The top water ionizers quickly and efficiently increase the alkaline pH of your water, but that’s not the only feature you should look for in a high-quality water filtration machine and alkalizer. We looked at Enagic Kangen Leveluk K8, Tyent Alkaline H2, and Tyent ACE-13 water ionizers to compare their features.
These water ionizers have a long list of features and cool options that make them extremely popular for customers who want alkaline water at home.
About Kangen (Enagic)
Enagic is a huge competitor in the water ionizer market. Their Kangen brand of water ionizers is known simply by the name “kangen water” in many circles because of its high alkalinity and healing benefits. In fact, providing kangen and super kangen alkaline water is their main marketing message.
The Kangen Leveluk K8 is a high-end water ionizer with 8 electrode plates and a super-smart interface with LCD touch-screen. It’s their most innovative water ionizer to date, and it also provides a higher negative oxidation-reduction potential at -850 mV. We’ll go into more details about why this matters, as well as some tips about purchasing from this brand.
About Tyent USA
We wanted to compare Enagic Kangen water ionizers to the most top-rated brand in alkaline water machines. Tyent is a USA-based brand started by Joe Boccuti and his family. The innovator created the first custom-built water ionizer with a local team of engineers, which has continued to innovate the industry.
Tyent Alkaline H2 is an above-counter hybrid water ionizer. It’s completely automatic and features an intelligent CPU for advanced water purification. The best part is that Tyent water ionizers also come with dual filtration, which is typically not included with other countertop water ionizer models.
The Tyent ACE-13 is another high-end above-counter model from the USA brand. It also features a smart LCD touch screen menu and convenient custom presets so you can customize water by acidity, alkalinity or ORP.
Best Water Ionizer Review: Kangen Leveluk K8 vs Tyent H2 Hybrid vs Tyent ACE-13
We took a deeper look at each one of these systems, reviewing their overall water quality and alkalinity customization features. In our testing, we uncovered a few issues as well as some great-tasting water from all brands. Which one provides the best alkaline water and experience overall? Here’s what we thought:
Leveluk K8
The Kangen Leveluk K8 is the latest water ionizer from Enagic. Finally, a new model! Enagic is notorious for promoting the same water ionizers from 5 to 8 years ago, so it’s great to see their team come out with a brand new design that has smart features.
The Leveluk models feature the latest designs and smart features, and the K8 is their most top-rated above-counter water ionizer. We checked the water purity and alkalinity levels first, and our findings were consistent with other Kangen water ionizers in the past.
With some smart upgrades and a new design, we felt the K8 may just be the same old water ionizer in a brand new packaging. Here is a deeper look at the Leveluk K8.
Commentary and Features
The K8 or Kangen 8 has 8 platinum-dipped titanium plates for a higher range of pH water. In addition, the new design is an all-white, compact, lightweight model. A full-color LCD panel lets you select different pH levels.
Enagic Kangen water ionizers are famous for only providing five water types to select from. This is a little troublesome if you want a specific level of pH such as 8.2, but the provided water types make it easy to select and dispense.
The K8 also has voice prompts and speaks in 8 different languages. It’s pretty pleasant to get filter reminders with these voice prompts as well.
With a self-cleaning feature and touch-screen menu, the K8 is pretty smart and makes it quick to select the type of water you want. While it’s awesome that Enagic has found which water types are most desired by customers, we wish for more customization and custom preset capabilities.
The water quality test was also not up to par with competitors. With only a single filter, the K8 only reduces about 96% of all contaminants. However, the water taste and clarity was pretty close to perfect.
What We Liked
Everything about the exterior design of this K8 is appealing to someone with a high-end kitchen. The casing is sleek and white with a smartphone-like LCD touch screen. We also like that it contains 8 platinum-coated titanium plates. This is an update for the Leveluk line, which previously only had 7 plates.
With additional plates, we noticed the water ionized faster and the flow rate increased, dispensing alkaline or acidic water rapidly after selection.
Additionally, it’s pretty easy to install. You only need to plug it in and select your desired water type to start dispensing. Some of the other features we liked include automatic cleaning, energy efficiency shut off, and smart filter technology.
What We Don’t Like
Kangen water ionizers all have the same features. While the K8 does have more plates, it doesn’t equal higher water purification or custom pH levels like with the Tyent ACE-13 or H2. For that reason, the higher price tag doesn’t make sense.
We also found some disturbing reviews about this brand when researching customer experiences and support. We really hope that Enagic offers better warranty support and helps customers when their water ionizers break down unexpectedly.
