Walter filters for under sink?

We're trying to reduce the toxic load in our house starting with an under-sink water filter. We use a Berkey pitcher right now, but finding the filters's becoming hard to find given some drama with the company. 

What water filter do you use given our water locally in Berkeley (I don't know a lot about our city water but I have to assume it's full of chemicals) ? I've heard of so many brands - aquasana, apec water, Aquatru, Ao Smith. We're planning on upgrading our home in another year, so investing in a whole house system right now doesn't make sense for us. I don't know much about Reverse Osmosis as a process. 

Also if you know of anyone that might help install any of these systems that would be helpful!

Thank you for your input!

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RE:

We have an APEC reverse osmosis water filter that we installed by ourselves under the kitchen sink, it was $200 on Amazon and well worth it! 

RE:

I have been planning to buy a Berkey filter and would love to know what drama you’re experiencing as well as the difficulty you mentioned in getting the filters. I’d really prefer not to pay the extra for an under sink system if at all possible. Thank you!

RE:

We went with the Wirecutter pick for under-sink reverse osmosis filter (Aquasana AQ-5200) and our handyman installed it.  It was pretty easy!

RE:

We've had a MultiPure under sink filter for almost 20years, and continue to be happy with it. I didn't like their standard model of faucet, however (and I know others who have found it didn't hold up so well), so found a Kohler model we liked and had it plumbed to fit. Also - I requested the installer use copper tubing in place of the plastic tubing it comes with (and to make it extra long, to make it easier to handle during filter replacements). The altered plumbing requires someone skilled in adapting connections. 

RE:

We installed an Aquasana a few years ago and have been happy with it. It's easy to install if you have a hole in your counter (like a punch-out on your sink), or can get someone to make the hole for the dedicated mini faucet. I know Albert Nahman Plumbers does installations. 

We opted not to get a reverse osmosis filter because it uses so much water for the filtration process. I think some people have the by-product water sent out to their yard through their greywater systems, but our plants can't handle that much water. The Aquasana 3-Stage Max Flow was the highest level of filtration I could find without reverse osmosis. This was a few years ago, so there may be other options out there.

(If you get one, be careful not to overtighten when screwing together the plastic sumps. It can cause leaks.)

RE:

We have an Apec system under the sink and it works great. Filters are easy to replace, all DIY.

RE:

Hello! We’ve been using Hydroviv for about a year and are happy about it.  You do the installation yourself, it is quite simple, and it connects to your cold water line so every time you open the tap on cold you have filtered water.  They design the filter for the water quality in your area, supposedly.

The cons: every time you open the water it is filtered, so I’ve tried to develop the habit of washing on hot/warm water.  Pros: you can rinse veggies with filtered water and you don’t need an extra tap in your sink.