Update: As per my review below, I had some trouble installing due to instructions that were not really clear or suited to this particular product, which Ispring says is brand new. Since then they actually tracked me down and cared about what I had to say. According to them they are rewriting the instructions, not shipping with the funny dust caps, and considering additional parts to make the installation go smoother. I was impressed because in this day and age few companies actually seem to care about what their customers really think. I have come to the conclusion that this company does. And the filter system is now working fine, so don't hesitate to buy. I'm leaving my review below in case it takes a while to update the instructions. It might shave a few hours off someones install time. Changed to 5 stars. If you have any problems they will definitely help, and that is a really good thing. ================================================================ Just finished the installation. I'm a pretty handy monkey, but the installation took about 5 hours of my time (including 3 trips to the home improvement store and a some-what helpful phone call to ispring). First-off the manual is misleading and clearly written for another product or previous version of this product (or maybe a new-fangled sausage making machine). The parts of the manual that do apply to this product, like how to connect the little push-on connectors, suffer from an excess of brevity and lack of detail and conciseness. In an attempt to be helpful to future purchasers of this product, at least until ispring updates these kits and instructions, here's what I learned: First tip: the faucet included in my box does not require a 1/2 inch hole, as the instructions state, but a one inch hole. Actually one inch is too tight, make sure you have a 1 1/8 inch hole saw attachment for your drill, and make it a good bi-metal one if you need to cut through a stainless steel sink. Home depot sells rigid brand bits that suit this purpose. It will run you about $15 unless you already have a rigid brand bit shaft (or equivalent). Second tip: the faucet that came with my filter has three colored plastic hoses already permanently attached. Red, white and blue (I dig the patriotism). Unfortunately which gets attached where is not mentioned anywhere in the manual. In the manual it says to screw the water hose to the bottom of the faucet. Clearly referring to a different type of faucet. Also if the three hoses were just a little longer you would probably not need to bother adding extension hose (an extra leak risk). More on extension hoses later. The colors are mentioned in the Amazon description, way at the bottom, but it bears repeating. "Connect the BLUE tubing of 3-color tubings on the faucet to cold water line, RED to the 1st stage on the right, WHITE to the 3rd stage on the left." Note: This is #ssbackward if you are from an English speaking country ... just saying. Third tip: The filter box itself has funny little horn or funnel shaped things on the ends of the inlet (left) and output (right) angle connectors. These are not mentioned at all in the manual. You can not push the hoses on with these in place (you can try as I did ... if you get excited by frustration) because these are some weird sort of dust plugs. You must pull up with your fingernail on the very outer ring of the connector (pushing it on a spring ever so slightly towards the more bulbous part) then with other hand pull the horn thing out. You can discard these, or I found they make nice hats for very small garden gnomes. Basically you can connect the red and white hoses now by pushing them with force into the connector until they snap. Pull back a little to make sure it is connected. If you need to cut extension hose cut it straight, and use the supplied double-sided connectors. I recommend you push the little blue horseshoe shaped clips (supplied) between that outer part of the connector and the more bulbous part. These (I think?) are to make sure the connectors can't shoot apart from water pressure. No mention in manual about these. You can leave them off, as I did at first, if the under side of your sink needs a good spraying out. Fourth tip: In order to connect the blue hose to the cold water line you need to first install some parts. My sink had a 3/8 inch stainless steel hose with female compression fitting attached to a male 3/8 compression fitting shutoff valve coming out of the wall. Pretty typical I would assume. The kit comes with a 1/2 inch plumbing style thread, male to female connector, with a hole to thread the valve the blue hose goes onto, in the middle. A way to tap into your cold water line, would be eazy peezy if it was threaded for 3/8 compression fittings, but it's half inch and has coarser plumbing style threads. So off to the Home Depot you go. Don't forget another roll of Teflon tape to add to your Teflon tape collection while you are there. Actually the folks at the Home Depot weren't that helpful (surprised?), but the small local hardware store in my old town was. You will need, as it turns out (if your sink is like mine) a 1/2 inch plumbing style male to 3/8 inch compression male adapter to connect your current hose leading to your cold faucet to this new part (btw thread the little supplied valve the kit came with into this part with a little teflon tape first so you can get it good and tight before you are lying on your back under the sink). Then on the other end you will need another short stainless hose (only way I can find to do this with available parts ... why it took three trips) 1/2 inch plumbing female, which attaches to other end of this new part, 3/8 compression female which connects to the part your faucet hose used to be connected to. These parts should run less than $15. Tip five : To connect the blue hose to the metal valve from the previous section you need to put it against the nipple, screw off the nut collar and slide it down the hose temporarily, then push it on the nipple all the way, and man it's a tight little bugger (I sprayed the nipple with a little Pam cooking spray, hey it was in the kitchen), then put that nut collar back on and tighten it down real tight with a half inch wrench. Why these filters don't come with a 3/8 inch compression fittings on each side of the filter box, so you can just screw your standard hoses on that you can get from any hardware store, is beyond me. There must be a reason. Maybe these filters are designed by the same folks who design those charming "blister packs" that you need a chainsaw to open? When I tested the water it was cloudy and tasted a little funny, it got better after I ran the tap for a while. Now it tastes pretty darn good. Even my cat likes it. Hopefully it will not develop leaks.
