The Z78 water softener is the one I got to replace my older system which kept breaking down so I have first hand experience. I didn't know this product even existed until my brother-in-law saw how frustrated I was in my search for a new system. He got me in touch with a co-worker of his who had bought the Z78. This is not your typical water softener. It is a magnetic water softener, which is the new technology that is slowly starting to replace the older chemical process of water softening. There are several magnetic and electronic softeners available now, and I think the Z78 is the best of them because it uses a directed magnetic force which makes it the most effective, and also because it comes with 2 magnet pairs (for cold water and for hot water), not just one. Read the sections about water conditioners and magnetic softners for more information.
The Z78 has many advantages over regular water softeners. Because it is a magnet, it lasts forever and never breaks down. It does not require any salt or filters or resins or electricity, so no maintenance whatsoever. And it has the easiest installation. You just clamp it over the water pipe; that took me just a minute or 2 to do. You don't need a service call or a plumber or cutting pipes.
In addition, and I don't really understand why, but it cleared the existing scale buildup in my appliances and I'm guessing also in my water heater and pipes as well. Most other water softeners don't do that. I have very hard water and my older water softener had not been working very well for a while so there was already quite a bit of scale buildup on my shower heads, faucets, and in the dishwasher. The company says that existing scale will dissolve over month or 2, but I found that it was mostly gone within 3 weeks. Possibly this is because it was mostly new buildup.
The only issue with the Z78 (and the company mentions this) is that it will NOT filter your water. So minerals and any contaminants (e.g. arsenic from well water) will remain there. So if you are concerned about that, then consider something else or consider adding a water filter in addition to this. The product will, however, soften the water, it will prevent scale and rust from forming, and it will remove existing buildup.
5 positive votes and 0 negative votes.
Ranks 1 out of 9.
I bought mine in Fall 2013 for $399. There are no other expenses. It still upsets me that I had paid 10 times more for another water softener that didn't even work as well as this one, plus I had to pay for installation for that one and service calls and salt and electricity.
I contacted the company by email twice before buying, and both times I got a good reply fairly quickly. I didn't contact them after buying. I came across mostly positive comments while researching them. It's a small company with smaller sales volume than others, so you won't find much feedback about them.
Considering that it does a better job than a $2,000 water softener at a fraction of the price, then it's a no-brainer. Unless you need your water filtered as well by the same system, then I recommend it.
Softener Brands :: Hard Water Conditioners :: Salt-Free Softeners :: Electronic Water Softeners :: Magnetic Water Softeners :: Installation :: Resin