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Jupiter Melody Water Ionizer

The Jupiter Melody retails for $1249. It was released to the US market four years ago. It is a five electrode water ionizer connected to five titanium plates, that are coated with platinum (or platinized). The Jupiter Melody runs on 120 watts in a standard transformer-based electrical system. Customers have the choice between a .1 micron and .01 micron "Biostone" filter, .01 is an upgrade. The Jupiter Melody uses a color changing LCD screen, has built in flow control, and it comes with a two year warranty.

The Jupiter Melody Water Ionizer is built by Jupiter Science (aka Dong Yang) a Korean company established in 1982. They have 20 different patents and distribute to 30 different countries. Their international distributor is Royal Water. The US distributor for the Jupiter Melody is IonLife. They also own Alkablue. The filters in the Jupiter water ionizers are deemed "Biostone" because they contain a raw material called Tourmaline. Tourmaline is believed to generate negative ions once it comes in contact with water and also create natural FIR. IonLife claims that this makes the water "wetter" and acts like a "supercharger."

Comparing to the KYK Harmony:

Instead of a transformer based electrical system like the Jupiter Melody, KYK Co. has developed the SMPS electrical system. It is the first electrical system in the US to adjust ionization directly to the input water without the use of a transformer, for the purpose of reducing heat and creating accurate pH. Please read our product page to learn more. Secondly, the Jupiter Melody uses five standard sized platinized titanium plates. The KYK Harmony also uses five platinized titanium plates, but they are larger, measuring 20 cm by 7 cm each, and are also thicker. For your reference, KYK Harmony water was measured at 54 hz using a nuclear reasonance machine, which takes a 3-D picture of water molecules.

Comparing Bells and Whistles:

The KYK Harmony has a color changing LCD screen. The color it displays is the color of the pH you've selected. The Jupiter Melody's screen is also color changing but it does not display pH or ORP.

The KYK Harmony measures the pH and the ORP of the water, so you are able to customize the water you are creating to suit your needs, to as many as 64 levels. The Jupiter Melody has 9 levels of pH to choose from.

Both the Jupiter Melody and the KYK Harmony come with a built in mineral port for forced dissolution of minerals. However, you are very unlikely to need to dissolve minerals into your water to help with ionization because US water is usually very rich in alkaine minerals like calcium and magnesium. These mineral ports are not used for the purpose of supplementing your current diet with minerals, only for creating soluable minerals to aid in ionization.

Filtration:

The standard Jupiter Biostone filter is a four stage filter -- activated carbon, non-coral calcium, woven fabric, and tourmaline. It is available in .1 micron (standard) and the .01 micron (upgrade) is nine stages.

The KYK Harmony filter is a seven stage .01 micron filter -- it starts with an antimicrobrial felt used for sediment filtration, then calcium sulphite, then silver activated carbon, then another antimicrobrial felt, then amberite activated carbon, microfibers, and finally a third antimicrobrial felt.

Cleaning Systems:

Both the KYK have automatic cleaning systems. The Jupiter Melody's automatic cleaning system turns on after each use of the water ionizer, for about five seconds, so it is constantly cleaning itself. The KYK Harmony's automatic cleaning system turns on about once every twelve hours and runs for thirty seconds. Both systems keeps the plates mostly free from mineral build up but it is a good idea to run a few capfuls of white vinegar through your mineral port once every six months for an extra good cleaning.

What's in the box:

The KYK Harmony and the Jupiter Melody are both shipped with pH regeant kits for the purpose of measuring the ionized water produced to verify the water is being properly ionized. The KYK Harmony also comes with a chlorine test kit to verify that all the chlorine is being removed from your tap water. Both units also come with a faucet diverter valve for the purpose of attaching the input tube of your water ionizer to your faucet head for easy installation. The KYK Harmony also comes standard with an undersink diverter valve to enable you to attach your unit to the cold water supply underneathe your sink, thus freeing up your faucet head. Both units have available undersink kits for those customers wishing to install their unit under their sink.

