Kinetico

Kinetico

 4.4/5 (193 reviews)
Kinetico
4.4(193)

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Overall Rating4.4 out of 5
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About Kinetico

Founded in 1970, Kinetico produces efficient, built-to-last water softener and reverse osmosis systems for your home. Kinetico’s water treatment systems are non-electric, low-maintenance and fully automatic. Water treatment systems can extend the life of your plumbing, appliances and clothes as well as improve water taste and quality. The company offers three water softeners and water drinking filtration systems. Customers can find Kinetico water treatment systems through local specialist partners, but the company does not sell directly to consumers.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Improves water taste and quality
  • Durable
  • Non-electric, powered by water
  • Three softener types

Cons

  • Must buy from local partners
  • No upfront prices

Bottom Line

Kinetico produces non-electric water softeners and filtration systems built for efficiency and durability. The company sells three softener series that range from $500 to $5,000 and include warranties.

Top Kinetico Reviews

Verified

I was convinced by my family member that Kinetico will be the best system to get. Setting up an appointment was fine and easy… I got a water filtration and softener product. The i...

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Verified

The house that we bought already had the Kinetico softener system in it… The installation was excellent… After we replaced that tank, our well pump died. So we had them out there ...

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How does a Kinetico water softener work?

Kinetico water softeners are salt-based and completely powered by moving water. These products help remove calcium and magnesium from your local tap water. Kinetico works with factory-certified, local specialists that offer consultation appointments and a free water test. These local dealers also handle the installation process.

Kinetico does not list prices on its website — you must contact a local retailer. The company sells three softeners: the Essential Series, Signature Series and Premium Series. The Signature and Premium series offer 24/7 soft water. Speak with your local specialist to determine the best softener for your home, budget and lifestyle.

Kinetico also sells water filtration systems, including reverse osmosis systems. These products are designed to ensure your water is safe to drink while removing bad smells and taste.

How much does a Kinetico water softener cost?

Kinetico offers three water softener series at three different price points, typically ranging from $500 to $5,000. The Essential Series is its most affordable model and offers limited water softening services. The Signature and Premium series offer 24/7 water softening and can handle harder water, higher capacity and other functions.

Exact prices are not available on the company’s website and are determined by local, third-party Kinetico dealers. Specialists offer in-home consultations and can provide a free water test to determine which water softener is right for your home and budget. Kinetico specialists are trained and perform installation services.

Kinetico FAQ

How long does a Kinetico water softener last?

Water softeners typically last between 10 and 15 years. Due to Kinetico’s higher quality, your water softener’s life span could extend to 20 or more years.

Do Kinetico water softeners need maintenance?

Kinetico water softeners are made to be low maintenance and use a non-electric design. Water softeners require new salt to be added periodically.

What kind of salt does the Kinetic water softener use?

Kinetico water softeners use evaporated salt, which can be bought in the form of pellets, cubes or blocks. Evaporated salt is the purest type of sodium chloride (table salt). Avoid using lesser-grade salts or rock salt because foreign particles can lead to maintenance and service issues.

Do Kinetico water softeners have a warranty?

Yes, Kinetico water softeners have product-specific warranties if they are installed by a Kinetico specialist. Warranties stay with the water softener and transfer to the next owner of your house.

Are Kinetico water softeners worth the money?

Kinetico water softeners are non-electric, built to last and made for efficiency. Kinetico softeners can use 70% less salt than other brands. The company partners with local specialists, which can make it difficult to determine the price of the softener and installation. If you’re looking for a high-quality, low-maintenance water softener or filtration system, however, Kinetico is a strong option.

Kinetico Reviews

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Page 1 Reviews 0 - 5
Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
Original review: May 6, 2023

We bought our home in a rural area and so it was extremely yellow coming out, leaving deposits of sand. It was extremely hard water. So we wanted to get rid of the hard water elements for our bathing and regular use. We also wanted the K5 water softener system for our drinking water. The Kinetico representative came out and did the water test from the kitchen sink. Then he showed us what the amount was and told us what the allowable amount should be of contaminants in there and they were extremely high. He told us about the different systems. He didn't try to upsell us anything but he just said, "These are the different systems. This is what I think would work best for you." Then he explained to us about the additional tank.

Kinetico went over the work order from the first gentleman, and they made sure it was all correct. Then they started doing the install. They did their work while I worked here at home without bothering them. At the end of it, they explained the whole system, how to turn it off if we needed to, and checking the salt on it. He also explained how the water system worked inside and what we needed to do to replace the filters for the K5 system.

They said that we wouldn't need to add additional salt once we got it to the right level for about six months. But it got to a point where I had to call for somebody to come out here and check the system because I was adding 3 to 4 bags every three weeks. They came out and said that the system was set on too high a level, so they dropped it a little bit. It hasn't been six months from that, and I've still had to add salt more frequently than I expected.

