The hardest part of any home upgrade isn't the first purchase. It's the maintenance — the part where you have to remember.
Most pitcher filters fail not because the filter media stops working, but because the cartridge doesn't get replaced when it should. People buy a pitcher, use it for six months, then discover the cartridge expired four months ago. The Pure XP starter kit is built around that problem. Pitcher up front, cartridges that arrive automatically, an LED timer on the lid that tells you when each one needs to swap. You decide once, and the system keeps itself current.
This page walks through what's in the kit, how the subscription works, why the cadence is what it is, and why the kit also happens to be one of the few practical gifts a household actually uses every day. Every removal percentage cited on this page is from independent third-party lab testing against the NSF/ANSI standard listed alongside it.
The kit, in four parts
What's in the box, what arrives later, and what it costs.
The starter kit is engineered around a simple promise: decide once, drink filtered water for years. Here's the kit broken down — physical contents, the auto-replenish cadence, the cost math, and why it makes a surprisingly good gift.
Because the kit is a complete system, not a single product.
Pitcher + cartridge + setup card · Ready to use the day it arrives
The physical contents
The Pure XP pitcher itself — 7-cup capacity, dishwasher-safe (top rack), BPA + BPS free, with a digital LED filter timer on the lid that counts down from 100 gallons. The first replaceable cartridge, pre-installed and ready to use. A setup card walking through the 90-second prime and first-fill. And the option to add auto-replenish at checkout — set the cadence to 3 or 4 months and the next cartridge ships before the current one runs out.
What you do on day one
Unbox the pitcher. Rinse the lid and reservoir. Soak the cartridge for 15 minutes (the setup card explains why — it primes the filter media). Insert the cartridge, fill, and pour the first batch. The LED timer activates. That's it. The first cartridge handles 100 gallons of household water — about three to four months for a typical home — and the LED counts down so you don't have to track it.
90 sec
The setup time, start to first pour. Plus a 15-minute filter soak that happens once during the initial prime. Everything else is automatic.
Source: Pure XP product specifications; setup card included with every starter kit.
Because the cartridge that doesn't get replaced isn't filtering anything.
A cartridge in the mail before the old one expires · Pause, skip, cancel anytime
How the subscription works
At checkout you pick a delivery cadence — typically every 3 or 4 months, matching your household's water usage. A fresh cartridge ships free, arriving before the LED timer hits zero. You swap, you keep going. Cartridges on auto-replenish are priced at around $50 each (roughly 15% off the one-off price), and you can pause, skip a delivery, or cancel any time from your account dashboard. There is no commitment and no fine print.
Why it matters more than it sounds
The most common pitcher-filter failure mode isn't the filter wearing out — it's the cartridge expiring four months ago and the household still using it. By the time you remember to reorder, the filter has been saturated for weeks. Auto-replenish solves this without willpower. The cartridge arrives, you swap, the LED resets. You don't have to track it.
$50
Subscription cartridge price. Vs. $59 one-off. Free shipping on every replenish. Pause, skip, or cancel any time — no commitment.
Source: Pure XP subscription terms (epicwaterfilters.com).
Because the math beats bottled water by an order of magnitude.
~$200/year on subscription · Vs. $1,000+ on bottled water
The annual spend
The pitcher is $84 up front. On the auto-replenish subscription, cartridges run about $50 each, three to four times a year — call it ~$150–$200 annually after year one. A typical four-person household running on bottled water spends $1,000+ per year (about $0.50/gallon at most retailers, ~80 gallons of drinking water per family per year on the low end). Pure XP pays for itself in roughly a month, and every year after that is a net positive in the household budget.
Why subscription is the cheaper path
Subscription cartridges are around $50; one-off purchases are $59. Free shipping on subscription, paid shipping on one-off. Across three cartridges per year, the math comes to about $30/year saved on subscription — which works out to almost a free cartridge every two years. Plus the part you can't put a price on: never running out at 7 PM on a Sunday and pouring a glass of unfiltered water because you forgot to reorder.
