Best GE MWF Filter, Is It Really As Good As An Original?

We carried out a GE smartwater filter review to compare this genuine GE MWF water filter with the compatible product manufactured by Best.

If you own a fridge with an ice/water dispenser, you’ve probably shed a tear every time you’ve needed to replace the filter mechanism. An original GE model can cost upwards of $50 and it’s recommended that you replace them every 6 months.

However, there’s an alternative filter manufacturer out there who not only make a device to exactly match your MWF original, but they’ll make it for half the price!

That’s not bad, is it?

We decided to take the MWF Best Filter, hook it up to our Kenmore Elite Fridge for 6 months and report back on how well it works.

Fitting It

This is probably the most worrying part of buying a non-standard part. You never quite know if it’s going to fit. Luckily, we managed to fit the Best Filter fine in our fridge:

It took 10 minutes to swap the filters out.
The new Best Filter didn’t leak.
The instructions were of good quality and written in English.
Didn’t require tools to replace the filter.

What About Protection

For most people, the refrigerator filter is not actually needed. Most first world countries can supply safe and clean drinking water, the filter being used to remove things like chlorine to improve the taste.

However, your original MWF filter will be type 53 Certified. This means it’s capable of filtering all sorts of nasties from your water supply including microbes, bacteria, asbestos and mold. Unfortunately, the Best Filter we have on test is only rated as 42 Certified. This mean it can only improve the taste of water via filtration, it can’t remove any harmful deposits. This is why we’ve always bought the General Electric MWF Refrigerator Water Filter.

Of course, you might not be worried about this depending on where you live, yet it’s something to keep in mind.

What About the Taste?

We tested the compatible Ge smartwater filter over a period of 6 months before swapping the filter back for an genuine GE MWF water filter . This gave us two chances to try and taste the difference between filters.

Our families couldn’t distinguish between water filtered using the Best Filter or Original GE.
The Best Filter was in the same condition after 6 months as when we fitted it.

If this is your main concern answered, then go ahead and order here.

The Price Difference

You can usually purchase a genuine GE MWF filter for under $50, that price has come down recently; however, it cannot compete with the Best Filter which is available for $20-30 we’ve found. That’s almost half as much as the GE filter and 53 Certification notwithstanding, there were no other differences to the filter.

Should You Buy the Best Filter?

The only real difference between the Best Filter and GE is the lack of 53 certification. With that in mind, your choice should be based on the quality of your drinking water to start with.

If you drinking water is already of a high quality (you can drink from the tap), then the Best Filter will be fine for your needs.
If you cannot drink water fresh from your tap due to health issues (bacteria or deposits), then we would suggest sticking with the GE model and itshigher levels of filtration

GE Smartwater Filter Final Thoughts

The General Electric MWF Refrigerator Water Filter is without doubt a popular product and comes in at a price that doesn’t break the bank. If you’re really watching the money, one other consideration to look at is the level of protection offered by these different products. So, most other brands are covered to NSF42 certification where we know that the original General Electric MWF Refrigerator Water Filter is rated NSF42 & NSF53.

If you’re worried about Insecticides (Lindane) or Herbicides (Atrazine) then the genuine GE MWF water filter is the one to go with.
Other than this there’s no disadvantage in buying the Best GE MWF Refrigerator Water Filter Smartwater Compatible Cartridge that we can see.