Kangen Water Ionizer

The Kangen Water SD 501 is maufactured by Enagic, a Japanese company. Their international distributor is LevelLuk. The SD 501 retails for $3980. It is a seven platinized-titanium plate system with standard (transformer based) electrical system. It runs on 230 W, the KYK Harmony runs on 200 W. This machine is more commonly known as the Kangen water machine. "Kangen" is a Japanese word meaning "return to origin." There is nothing different between Kangen water and ionized water or "electrolyzed" water or even "micro clustered" or "reduced" water. All of these marketing terms describe the same thing.

Enagic has been known to say that only its machine can produce water with a negative ORP of -250 to -800, which makes it Kangen water. This is totally untrue. The KYK Harmony can produce water between a -250 and -800 range, just like Jupiter Water Ionizers, , Life Ionizers ... and many others.

Enagic also says that they've been around for 30 years and are the only company approved by the Japanese Health Ministry as a medical device. Not true. Enagic hasn't been around that long as Enagic. They've been versions of Toyo Metal before, maybe this spans back 30 years. Also, the KYK Harmony and Jupiter water ionizers are approved as medical devices by the KFDA and Japanese Health Ministry. Enagic certainly isn't the only one.

With those important points out of the way, let's examine the differences between the KYK Harmony and SD 501. First, the SD-501 uses seven platinized titanium plates, while the KYK Harmony uses five. This means that the SD-501 is a slightly stronger water ionizer than the KYK Harmony. When we tested the SD-501 side by side with the KYK Harmony, the SD-501 created a 9.5 pH and a -849 ORP out of Rockville, MD municipal water. The KYK Harmony created a 10pH -777 ORP out of the same water. So there isn't much difference in performance.

The SD 501 does have an enhanced strong acid function. First it reduces the water flow to .6 liters a minute and then adds saline solution to the water to increase the electrolysis (salt conducts electricity). Exposing the titanium plates to salt will surely corrode them faster. They do mention an "industry best cleaning system" but the details of this system were not included on their Enagic USA website. While the KYK Harmony does not have this saline solution option, it can make acid water around a 3.0-4.0 pH depending on your water, and you can lower this pH by simply adding a spoonful of powdered citric acid to your water, available cheap in bulk on Ebay.

The Enagic SD-501 Kangen Water Ionizer also does nothing to solve the problem of inconsistent water like both the KYK Harmony and Jupiter Aquarius/Orion do. This means that they use a transformer based electrical system that cannot adjust its ionization like the KYK Harmony, and they don't have any system to control the water flow. So, you are going to get different water each time you turn it on because your tap water is constantly changing. It may be a 9.3 one day, a 9.8 the next ... etc.

Bells and Whistles:

For being such a powerful water ionizer, the Enagic Kangen SD-501 is quite short on features. In fact, the Enagic Kangen SD-501 water ionizer only offers six different pH levels water to choose from. Compare that to as many as sixty four levels with the KYK Harmony. It also does not offer pH and ORP measurement, its LCD screen is not colored, and it only comes with one type of installation method to your faucet (KYK gives you an undersink option as well). It also doesn't offer a water flow control valve like the KYK Harmony -- you have to do it all with your faucet! It does offer voice alert, which may or may not be good depending on your personal taste.

Filtration:

There is no information on the Enagic USA website about the filter they use. We assume it is an activated carbon filter like KYK, Jupiter, Life Ionizers, and Aquablue use. It is most likely a .1 or .01 micron filter. We don't know if it adds calcium. It is very surprising that they don't include this information. Problems with the Enagic business structure:

The reason why the Enagic SD 501 is such an expensive water ionizer is not because it uses better materials, or more materials, or the technicians that make it are more qualified, or more certified, or the business is more established -- none of that. It is only because Enagic has decided to market the SD 501 as an MLM company. This means that there are eight different levels of dealers between manufacturer and consumer, and each level has to get paid.

Alkablue Water Ionizer

The Alkablue Water Ionizer VF (variable flow) is the top of the line model from Alkablue. It retails for around $850. It is a five standard sized platinum-titanium plate system with a standard, transformer based, electrical system. The Alkablue VF is designed by the Water Research Center of Japan and the Hanseo University in Korea, and is owned by Jupiter. Therefore, it is similar to the Jupiter Melody. This product is still getting certified -- it does not have UL certification yet.

