Quick answer: Both are gravity-fed countertop water filters with no plumbing and no power. The Water Machine is all glass, holds 3 gallons, sells for $349.99 and runs two black carbon filters rated 6,000 gallons per pair. The BOROUX 3-Gallon, the Legacy, is 304 stainless steel, holds 3 gallons, sells for $399 with two Foundation filters rated up to 12 months per pair, and is WQA certified to NSF/ANSI 42, 401 and 372. Choose glass if you want to see your water and keep it out of metal. Choose stainless if the counter takes knocks or a certification mark matters to you.
Two chambers, two materials
A gravity filter is two chambers stacked up. You fill the top, water drips through filter elements into the bottom, and a spigot draws it off. Nothing is plumbed in and nothing is pressurized. The Water Machine makes both chambers from glass with a stainless steel spigot; BOROUX makes both from 304 stainless steel. That one choice drives most of the differences below. For the glass side in depth, read our guide to the all-glass gravity water filter.
Side by side
Figures are from each brand's own website, read on November 7, 2026. Filter life on every gravity filter depends on the water going in.
| The Water Machine | BOROUX 3-Gallon (Legacy) | |
| Chambers | Glass, upper and lower | 304 stainless steel |
| Capacity | 3 gallons | 3 gallons |
| Size | 27 in tall, 9 in across | 23 in tall, 9 in across |
| Filters included | 2 black carbon | 2 Foundation filters; 4 optional |
| Rated filter life | 6,000 gallons per pair | Up to 12 months per pair; up to 24 months with 4 |
| Third-party testing | SGS laboratory report, 2026; not NSF certified | WQA certified to NSF/ANSI 42, 401 and 372 |
| Price | $349.99 (regular $399.99) | $399 with 2 filters; $499 with 4 |
| Replacement filters | $84.99 per pair | $159 per set of 2 |
| Shipping | Free to all 50 states, from the maker | Free US shipping over $60 |
| Returns | Final sale; damaged on arrival replaced at no cost | 60-day satisfaction guarantee |
| Warranty | not stated | Lifetime on the stainless chambers |
Where glass wins
You can see the water. The fill level, the drip and any sediment are visible, so you know when to refill and when the filters are slowing down without lifting a lid.
Nothing to pit, nothing to taste. Glass does not react with anything in the water and does not hold flavor or odor. The chambers rinse clean with soap and water.
Where stainless wins
It survives a knock. A stainless chamber dents; a glass one does not. With children running past the counter, that matters.
A certification mark. BOROUX's Foundation filters carry WQA certification to NSF/ANSI 42, 401 and 372. The Water Machine's filters have a third-party SGS test report, which is lab testing rather than a certification.
Room for four filters. The Legacy takes four elements for faster flow in a bigger household.
Filter cost over time
The systems cost about the same up front, so the filters decide the rest. The Water Machine rates its pair at 6,000 gallons, about 11 years at 1.5 gallons a day; BOROUX rates its pair at up to 12 months. At list prices that is one $84.99 pair against roughly one $159 set a year, on paper. In practice most households change gravity elements when the flow slows rather than at the gallon count, so the real gap is narrower than the arithmetic.
Living with one
Both take about the footprint of a coffee maker. You fill from the tap or a jug, the first fill takes a few hours, and after that you top up the upper chamber when you draw from the lower one. The Water Machine ships free to all 50 states from the maker in 2 business days and is a final sale; a unit that arrives damaged is replaced at no cost when reported within 48 hours with photos. BOROUX ships free in the US over $60 and takes returns within 60 days.
What neither one does
A gravity filter is for drinking and cooking water. It does not soften water, it does not treat the whole house, and it is not reverse osmosis. If a lab test shows nitrates, arsenic or a high dissolved-solids reading, a countertop RO system or an under-sink RO is the right tool. If the water is hard, read whether you need a softener. For a private well, The Water Machine also sells a well water and off-grid configuration.
Which suits which buyer
We carry The Water Machine and not BOROUX, so take this for what it is.
The Water Machine suits the buyer who wants to see the water, wants nothing but glass touching it, drinks one to three gallons a day, keeps the unit in one place on a counter or stand, and would rather change filters once in a very long while than once a year.
BOROUX Legacy suits the buyer who wants a certification mark on the filter, expects the unit to be moved or bumped, wants four filters for a bigger household, or wants a return window to try it.
Either way you get filtered water from any tap with nothing to install. Not sure a gravity filter fits your water at all? Ask for a Free Water Match and we will tell you.