Tyent H2 Hybrid
When looking at water ionizers, inevitably you will come across the highly rated Tyent H2 Hybrid. It’s the latest model from the USA water ionization brand, and it’s quite magnificent. The beauty of this water ionizer is within the high amount of electrode plates and dual filtration technology.
Commentary and Features
The best part of this H2 Hybrid is the water purity. We tested the water and found that it removes 99.9% of contaminants, including chlorine, chloramine, arsenic, lead, cysts, bacteria, VOCs, and chromium.
Not only does the H2 Hybrid create better-tasting filtered water, but you can customize the alkaline or acidic pH levels with a tap on the smart screen. The H2 also has Twin Cell Technology, which includes an electrolysis chamber and hydrogen cell.
The H2 Hybrid also includes a carbon filter and TM-ceramic filter. This multi-stage filtration also doesn’t require a synthetic resin binder. This is a fully automatic system with a CPU that allows for advanced water ionization.
You can produce 9 different levels of alkaline water, as well as neutral hydrogen-enriched water. The automatic fixed quantity water flow makes it easy to get the perfect glass of water.
What We Liked
Everything is so smart with this H2 Hybrid. The stainless steel casing and touch LCD display make it a sleek addition to any kitchen. It has an automatic cleaning function and an automatic water shut-off function.
Dual filtration removes all toxins down to .01 micron. The upgraded turbo mode with hydrogen booster also ensures that you get more antioxidants in your water. With boost technology and more hybrid plates, you’ll get incredible clean, fresh water.
A jog dial control with molecular hydrogen water button also makes it quick and easy to customize the alkalinity and hydrogen level in your water. The one-touch preset function also makes it easy for you to select the right pH for the exact results you want.
We found the water clarity and taste to be exceptionally smooth and fresh with the H2 Hyrbid. Along with superb, smart operation and color-backlight touch screen, it truly is one of the smartest water filters and ionizers we’ve tested.
What Could Be Better
You will need to buy replacement filters from Tyent. These are specially made and have a bit of a higher cost. However, it’s worth it to get pure, alkaline water at home. You also may not have to change filters as much depending on how much you use the ionizer.
How Tyent H2 Hybrid compares to the Leveluk K8
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Customers felt the way we did about the Leveluk K8. It’s a new look with the same features, except for the LCD touch screen. Tyent offers a few more features, including more custom pH levels and a custom hydrogen boost. It’s also a bit easier to operate even though the K8 is an improvement from the Leveluk SD501.
The water quality is the major difference between these two. You’ll get 99.9% pure water from Tyent, whereas with the K8, it only achieves 96% purity.
Tyent ACE-13
In addition to the H2 Hybrid, we wanted to test the Tyent ACE-13 against the Leveluk K8. This is a popular model, but it’s not as updated as the H2 Hybrid. Most customers consider the ACE-13 to the best ionizer because of its multi-stage filtration and high pH range. You can customize your water from 1.7 to 12.0 pH.
This is also one of the innovative countertop water ionizers that come with 13 titanium solid-mesh hybrid plates and a high flow rate, producing half a gallon per minute.
Commentary Features
The difference between the H2 Hybrid and the ACE-13 is the hydrogen water generation. The ACE-13 doesn’t have a hydrogen booster. It’s a newer model that has a motion proximity sensor and water quality selection, however.
You can set up alkaline and acidic water presets just with a touch of the screen. In addition, you can customize the max ORP, which goes down to -1050 mV.
The ACE-13 has a self-cleaning feature and a flood-prevention sensor. With both of these activated, it’s easy to protect your system from dirt and rust.
As an above counter ionizer, you also want a machine that’s going to be lightweight and easy to set up. The ACE-13 has an SMP Plus power source and instantly starts working after you plug it in. With the 75-day trial period, customers have a lot of time to return the unit and get their money back for whatever reason.
What We Liked
This water ionizer is not the latest model, but it’s still very new and elegantly designed. The stainless steel aesthetic goes with most appliances in modern kitchens. It’s also quite innovative and eco-friendly, thanks to its motion proximity sensor. This sensor allows you to get pristine alkaline water with just a wave of your hand.
There are 13 electrode plates for a very high pH range to select from. If you like having different presets, you’ll be able to customize acidic and alkaline levels just with a few taps on the touch screen.
