Brita Tahoe 10-Cup Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB60)

1. Proven reduction 35% of the rating 3 of 5

   Certified for lead, chlorine and many VOCs and drugs by WQA and IAPMO. No certifier’s directory lists PFAS for these pitchers, and there is no fluoride, nitrate or arsenic claim.

2. What touches the water 20% of the rating 2 of 5

   Plastic of unnamed type, a battery, and silver added to the filter media, which our rubric marks down. Brita says it is made without BPA.

3. Independent testing 15% of the rating 3 of 5

   Paid WQA and IAPMO listings for lead. Consumer Reports tests the Denali with this filter for taste, flow and clogging, not lead or PFAS. A 2024 university test found the Elite removed only 20% to 48% of PFAS.

4. Trust 10% of the rating 3 of 5

   No recall or Prop 65 notice for the pitcher. Brita’s data sheet says IAPMO certified PFOA/PFOS, which IAPMO’s, WQA’s and NSF’s directories do not show, and a labeling class action over its filters was dismissed, with the dismissal upheld on appeal in 2026.

5. Running cost & value 20% of the rating 5 of 5

   About $42 plus $0.14 to $0.17 a gallon for filters: roughly $210 to $290 over five years at up to a gallon a day, the lowest of the pitchers we list.

The rating, 3.2 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank water filters and our standard.

• Target (opens in a new tab) approx. $41 to $45, by color. Sold as the Tahoe with the Elite filter, 10 cup, one filter included. The black pitcher showed $44.99 and in stock on 2026-10-23.
• Home Depot (opens in a new tab) approx. $41. White, with one Elite filter. In stock and free delivery on 2026-10-23; the page lists black and blue too.
• Lowe’s (opens in a new tab) approx. $41. Listed as a 10-cup white pitcher; the description calls it the Brita Tahoe Elite and the model number is 10060258506881, the same as Home Depot’s. In stock for pickup on 2026-10-23.

Prices as we saw them on October 23, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.

1. Pitcher, lid and reservoir: plastic that Brita says is made without BPA. It does not name the plastic
2. Brita Elite filter (OB06): activated carbon with other adsorbent media and a pleated, fibrous layer, as described in a 2024 university study; Brita does not list the media
3. Silver in the filter media, which Brita’s data sheet says is there “to support the hygiene of the filter”
4. SmartLight filter-change indicator with a lithium manganese dioxide battery

• Paid certification Water Quality Association (WQA) October 2026

  Lists the Tahoe (OB60) with Elite OB06 under NSF/ANSI 42, 53 and 401, 120 gallons at 2 gallons a day. The 53 claims include lead, mercury, cadmium and asbestos. On the 401 listing the Tahoe's Elite row names 15 drugs and chemicals but not microplastics; the Everyday and Huron Elite rows do, and so does the Tahoe's row under the older LONGLAST+ name for the same OB06 filter. No PFAS appears on any Brita pitcher entry. Brita pays for the listing. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

• Paid certification IAPMO R&T October 2026

  Lists OB60 (Tahoe) with Elite OB06 under NSF/ANSI 53-2021 (W-13905, active to 2027) for lead only, 120 gallons. Brita’s other IAPMO files (WP-31005 to WP-31008) cover only its plumbed-in under-sink system, BUSS01; WP-31006 lists PFOA/PFOS for that system, not for any pitcher. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

• Paid certification NSF International October 2026

  Lists the Elite filter (OB06) in Brita’s Tidal (OB63) and Pacifica (OB41) pitchers for lead reduction, 120 gallons. No PFOA/PFOS claim on any Brita pitcher in its NSF/ANSI 53 listing (a copy dated 2026-10-16). Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

• Independent Consumer Reports September 2026

  Ranks the Denali with the Elite filter first of 14 pitchers (overall 71 of 100; flavor and odor 4, flow rate 4, clogging 4, each out of 5). CR does not test lead or PFAS removal; its text says the Denali is certified for lead, chlorine and PFAS, which we could not find in any certifier’s directory. It tested the Tahoe itself with Brita’s Refillable filter (overall 66). Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

• Independent Université de Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal (Teymoorian et al.) June 2024

  Tested the Brita Elite on two Canadian tap waters with 75 PFAS measured. Volume-weighted removal of total PFAS over 160 L was 20% in the water with 56 ng/L and 48% in the water with 13 ng/L, and fell to 8% and 39% by 160 L. ZeroWater and Clearly Filtered removed about 99% in the same test. Funded by Canadian public research grants; the authors declare no commercial ties. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Does it really remove PFAS, as the data sheet says?

We could not confirm it. Brita’s data sheet lists PFOA and PFOS at 98.1% and marks them “Certified by IAPMO R&T” (data sheet (opens in a new tab)), and Consumer Reports repeats that. IAPMO’s file W-13905, WQA’s listing and NSF’s listing show lead only. A university test found the Elite removed 20% to 48% of PFAS from real tap water (Frontiers, 2024 (opens in a new tab)), and the authors note that Brita filters are not NSF 53 certified for PFAS.

Is there silver in the filter, and does it get into the water?

Yes to the first. Brita’s data sheet says the Elite media contains silver to support filter hygiene and that a small amount may pass into the water, well below the WHO guideline. Bacterial growth in carbon filters is real: a 1996 study of an older Brita design found bacterial counts rose in 24 of 34 household filters (PubMed (opens in a new tab)). Brita does not say the two are linked, and we cannot judge the margin beyond its statement; if you want no silver, choose a filter that names none.

