Whole House vs. Under-Sink Carbon
Mam Nature Swiss vs. Carbonit
Carbonit is one of the most popular under-sink water filters in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This comparison examines a key question for DACH households: is an activated carbon under-sink filter enough, or does whole-house selective adsorption provide meaningfully better protection?
The key difference: PFAS certification depth + coverage
Carbonit filters drinking water at one tap using activated carbon. Mam Nature Swiss filters all water in the home using selective adsorption — a technology that achieves certified PFAS removal across the full spectrum, including short-chain variants that activated carbon cannot reliably capture.
Not a substitute for whole-house PFAS filtration.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criterion | Mam Nature Swiss | Carbonit (Under-Sink) |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | ✓ Whole house (all taps + shower) Point-of-entry installation. Every litre entering the home is filtered. | – Single tap (under-sink) Installed under the kitchen sink. Only the connected cold-water tap receives filtered water. |
| PFAS removal | ✓ 95–99.9% (ETH Zurich) Full PFAS spectrum including short-chain variants (PFBS, PFHxA). Independently certified. | – Limited / not certified for PFAS Activated carbon block has some affinity for long-chain PFAS but limited effectiveness against short-chain variants. No published independent PFAS spectrum certification. |
| Heavy metal removal | ✓ 95–99% (ETH Zurich) Lead, copper, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, aluminium — independently certified. | – Partial (varies by model) Some Carbonit models reduce lead and copper. Arsenic and cadmium removal varies. Not all models are TÜV tested for heavy metals. |
| Chlorine / taste | = Effective Chlorine, taste, and odour compounds are removed as part of the filtration process. | = Effective Activated carbon is excellent for chlorine and taste improvement. This is Carbonit's primary strength. |
| Mineral retention | = Full retention Selective adsorption preserves calcium, magnesium, and potassium. | = Full retention Activated carbon does not strip minerals from water. |
| Flow rate | ✓ Up to 2,000 L/hr Full household flow with no pressure restriction. | – ~2–4 L/min Adequate for a single kitchen tap but cannot supply the full household. |
| Bathing water protection | ✓ Yes — all water in the home PFAS and chlorine absorbed through skin and inhaled in steam are addressed. | – None Under-sink filters treat drinking water only. Shower water is unfiltered. |
| Limescale treatment | ✓ Yes (Water LIME module) Salt-free physical limescale conversion available as optional add-on. | – None Carbonit does not offer limescale treatment. A separate device would be needed. |
| Filter lifespan | ✓ 1 year / 150,000 L Single annual cartridge change. Approximately 10 minutes to replace. | – ~6 months / 10,000 L Carbonit recommends replacement every 6 months or 10,000 litres, whichever comes first. |
| Construction | ✓ 316L medical-grade stainless steel Swiss Made. 10-year warranty on housing. | – Mostly plastic housings Standard Carbonit models (Sanuno, Vario) use food-grade plastic filter housings. The Duo model uses stainless steel. |
| Installation | – 1–2 hours (plumber) Professional inline installation at the main supply. One-time setup. | ✓ DIY under-sink (~30 min) Self-install with basic tools. Connects to the cold-water line under the kitchen sink. |
| Upfront cost | – €760–€3,598 Essential to Complete Set Plus. Covers the entire household. | ✓ €120–€400 Sanuno (~€120), Vario (~€200), Duo (~€400). Single-tap coverage only. |
| Certifications | ✓ ETH Zurich ISO/IEC 17025 · Swiss Safety Center Third-party independent testing at world-class institution. Full performance data publicly available. | – TÜV tested (limited parameters) TÜV testing covers chlorine, taste, and some organic compounds. Not independently certified for full PFAS spectrum. |
Common Questions
Does Carbonit remove PFAS?
Carbonit's activated carbon block filters have some affinity for longer-chain PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS), but activated carbon has limited effectiveness against short-chain PFAS (PFBS, PFHxA, PFBA, GenX) — the compounds now increasingly found in European tap water as legacy long-chain PFAS are phased out. Carbonit has not published independent third-party PFAS spectrum removal data.
Is Carbonit or Mam Nature better for German/Swiss tap water?
Both are well-suited to the DACH region. For households primarily concerned with taste improvement at the kitchen tap, Carbonit is an affordable and effective option. For households wanting certified PFAS and heavy metal removal across all water in the home — including shower and bathing water — Mam Nature Swiss provides measurably broader protection with independent ETH Zurich certification.
Can I use Carbonit for my whole house?
No. Carbonit systems are designed for single-tap (point-of-use) installation. They do not have the flow capacity or housing design for whole-house point-of-entry installation. For whole-house filtration, a point-of-entry system like Mam Nature Swiss is required.
Which has lower long-term costs — Carbonit or Mam Nature?
For drinking water at one tap, Carbonit is significantly cheaper: ~€120–€400 upfront + ~€60–€120/year in cartridges. For whole-house coverage (all taps, showers, appliances), Mam Nature Swiss is more cost-effective: €760–€3,598 upfront + ~€240/year, but covering all water in the home at approximately €0.002–0.004 per litre.
Is activated carbon enough to remove PFAS from tap water?
Standard activated carbon (granular or block) can reduce some long-chain PFAS at moderate concentrations. However, it is not reliably effective against short-chain PFAS, which are the compounds now of greatest concern in European water supplies. Selective adsorption technology — such as the Mam Nature Swiss Fine Filter — achieves independently verified 95–99.9% removal across the full PFAS spectrum.
More comparisons
Certified PFAS Protection for Your Entire Home
The Mam Nature Eco Set delivers ETH Zurich certified filtration across every tap — with optional limescale protection. One cartridge per year.