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: March 14, 2023

    I researched the most recommended system out there and I found a lot of reviews and specific stuff that only the Kinetico system has, like how you save salt with them. They don't use as much salt. They only use kinetic energy. It seemed like a more quality system than the other ones that I saw. Customer service was okay. The only thing is their model of selling. It started with an outrageous amount and a lot of things had to go by for the rep to drop the price. I was able to buy the system but I would have preferred a straight-up, low, nice, and approachable price. That’s one thing to consider from the beginning without having to have the hassle of negotiating like that.

    That aside, all my soaps, shampoos, and everything last longer. My skin is a little bit softer. When you wash dishes, you can tell that the water is not as hard as before. My wife also says that she notices that her hair is way better and much softer. When it comes to the upkeep, I had to do salt every two months and did the maintenance.

    Kinetico is expensive because you have to buy Kinetico parts for maintenance. That's disappointing that they make the customer come back and they will make money out of that. That sucks. I get the filters. They charged me $250 to change the filter, which is crazy. But my local dealership of Kinetico is the only one that carries them. There's no way for me to buy it somewhere so I can just do it myself. Also, Kinetico tries to sell me the salt and at an outrageous price. I just do it myself. On the whole, Kinetico is a better system and I still recommend it. I’d just tell people, “Hey, just keep in mind that it's gonna be expensive to maintain and you have to do all the maintenance and all that."

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: Dec. 30, 2022

    We were pleased with the Kinetico system. We had a very nice person that installed it for us and was helpful. The initial testing and appointment with the man that came to our home was very informative and helpful too. We are amazed at this wonderful water. We're so thankful and it's going fine. We're able to buy the salt not too far away from us because from where we live to get down to Grabill is easy. We're doing good with it.

    One time, I called Kinetico's office. This was some time ago after we first got our water system. From time to time, we would take a sip of it, but we just didn't know if there was a certain threshold of a certain amount of the numbers. Are you allowed to just serve it as drinking water or not? What is the safe thing to do? We don't have one of the special water purifiers. I know Kinetico sells that system that you could attach underneath your sink. So, ours comes right from the ground through those big black tanks, and it comes right out our faucet that way. Inside of the salt tank, it has a label and it has different numbers and things and that's probably what Kinetico would want to know in order to give us the best advice.

    Our well water was very rusty. So, it's just a joy. I walk into the kitchen sink and I don't have to see stains all over the sink or in the toilet. And the thing that was something I had to do before so much was the shower. And we found a product called Lime OUT, which is a chemical, so you'd have to put it all on the tub. And that worked well, but that's quite an expense in itself just to keep doing that, and having to be around the chemicals. Now, I just walk in the bathroom and it's beautiful and shining. The sinks and our dishes are good, too. Now, I don't have brown rings on the bottom of cups.

    For all the years that we were living here at this house with just having the rusty water, we never had a washing machine hooked up. So, every week, I go to the laundromat and do our wash. So, not long ago, my husband brought me a machine. So, he's going to be hook that up soon and I can hardly wait to do the laundry because I know it won't get rusty clothes and it will be great. The system seems to be operating so well. It's a life changer.

    Kinetico response

    Hi Laurie,

    Thank you for sharing your Kinetico story. We're happy to hear you have had a positive experience with one of our water systems. If you ever need help, please let us know. You can reach us at customersupport@kinetico.com or 800.944.9283.

    Thanks again,

    The Kinetico Team

    2 people found this review helpful
    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: Dec. 28, 2022

    I got my Kinetico system from American Water Care and Jill, the woman I worked with, was amazing. She knew the system. She was friendly, knowledgeable of the product and didn't do like this tacky sales pitch. She just trains you on what the water system did, how it worked, and what the benefits were. I felt super confident after talking to her. She told me why Kinetico is the best, and it is the best.

    In Wimberley, the water hardness is like the highest in most areas, and with the system, we notice a difference in our hair, the showers, and the dishwasher. It's a whole change of everything. It's nice that the water that goes through the fridge goes through a filter first. Even though the fridges have filters, those don't do anything for the water. So, the Kinetico is incredible.

    Customer service is a big deal to me. Great customer service was what I received, and they've got knowledgeable customer service reps, and that really stands out. The system is incredible because it handles extremely hard water. It works great. It's been about a year and it's still working extremely well. We have to add salt and stuff, but it's amazing for drinking and for the whole house system. The cool thing is the water tastes so much better. The cost of the system, in the beginning, was a lot but in the long term, you end up saving because you're not buying bottled water. Bottled water doesn't even taste that good because it's been sitting in a plastic container in heat and cold. So the Kinetico was definitely worth the investment. It's really nice to have a system that really works. I've had systems that don't. I'd recommend Kinetico to anyone.