Did a lawsuit show Brita’s labels mislead?

No. A shopper sued over a standard Brita filter that does not remove contaminants to below detection limits, and the Ninth Circuit upheld the dismissal on 2026-04-16, ruling that no reasonable shopper would expect that (opinion (opens in a new tab)). The buyer had the Standard filter, not the Elite.

Is the Tahoe the version Consumer Reports tested?

Not with this filter. CR ranked the Denali with the Elite filter first and tested the Tahoe with Brita’s Refillable filter (CR (opens in a new tab)). The Denali and Tahoe take the same Elite filter.

Any recalls or Prop 65 notices?

None for the pitcher or filter. The federal recall database lists one Brita recall, of children’s water bottles in 2014 (CPSC (opens in a new tab)). California’s Prop 65 notice search shows no notice naming Brita (checked 2026-10-23).

• WQA lists the Tahoe (OB60) with the Elite filter (OB06) under NSF/ANSI 42, 53 and 401. The 53 claims include lead, mercury, cadmium, asbestos and several pesticides and solvents.
• IAPMO R&T’s separate listing (W-13905, NSF/ANSI 53-2021, active) names lead for the same pitcher and filter, so the lead claim sits on two certifiers’ records. NSF lists the same Elite filter in Brita’s Pacifica and Tidal pitchers for lead too.
• Brita’s data sheet shows lead reduced 99.5% (pH 6.5) and 99.6% (pH 8.5) from a 150 ppb challenge. Consumer Reports ranks the Denali, which takes the same Elite filter, first of 14 pitchers it tested.
• The filter is rated for 120 gallons, about 6 months, and the pitcher has a SmartLight reminder. Brita charges $19.99 for one filter or $32.99 for two, about $0.14 to $0.17 a gallon.

• Do not buy it for PFAS. Brita’s data sheet lists PFOA and PFOS at 98.1% and says IAPMO certified it, but IAPMO and NSF name lead only for these pitchers and WQA’s list has no PFAS line. A 2024 university test of the Elite removed 20% to 48% of PFAS from two tap waters, and removal fell as the filter was used.
• The Elite filter contains silver. Brita’s data sheet says it is there to keep the filter hygienic and that a small amount may pass into the water, below the World Health Organization guideline.
• Buy the Elite version. WQA lists the same Tahoe pitcher with Brita’s standard filter for cadmium, copper and mercury, with no lead claim, and Consumer Reports tested the Tahoe only with the Refillable filter.
• It does not reduce fluoride, nitrate or dissolved minerals, and Brita says the filter is not intended to purify water.

Third-party tested

Yes

Tested by

WQA and IAPMO R&T, paid for by the maker

1. Brita Tahoe Water Pitcher with Elite Filter: Brita product page. Maker’s page. Shows the $41.99 price and model OB60, seen 2026-10-23. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
2. Brita Elite Replacement Filters: Brita product page. Maker’s page. Prices for one and two filters. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
3. WQA Gold Seal listing: Brita LP, NSF/ANSI 53. Certifier or regulator listing. Tahoe OB60 with Elite OB06, 120 gallons; claims include lead, asbestos and mercury. No PFAS on any Brita entry. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
4. WQA Gold Seal listing: Brita LP, NSF/ANSI 401. Certifier or regulator listing. The Tahoe with Elite lists 15 drugs and chemicals but not microplastics. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
5. WQA Gold Seal listing: Brita LP, NSF/ANSI 42. Certifier or regulator listing. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
6. IAPMO R&T listing W-13905: NSF/ANSI 53, Brita LP. Certifier or regulator listing. Gravity-type devices OB60 (Tahoe), OB62 (Denali) and others with replacement Elite OB06; claim: lead only. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
7. NSF International: NSF/ANSI 53 listings (archived 2026-10-16). Certifier or regulator listing. The Brita Products Company entry: Tidal and Pacifica pitchers with Elite OB06, lead reduction. We could not open NSF’s live site, so this is a Wayback Machine copy. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
8. Brita performance data sheet for the Elite filter (OB06). Test report. Published by Brita. Marks PFOA/PFOS as certified by IAPMO R&T, which we could not find in IAPMO’s listing. States that the Elite media contains silver. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
9. Consumer Reports: Best water filter pitchers of 2026. Independent source. Public text and score summaries for the Denali with Elite filter (71) and the Tahoe with the Refillable filter (66). Detailed ratings are members-only. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
10. Performance of pitcher-type POU filters for the removal of 75 PFAS from drinking water (Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry, 2024). Test report. Peer-reviewed test of Brita Elite and Standard, ZeroWater, Aquagear and Clearly Filtered filters on two tap waters. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
11. Brown v. The Brita Products Co. (9th Cir., filed 2026-04-16). Independent source. The court’s published opinion affirming dismissal of a labeling class action. The buyer had a Standard filter. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
12. Microbiological contamination of drinking water in a commercial household water filter system (Brita), 1996. Test report. Abstract read on PubMed. Bacterial counts rose in 24 of 34 household filters; an older design. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

• PUR PLUS pitcher Cheaper to buy and listed by IAPMO R&T for total PFAS as well as lead, with no silver named. Its filter is rated for only 40 gallons.
• Culligan with ZeroWater 10-cup pitcher Adds certified fluoride, nitrate and total PFAS reduction, at several times the filter cost per gallon.

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