~30¢
Cost per gallon of filtered water on subscription. Including the pitcher amortized over its first year. Bottled water averages around $1.50–$2.00 per gallon at most retailers.
Source: Pure XP product pricing; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer-price data on bottled water.
Because the practical gift is the one that gets used every day.
Housewarming · New baby · Holiday · Wedding · Move-in
Why it works as a gift
Most household gifts get used twice and put in a closet. Filtered water is the opposite — it's something the recipient pours every morning, every meal, every glass before bed. The Pure XP starter kit is gift-wrappable, comes with a setup card, and can be sent without a subscription attached so the recipient sets up auto-replenish later in their own name (no recurring charge on your card). For new homeowners, new parents, and households moving into older buildings, it's one of the few presents that genuinely makes the day-to-day better.
The occasions it fits
Housewarming for a couple moving into a 1970s home (older plumbing means a higher chance of lead in service lines). New-baby gifts where another rattle is going to be one of fifteen — the practical gift stands out. Holiday or wedding gifts for someone who has the things they need and wants something useful. Move-in gifts for renters in apartments where the landlord won't install anything under-sink. Pure XP works in any kitchen, any plumbing, any rental.
$84
The kit price. Pitcher + first cartridge. Ships in protective packaging suitable for gift-giving. Subscription is optional and set up by the recipient.
Source: Pure XP product pricing; customer cohort survey data on gifting motivations.
Frequently asked questions
What's included in the Pure XP starter kit?
The starter kit is the Pure XP pitcher, the first filter cartridge installed and ready to use, and an optional auto-replenish subscription that ships a fresh cartridge before the current one runs out. The pitcher itself is dishwasher-safe (top rack), BPA + BPS free, and includes a digital LED filter timer on the lid that tells you when it's time to swap the cartridge.
How does the auto-replenish subscription work?
When you set up auto-replenish, replacement cartridges ship every three or four months — you choose the cadence based on how much water your household drinks. Subscription cartridges are around $50 each (vs. $59 one-off), shipping is free, and you can pause, skip, or cancel any time from your account. The first delivery arrives before your starter cartridge runs out, so there's never a gap.
How often do I need to replace the filter?
The Pure XP cartridge is rated for 100 gallons — about three to four months for a typical household. The LED timer on the pitcher lid counts down so you don't have to track it manually. With auto-replenish set to that cadence, you'll get a fresh cartridge in the mail before the old one expires.
Can I cancel the subscription?
Yes. The auto-replenish subscription is no-commitment — pause, skip, or cancel any time from your account dashboard. We don't lock anyone in. The reason most people stay on the subscription isn't a lock-in clause; it's that filtered water becomes part of the kitchen and forgetting to reorder is its own kind of failure.
What does the Pure XP pitcher actually filter?
Pure XP is NSF certified to Standard 42 (chlorine taste and odor) and independently lab-tested against four more NSF/ANSI standards: Standard 53 (lead, 99.94% reduction), Standard 401 (microplastics 99.6%, pharmaceuticals), P231 (microbiological — 99.9999% reduction of E. coli and Pseudomonas), and P473 (PFAS, 99.8% reduction of PFOA and PFOS). Most pitchers carry one cert. Pure XP carries data on five.
Does Pure XP work for everyone in the family?
Yes. The pitcher format works for adults, kids, and infants — the same filtered water that goes into a coffee carafe goes into a baby bottle, a sippy cup, and a water bottle for school. The American Academy of Pediatrics and EPA both recommend filtering tap water for households with young children. Pure XP meets the standards both organizations name.
Is this a good housewarming or new-baby gift?
It's one of the few household gifts that genuinely gets used every day. New homeowners are often surprised to learn their service line might contain lead. New parents are looking for something practical that helps with the volume of bottle prep ahead. The starter kit is gift-wrappable, includes a setup card, and the subscription can be set up in the recipient's name later — so the gift is the pitcher, not a recurring charge on your card.
Where is Pure XP made?
In our own facility in Palmetto, Florida. Epic is vertically integrated — manufacturing, quality control, and assembly all happen in-house, with filtration media sourced from the U.S. and Japan.