    2 people found this review helpful
    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: July 18, 2022

    I looked at Kinetico, went to the home show, walked up to a guy and said, "Hey, I've done my research, I want you to install a system. This is gonna be the easiest sale ever. Ours is 20 years old. It's gotta go. Drinking water system softener." He said, "I will call you," he showed up and it has been good. The water quality is good. I've just been noticing our shower heads are getting scaly. Against my better judgment, he said, "I don't think we need to do a water test because I just did one down the road about five miles." But there's something going on and it needs a tweak to run it a little more often per gallon. And our water was different. I was about to get on the app and shoot him a message to see if he could come out and test my water because we never tested it just to see if I'm a little harder than what was preset on the unit and get that dialed in.

    I like that we don't have to think about our system. It's easy to use. It just does its own thing. I like that it runs whenever it needs to run and we've got the dual tank so it can run during the day and we still get processed water out of the other tank. All I have to do is add salt whenever I needed it. I wish my system was even smarter and it had a connection to the app right from my system so that I could see how it's doing. But maybe that's the next version of the system, meaning it's got a WiFi connection that connects to my home, and I could see how everything is doing versus have to manually look. The next advancement in my drinking water house softener system would be to make it "smart" where it could say, "Here's my drinking water filters, their remaining life, my softener status, and when it's running."

    It would be cool for the guy that installed it to get alerts from the system versus from me. Because my furnace and air conditioner have that. If there's a problem, it sends the company that installed it a notification about what's going on, and they call me and say, "Hey, this is going on. Can we come out and take a look?" versus me going, "I didn't even know that." Because he installed drinking water, reverse osmosis, and the softener. If Kinetico could go to that next leap and monitor that for me or for itself, that would be cool.

    Kinetico response

    Hi Eric,

    We appreciate this feed back. Kinetico's claim to fame is non-electric products. It's difficult for you or the dealer to be notified of the product's performance.

    Kinetico is making advanced in the IoT arena and Connected Products. We do have a line of electric products that connect to an App. We have the salt monitor, which is non-electric that communicates with the app with the customer. The electric softeners connect with an app and also our leak detection system.

    Stay tuned!

    4 people found this review helpful
    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: May 24, 2023

    The reps were friendly, knowledgeable and took the time to answer all my questions. Ever since we've had Kinetico, we've had clean, soft water, and it resolved our issue with the high arsenic in our water. It's been great. My pipes even froze up during the winter, and Kinetico was quick to help me out and get it resolved. I can see it might be a little pricey once my warranty expires, but I'll cross that bridge when the time comes.

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: May 23, 2023

    We've probably had the Kinetico system close to a year now and it's been working great. We use it for our drinking water and for making ice in the freezer. We have a water spout on the freezer door that we also use, which is the outer water. We wanted reverse osmosis water to get all the rest of the dissolved solids out of the water.

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: May 23, 2023

    Kinetico's rep was knowledgeable and the installers did a good job. Since we started using the system, the quality of the water has been good, so far. But we had the reverse osmosis system put in as well, and after setting it up, they could have they had given a little bit of an overview of how some of the stuff works. There was an issue and I had to make a service call. It turned out that there's a safety mechanism built into it where it'll turn off if this piece of cotton gets wet. It was kind of a weird thing, but if they just told me about that, I would have figured it out and wouldn't have had to make a call. So, some training on some of the mechanisms of the reverse osmosis from the technicians after they installed it would be nice. Other than that, Kinetico is a little bit more expensive than other systems I've had before in my previous houses, but the convenience of being able to put it anywhere without having to worry about running electricity tips the scale.

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: May 9, 2023

    I had gone with Kinetico on my second house and I liked them. Kinetico was at a home show and that's where I talked to them. I had them again in this new house. Everything was fine. The installation went well. They missed the water loop and I didn't realize it until my next door neighbor told me there was one. It wasn't their fault nor was it mine. They did a different way to route the system installation. The water works. If they did it, they did it and it's done. It's just that we didn't realize that behind the stationary tub was the water loop. No one tells you these things when you buy a house. On the whole, I would definitely recommend Kinetico. They're still friendly to me when I see them at the home show, so they must like me too.

    Kinetico response

    Katie, it is never our intent to be a one and done company or disappear after the sale. We want to be your partner in better water for life.

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    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: May 8, 2023

    I live in a condominium building, so where I needed to put my water softener, I didn't really have an electrical connection. Kinetico was perfect because this runs on water power. I had both a Kinetico water softener and also a drinking water filter put in. The installation was easy and really good. The guys were really professional and made a really nice-looking installation. The system's maintenance-free. I don't have to do anything to the one that's under the drinking water. Each month the local Kinetico dealer has a 20% off sale on salt. I just buy a bag of salt, and drop it in. They'll even deliver it for you if you want them to. One of the benefits of Kinetico is that when you're not using water, it doesn't use any salt. It's an amazing softener. Since having the system, there's a different feel to the water.

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    Kinetico Company Information

    Social media:
    Company Name:
    Kinetico
    Company Type:
    Private
    Address:
    10845 Kinsman Road
    State/Province:
    OH
    Postal Code:
    44065
    Country:
    United States
    Website:
    www.kinetico.com

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