A. O. Smith AO-WH-FILTER
#1 in TankFull review
A certified, maintenance light tank for a small or medium home on chlorinated city water.
Amazon $399$399
The A. O. Smith AO-WH-FILTER is the better whole-house water filter overall, rated 3.6 to 2.9. The A. O. Smith AO-WH-FILTER leads on certification, price and running cost. The LiquaGen FK-CAT 10x54 wins on flow. The A. O. Smith AO-WH-FILTER costs $450.99 less ($399 vs $849.99).
LiquaGen FK-CAT 10x54
#5 in TankFull review
A cheaper backwashing catalytic carbon tank for a large city home with chloramine. Its claims are not backed by testing or a warranty term.
Amazon $849.99$849.99
Prices were last checked November 2, 2026 and are subject to change; the price and availability shown by the retailer at the time of purchase apply.
Which should you buy?
- Choose the A. O. Smith AO-WH-FILTER for certification (certified to NSF/ANSI 42 vs no certification in a public listing, no tested to claim), price ($399 vs $849.99) and running cost ($0.67 per 1,000 gallons ($399 every 600,000 gallons) vs $0.85 per 1,000 gallons ($849.99 every 1,000,000 gallons)).
- Choose the LiquaGen FK-CAT 10x54 for flow (12 gpm service flow vs 7 gpm service flow).
Scores side by side
Each factor is scored 0-100 against the same fixed reference points for every tank whole-house water filter; a clear win is highlighted. How we rank explains each one.
| Factor weight | A. O. Smith AO-WH-FILTER | LiquaGen FK-CAT 10x54 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.6/5 | 2.9/5 |
| Running cost 25% | 56 $0.67 per 1,000 gallons ($399 every 600,000 gallons) | 47 $0.85 per 1,000 gallons ($849.99 every 1,000,000 gallons) |
| Certification 25% | 60 certified to NSF/ANSI 42 | 0 no certification in a public listing, no tested to claim |
| Flow 15% | 20 7 gpm service flow | 70 12 gpm service flow |
| Price 20% | 100 $399 | 87 $849.99 |
| Warranty 15% | 56 6-year warranty | 0 warranty not published, scored as none |
Specifications
| A. O. Smith AO-WH-FILTER | LiquaGen FK-CAT 10x54 | |
|---|---|---|
| Filtration | ||
| Capacity | 600,000 gallons | 1,000,000 gallons |
| Replacement filters or media | $399 | $849.99 |
| Running cost | $0.67 per 1,000 gal | $0.85 per 1,000 gal |
| Stages | 1 | 1 |
| Certified | NSF/ANSI 42 | - |
| Chloramine | No | Yes |
| PFAS | No | No |
| Build | ||
| Flow | 7 gpm | 12 gpm |
| Ports | 0.8 in | 1 in |
| Backwashing | No | Yes |
| UV stage | No | No |
| Warranty | 6 years | - |