Water ionizers in the price range of $3,000 are generally top-of-the-line units. The best alkaline water machines in this range come with eleven plates and have lots of power. You should also expect to get a lifetime warranty. All machines that are recommended by Water Ionizer Machines meet all three of these criteria: They have eleven plates, lots of power, and come with lifetime warranties.

Be careful when ordering undercounter machines. Some manufacturers use cheap plastic faucets that can break. The chrome plating also peels after a while on plastic faucets. We recommend Life Ionizers for undercounter units, because their faucet is solid stainless steel, it won’t break or peel.

Buyer beware: Don’t be deceived. Some faucets look like stainless steel in their photos, but are in fact cheap plastic. Make sure to ask before you buy!

Did you know? A small change in pH is actually a big change in alkalinity! A change from a pH of 9 to a pH of 10 is a 1,000% increase in alkalinity! A change from a pH of 9.5 to a pH of 9.6 is a 100% increase in alkalinity. If you need acid-fighting alkalinity to tackle tough health challenges, pay attention to those pH level numbers!

Life Ionizers MXL-11 $2,597 Countertop

(add $500 for Under Counter System)
The Life Ionizers MXL-11 is a convertible ionizer, you can use it countertop or undercounter with the addition of Life’s faucet kit. The MXL-11 is a powerful machine, it can crank out up to 800 watts of power, which gives it the ability to ionize even the toughest tap water. That massive amount of power is is combined with the MXL-11’s eleven large plates to give outstanding pH and ORP levels, and a high flow rate.

Like all Life Ionizers, the MXL-11 comes with a custom filtration system that is configured by Life Ionizers to target the toxins unique to your local water supply. Life’s filtration is the best in the industry, if the purity of your water is important to you, Life Ionizers is the way to go, you can’t get better filtration,

pH range: 2.0 – 11.5
ORP: Up to -800
Filtration: Custom with two internal filters
Warranty: Lifetime parts and labor
Convertible between countertop and undercounter use: Yes
Recommended by WIM: Yes

Life Ionizers MXL-13: $3,497

The second machine to make this list from Life Ionizers is the Life MXL-13. It’s a convertible ionizer, so you can purchase it as a countertop unit, and later convert it to under counter use with Life’s faucet kit if you choose to. The MXL-13 is the only 13 plate machine made that costs less than $3,500, and it’s an outstanding value. It gives the highest pH and ORP levels of all the machines reviewed in this article, and it has the highest flow rate.

The MXL-11 comes with Life’s custom configured filtration system, so you get the purest, cleanest water possible. According to Life Ionizers, this machine was originally designed for doctors and clinics, it makes medical-grade ionized alkaline water for tackling the toughest health challenges.

pH range: 2.0 – 11.8
ORP: Up to -880
Filtration: Custom with two internal filters
Warranty: Lifetime parts and labor
Convertible between countertop and undercounter use: Yes
Recommended by WIM: Yes

AlkaViva Vesta $2,995

The AlkaViva Vesta is a nine plate machine that is hampered by low power and a high price tag. It costs just $2 less than the Life MXL-11, but doesn’t perform anywhere near as well as the MXL-11 does. It only has about 200 watts of power, and it’s not convertible. The Vesta is a countertop use only machine, you can’t convert it to under counter use.

The Vesta has dual internal filters, but custom-configured filtration isn’t available in this machine. Another problem is the warranty, it’s just 7 years for parts and labor, way too short for a machine that costs almost $3,000.

pH range: 5.5 – 10.5
ORP: Up to -500
Filtration: Two internal filters
Warranty: 7 years parts and labor
Convertible between countertop and undercounter use: No
Recommended by WIM: No

Chanson Revolution $2,895

The Chanson Revolution sounds great on paper, but when you actually put it to the test, it’s performance is nowhere near what Chanson claims. The company claims that the Revolution can reach a pH range of 1.8 to 12.1, but what they don’t tell you is that you have to add salt to the water to get there. Chanson also misleads about the platinum coating on their plates. They call it a ‘nano’ coating, which when you look into it is an extremely thin coating of platinum, thinner than any other ionizer in this price bracket

The problem with adding salt is that the water it makes is poisonous, you can’t drink it. Chanson boasts of having a himalayan salt port, but adding himalayan or any other kind of salt to your water ionizer is a terrible idea. When you electrolyze salt and water, it makes bleach.

Without salt, we could barely get the Revolution to reach a pH of 10. The problem with this machine is that it lacks power. It also has just a single filter, which is inadequate for removing the wide range of toxins found in tap water. Even the warranty is misleading: Chanson claims to have a “limited lifetime” warranty, but when you read the fine print, it says Chanson only expects the lifetime of their machine to be 10 years.

pH range: 5.7 – 10.1
ORP: Up to -485
Filtration: One internal filter
Warranty: 10 years parts and labor
Convertible between countertop and undercounter use: No
Recommended by WIM: No

Alka Pime Nine Countertop $2,297, Undercounter $2,697

The Alka Prime 9 is the lowest cost ionizer in this review, but don’t let it’s low price fool you. This quality-built machine is packed with features that make it superior to many other more expensive ionizers. The Alka Prime comes with custom-configured filtration and dual internal filters, a feature you normally see only in the best water ionizers. It has 229 watts of power and nine large plates, which gives it good pH and ORP performance.

Alka Prime makes a few compromises to offer a discount price. It has a limited lifetime warranty on parts, and 10 year warranty on labor. It’s not convertible, you have to decide whether you want a countertop unit, or an under counter unit. But overall this is a great machine at a bargain price.

pH range: 4 – 11
ORP: Up to -600
Filtration: Custom configured with two internal filters
Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty on parts and 10 years labor
Convertible between countertop and undercounter use: No
Recommended by WIM: Yes

Which alkaline water machine should you buy?
The three machines in this water ionizer comparison that we recommend are: Life Ionizers MXL-9 and MXL-11, plus the Alka Prime Nine. The MXL-11 is undoubtedly the best ionizer in the under $3,000 price range. If your budget is maxed at $3,000, and you want an under counter ionizer, then go for the Life M9 undercounter. If your budget is tighter than $3,000, then go for the Alka Prime machine. Regardless of which machine you pick, you’ll get excellent filtration and a solid, well-built machine.