The VF in the Alkablue Water Ionizer VF name refers to "variable flow" meaning that they have built in a water flow control knob on the front of the machine, like the Jupiter Melody. This works well with the installation method provided with the unit -- it attaches straight to your cold water supply under your sink instead of your faucet head. It is unknown whether Alkablue also offers direct to the faucet installation. The KYK Harmony provides both, standard.

Alkablue water ionizers tout the use of 1/4 inch water supply lines, like the KYK Harmony, and most Jupiter products. This makes for cleaner looking installation. Most new water ionizers use 1/4 tubing. As far as ionization, the Alkablue VF offers nine levels of pH to choose from, push button selection. The pH range is between 4 and 10. It does not automatically measure pH or ORP, like the KYK Harmony.

Bells and Whistles:

The Alkablue VF offers a "percolation port" where you can add coral calcium for enhanced ionization. The KYK Harmony features a similar mineral port, so does the Jupiter Melody and Aquarius. The Alkablue also has warning lights built in for hot water and low water pressure and has a small black and white LED screen to display the filter life and other simple messages. It also uses voice prompting to let you know you're changing pH levels. The Alkablue VF also has an automatic cleaning system that turns on every 12 hours or so, like the KYK Harmony.

Filtration:

The Alkablue VF uses a .03 micron activated carbon filter. They call it an "ultra filter" but it doesn't match the multi stage .01 micron filters of the KYK Harmony and other Jupiter products. The Alkablue has a digital filter life indicator that is timer based. It does not measure the actual liters of water produced like the KYK Harmony.

Jupiter Aquarius Water Ionizer

The Jupiter Aquarius and Jupiter Orion were released last year. They retail for $1499. They are five electrode and platinized titanium plate systems with standard, transformer based, electrical systems. They are the newest water ionizers from Jupiter and are their top of the line models. There is no difference on the inside between the Jupiter Aquarius and the Jupiter Orion, only in their shells. The Jupiter Aquarius is a dark red and silver machine while the Jupiter Orion has a stainless steel look.

The Jupiter Aquarius and Orion offer some advantages over their previous top-of-the-line model the Jupiter Melody, besides styling. For one, they have included a patented SOL valve and a triple diaphram system that adjusts the water automatically. Because they still use a transformer-based electrical system, they can't adjust the electrolysis to the water like the KYK Harmony's SMPS electrical system. So, instead they have created a system that adjusts the water to the electrolysis, yeilding a similar effect of creating more consistent water.

An other advantage of the Jupiter Aquarius/Orion is that they are now using a super fine mesh with peaks and valleys to cover their titanium-platinum plates. These plates are still the same size as the Jupiter Melody, but the mesh increases the surface area, thus increasing the ionization. The plates in the KYK Harmony are still double-sized and thicker in comparison.

The Jupiter Aquarius/Orion also boast a DARC cleaning system (double action reverse cleaning). They claim that this will completely remove any scale built up on the titanium plates, however there isn't any explanation as to how long it lasts, how often it it runs, etc. Contact Ion Life for more information on this. In comparison, the acid-wash cleaning system of the KYK Harmony runs super acidic water over the plates for 30 seconds every twelve hours, and is a tried and tested way of keeping plates clean.

Jupiter has also upgraded to a MICOM system for better ionization, like the KYK Harmony.

Comparing Bells and Whistles:

Besides the upgrade in styling, Jupiter is now also incorporating a colored LCD screen like the KYK Harmony. They have a new light installed that will flicker when its time to change the filter. Their filter life indicator still uses a timer based system instead of measuring the actual liters ionized like the KYK Harmony. The Jupiter Aquarius and Jupiter Orion still don't measure the pH or the ORP of the water like the KYK Harmony. Jupiter Aquarius and Jupiter Orion have nine pH levels to choose from while the KYK Harmony has as many as 64.

Filtration: