’t remove all dangerous chemicals. Water filtered through reverse osmosis may still contain trace amounts of chemicals, since some may make their way through the semipermeable membrane.
Unsupported Health Claims
Alkaline water machines like Kangen are tempting because of their grand claims to help you access the many health benefits of alkaline water.
It’s true that alkaline water provides antioxidants and is a great addition to a healthy lifestyle, but unfortunately, Kangen water doesn’t live up to its claims of having high antioxidant levels. Their Leveluk SD 501 machine is supposed to reach an antioxidant potential of up to ~800mV, but Enagic offers no evidence to support this claim. They also don’t clarify what contaminants—besides chlorine—their filters remove, making their filtration claims suspect as well.
Reverse osmosis does filter out many contaminants, but there are quite a few machines out there that users have found don’t produce the same levels of filtration their companies claimed. Many RO water companies claim their water is safe to drink, but it’s actually “dead” water, meaning it has been stripped of even beneficial—and necessary—minerals and isn’t healthy for long-term use.
Nutrient Depletion
One of the major dangers of reverse osmosis water is that it removes not just dangerous contaminants, but also essential nutrients your body needs. Reverse osmosis water is a valuable short-term resource for emergency situations, since it offers contaminant-free drinking water, but it’s dangerous for long-term consumption.
Water filtered with reverse osmosis (RO) technology is considered “dead water” because it is stripped of essential minerals and vitamins. RO water purifiers can’t differentiate between harmful and essential minerals in water, so it removes everything. A study on low mineral water consumption and its role in reducing mineral density in bones and teeth, reports that reverse osmosis systems remove 92-99% of beneficial minerals, including calcium, fluoride, magnesium, and iron.
The vitamins and minerals we get from water are essential for long-term health and wellness. Drinking reverse osmosis water strips us of access to those nutrients and puts us at risk of deficiencies and health problems like low bone density or cardiovascular disease.
Expensive Equipment with Short Warranties
The last thing you want to do is invest thousands of dollars only to face a broken machine after a too-short warranty period has expired.
Unfortunately, that’s what you’ll likely face if you choose a Kangen or reverse osmosis water machine. Kangen machines cost anywhere from just under $3,000 to nearly $6,000, but they only offer a five-year warranty. Even worse, you only have seven days to install, test, and return their products.
Reverse osmosis machines are often less expensive than Kangen’s systems, but $200 – $600 is still a high price to pay for machines that only guarantee their products under a short warranty. Many companies only offer a two-year warranty for their reverse osmosis machines, casting doubt over the quality and longevity of their products.
Excessive Water Waste
Another major downside to reverse osmosis machines is their wasteful process. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), reverse osmosis systems generate five gallons or more of contaminated wastewater for every gallon of treated water they produce. More inefficient systems can generate up to ten gallons of wastewater.
BBB Complaints
Enagic is particularly notorious for its customer complaints with the Better Business Bureau. They have an F rating with the BBB, as well as 27 documented complaints. Customer reviews offer several notable issues with Kangen water systems, including:
- Machines are prone to mold
- Filters must be purchased separately
- Fishy-tasting water, even after several inspections of the system
- Poor customer service
Many reverse osmosis machines also have concerning customer reviews, including claims of faulty parts, complicated filter replacement processes, and poor customer service.
Kangen Water vs. Reverse Osmosis Water: Best Alternative
Access to clean, healthy water is essential for your health and wellness. Unfortunately, concerns over Kangen water and reverse osmosis water make them poor choices for your home water supply.
Luckily, there’s a better option. Read on to learn about the best alternative to Kangen and reverse osmosis water.
Tyent
Tyent’s water ionizers are the best alternative to both Kangen water and reverse osmosis water. In fact, Tyent-generated water is the best water to drink for your health. Our filters offer medical-grade filtration without removing essential vitamins and minerals, making our hydrogen water a better long-term solution than water filtered through reverse osmosis. Tyent ionizers also generate far less wastewater than reverse osmosis machines, and Tyent machines go even further. Some of our ionizers produce 40 percent less wastewater than other ionizers on the market!