However, the real benefit of this Tyent ACE-13 water ionizer is that the dual filters can remove contaminants between .05 microns and 5 microns. It’s extremely powerful for getting rid of lead, chlorine, chloramine, sediment, rust, chromium, arsenic, and many other contaminants.
What Could Be Better
While the warranty is amazing for this product with lifetime coverage, you won’t get any help if you’re located outside of the United States. We expect Tyent to fix this problem soon if they expand farther into EU markets, but currently this product is best for US households.
How Tyent ACE-13 compares to the Leveluk K8
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The ACE-13 is also a little bit easier to operate than the Kangen K8. One of the main problems of the K8 is that it doesn’t have the same electrode plates or filtration capabilities as Tyent water ionizers.
While the K8 does have a self-cleaning function, there aren’t as many features and functions as with the Tyent ACE-13. You’ll get the most filtration, higher water purification, and more custom presets to set your alkalinity levels exactly the way you want.
Here’s Why We Strongly Recommend Tyent Water Ionizers over Enagic Kangen Machines
After researching both of these water ionizer brands, we found some strange comments from customers who purchased Enagic Kangen K8 water ionizers. Enagic seems to be a multi-level marketing company that uses independent dealers around the world to sell water ionizers. The issue is that some customers weren’t able to get customer support or even have their warranties honored because they purchased through independent dealers.
We hope that this only happened to a few customers, but there also seemed to be another problem with customer support. Even though it’s available for all customers, some reported issues with getting service, especially if the independent dealer closed.
Smart Features
The Leveluk K8 has a new touch screen LCD that looks just like a smart screen, but it’s not exactly innovative. Tyent offers motion sensor operation and custom presets. The Tyent H2 Hybrid also has a hydrogen boost feature that increases antioxidants as well.
Ease of Use
We love how easy it is to operate the Tyent water ionizers. Even with the ACE-13, the touch screen and jog dial make it quick to select the exact pH level. With Kangen, you can only select one of five different water types. This means if you want a specific alkaline pH, you won’t be able to select it with the K8. Tyent makes sure that you have multiple options when it comes to pH range.
Easy Setup
The setup is easy with countertop water ionizers. However, the sleek design and lightweight construction of Tyent’s water ionizers make them fit anywhere on your kitchen counter. The ACE-13 also has a swiveling spout, and you can install on either side of your sink.
Excellent Product Support and Warranty
This is a huge benefit of purchasing Tyent’s water ionizer. Every model comes with a lifetime warranty that covers all repairs and replacements. If you have any issues, it’s easy to get in touch with their customer support. We think customers get a lot more value out of Tyent because of this additional support.
Filtration and Water Purity
Filtration should be built into any water ionizer. Why drink alkaline water that isn’t pure? The Enagic K8 only has one-step filtration. This means that water isn’t exactly pure. In fact, you’ll only get about 96% purified results. You ideally want 99% pure drinking water, which Tyent provides.
Dual filtration is difficult to find in most water ionizers, which focus on more electrode plates rather than filters. Tyent includes carbon block and ceramic filters in their water ionizers, leading to a 99.9% pure result. These filters are able to remove chlorine, chloramine, arsenic, lead, chromium, and many other toxins.
Water Ionizer Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between water ionizers and water filters?
Water ionizers have electrode plates that change the pH of the water to be more acidic or alkaline. Water filters don’t typically have electrode plates. Instead, they’ll have multiple filters, including a sediment filter, carbon activated filter, reverse osmosis membrane, and ceramic filters.
It’s rare to find water ionizers with filters as well. You ideally want 2 or more filtration steps for extra pure, clear water.
How do you clean water ionizers?
Water ionizers have self-cleaning modes that can clean the inside of the unit easily without you having to do anything. You may also want to use a microfiber cloth and rubbing alcohol to clean out your water ionizer.
How do water ionizers work?
It depends on the number of electrode plates. As water passes through ionization, it goes through the process of electrolysis, changing the pH to be more acidic or alkaline.
If the water ionizer has filters like a Tyent water machine, then your water will also pass through multiple filters before being dispensed. This reduces the contaminants by 99.9% just through dual filtration.
What’s the difference between the Enagic K8 and the Leveluk SD501?
The Kangen K8 is the newest water ionizer from Enagic. It includes a new sleek casing and touch screen display that looks like a smartphone. However, it also has one more plate than the Leveluk SD501. With 8 electrode plates, the K8 can generate even greater pH levels, though it has the same five types of alkaline and acid water to choose from. Besides the touch screen display and extra electrode plate, the K8 is not that much different in value than the SD501.