BTW, was it the filter that had the defect, or the filter elements? This is important because I believe even the Doulton’s can use the Berkey elements.
There is the stainless steel filter housing. That isn’t defective. What is defective is the filter candles. The infamous Black Berkey element!
The Doulton filter candles, genuine British Berkefeld, and Aqua Cera filter candles will fit in the Berkey housing. I currently have Aqua Cera filters in my Royal Berkey housing. All three of those are high quality, and I haven’t been able to find ANY reports of defects on those.
The Texas company that makes Berkey, actually created knockoffs of Genuine British Berkefeld filters, which had the iconic stainless steel housing. They used the same size holes in the bottom of he chamber to fit the filter candles.
They had their own stainless steel housings made for them to look identical to the original British Berkefeld. The only difference I could see is the name stamped on the front. They started having their own filter candles made and started selling them using the Berkey name.
I actually went through stacks of homesteady type magazines to see when the bait and switch happened. New Millenium Concepts was selling Genuine British Berkefeld filters (calling them the Berkey), touting themselves as the only authorized dealer in the US (or something to that effect) in one magazine. By the next issue, I think in 2003 or there abouts, they were still touting themselves as the only authorized dealer of British Berkefeld I the US, but they had taken the name Berkey for their new knock off product. I am guessing that British Berkefeld failed yo trademark the name Berkey in the US. Otherwise, I can’t see how NMC got away with this.
Their customers were fooled. I know I was.
And they successfully conned stupid schlubs like me into thinking I was getting the real McCoy, a genuine British Berkefeld. I have seen lots of other folks who don’t realize that Berkey is no longer Genuine British Betkefeld. That is what I thought when I bought mine.