Water from Tyent machines can achieve a pH of up to 12.5 and hydrogen concentrations of up to 1.8 ppm without the need for a chemical enhancer, making our water safer to drink than Kangen’s sodium chlorite-”enhanced” water. And for health claims you can trust, check out Tyent’s many certifications that prove you’ll get the high-quality water you’re promised.
Tyent stands out from the crowd with a forever guarantee. We’re so confident in our products, we offer a lifetime warranty and handle all warranty claims quickly and easily. And in contrast to other water system companies, Tyent has an A+ rating with the BBB. Our customers’ rave reviews demonstrate Tyent’s dedication to high-quality products and excellent customer service.
Products:
- UCE-13 Plus: $6,995.00
- H2 Hybrid: $5,995.00
- ACE-13: $5,995.00
- EDGE-9 Turbo: $3,495.00
Pros:
- Alkaline pH adjustments for beauty water or cleaning
- Strongest plates in the industry with the most surface area
- Dialipure filters remove over 200 dangerous contaminants
- Dozens of certifications, including ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
- Publicly shared, third-party lab results to demonstrate Tyent machines’ reliability and quality
- The only hydrogen water and ionizer company to offer a 100% lifetime warranty with zero stipulations and coverage for parts and labor
- 75-day trial period (and a return rate of less than 1%!)
- A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau
- Used by famous doctors, pro athletes, and celebrities
- The only water ionizer featured on E!, FOX, ABC, the Discovery Channel, and more
- Chemical-free
*Results Dependent on Source Water Conditions
Supercharge your health with Tyent’s hydrogen water!
More About Kangen Water vs. Reverse Osmosis
Learn more about Kangen water and reverse osmosis water, plus the best alternative to these systems.
Is reverse osmosis better than Kangen?
Reverse osmosis water isn’t necessarily better than Kangen water. It has the benefit of not containing added sodium hypochlorite (bleach), like Kangen water, but it’s also stripped of all beneficial nutrients.
People living in war zones or the aftermath of natural disasters often benefit greatly from reverse osmosis water, since access to clean water is often limited. Drinking reverse osmosis water for long periods of time, however, is detrimental to your health.
What is better, alkaline water or reverse osmosis?
Aside from crisis situations where accessing clean water is difficult, alkaline water is a better option than reverse osmosis water. Alkaline water, from machines like Tyent’s water ionizers, offers amazing benefits, including increased energy, weight loss, clearer skin, faster workout recovery, and a stronger immune system.
Not all ionizers (machines to make water alkaline) are equal, though. Enagic claims its Kangen water is highly alkaline, but they offer no evidence to support their claims. Their machines also aren’t strong enough to generate the pH levels they claim, so they need a chemical “enhancer” called sodium hypochlorite—which is bleach.
That’s why Tyent is the best water treatment system. Our ionizers generate alkaline, hydrogen-rich water so you gain the health benefits of both kinds of water. Our powerful machines require no chemical enhancement, and our claims are backed by many certifications. And with a forever guarantee, you’ll gain lifetime access to healthy water without having to invest more on new machines every few years.
Why should you not buy a Kangen water machine?
If you want guaranteed, high-quality alkaline water, Kangen isn’t the system for you. With no evidence for their claims and a dangerous chemical enhancer, Kangen ionizers aren’t worth the risk. They’re an especially risky purchase, too—with only seven days to install, test and return their products, and only a five-year warranty, you may just lose thousands of dollars on an unreliable product.
Kangen Water vs. Reverse Osmosis: The Bottom Line
Alkaline water and reverse osmosis water both offer important benefits and uses. Reverse osmosis water provides essential access to clean drinking water in disastrous situations, and alkaline water offers a host of health benefits. The truth is, though, that reverse osmosis water is dangerous for long-term consumption, and Kangen water isn’t a safe and reliable option for accessing healthy alkaline water.
With Tyent, you can access both alkaline and filtered water in one machine. Not only that—it also produces hydrogen-rich water, which offers even more health benefits. Our ionizers consistently perform better than Kangen and reverse osmosis water in filtration, safety, research and evidence-based claims, waste limitation, product quality, and customer satisfaction. Choose Tyent for lifelong access to the health-boosting effects of alkaline and hydrogen-rich water!
Find a Tyent ionizer for your home today.
