I find there are two types of readers when it comes to articles on the internet.  One type wants the author to get to the point as they are looking for answers and don’t need extraneous information.  The other type likes depth, texture, and context.  The only way to make both types of readers happy is to I break my articles down by questions and provide SHORT and LONG answers.  You know what works best for you.

Is There a “Best Drinking Water”?

Short answer:

Yes.  The best drinking water is “clean” and “healthy” with the healthy factor being molecular hydrogen (H2) enriched water that contains healthy minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

Long answer:

Clean water is pretty easy to understand as it is water that doesn’t have any contaminants in it, or water where the contaminants have been removed.  In the past, clean water meant drinking water that didn’t make you sick right away.  About 30 years ago, bottled water was introduced as being cleaner than tap water which is true.  Bottled water typically has been filtered by a reverse osmosis process, or the water that comes from a spring which has never had chlorine added.  The bottles themselves are an entirely different topic.

As the use of bottled water skyrocketed, marketing people began to get creative in an effort to make their products more appealing in order to improve sales.  About 20 years ago, the concept of “healthy” drinking water was created by the makers of alkaline water ionizers.  Claims were made that the alkaline water produced by electrolysis during the ionization process was “healthy” water because many people who drank the water seemed to feel better.  Twenty years later, more than 700 scientific studies and review papers have clearly illustrated that drinking water that had undergone the ionization process does produce significant health benefits.  However, the marketing people behind the alkaline water ionizers provided the public with false information about the source of the health benefits.  In fact, the benefits are derived from water that is enriched with molecular hydrogen (H2) gas which is produced during electrolysis and has nothing to do with the water being alkaline.

How do you buy molecular hydrogen (H2) enriched water?

Short answer:

You can buy magnesium tablets which can be placed in water to create H2, or you can buy a Hydrogen Infusion Machines (HIM’s).

Long answer:

If you place elemental (non-ionic) magnesium tablets in water, the reaction of the magnesium to the water creates H2.  You can also buy machines that produce H2.  The tablets cost much less than the machines, but you need to keep buying them every month which ends up costing more in the long run.

Alkaline water ionizers produce H2, but are very inefficient at keeping the H2 in the water long enough for you to drink the water and enjoy the benefits.  In addition, the calcium and magnesium that naturally occur in your source water form limescale on the plates during electrolysis in alkaline water ionizers,  rendering them virtually useless at producing H2 unless you clean the plates with a weak acid every week.

Hydrogen Infusion Machines (HIM) represent the next step (or actually 3 steps) in ionization technology and produce vastly superior results to alkaline water ionizers in terms of producing H2 enriched water.

The first technological advance was the addition of a first stage filter system which causes the calcium and magnesium in the source water to bypass the ionization chamber and then rejoin the water before it gets dispensed from the machine.  This advancement is very important because the calcium and magnesium in the source water will never gum up the plates of a HIM because they have been diverted past the ionization process.  In other words, while hard water (water that contains lots of calcium and magnesium) is the bane of existence to alkaline water ionizers, they don’t affect the performance of HIM’s at all.

The second technological advancement in HIM’s is the use of a PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) that allows only the protons that are created when water molecules get broken down during electrolysis to pass through to the cathode.  I will skip the scientific steps in my explanation so that you won’t fall asleep, but the bottom line is that the HIM’s create lots of H2 whether or not calcium and magnesium are available in the source water.  In other words, while soft water conditions (water with very little calcium or magnesium) renders alkaline water ionizers virtually useless in producing H2, soft water doesn’t affect the performance of HIM’s.

The third, and most important technological advancement of HIM’s, is the addition of a HDU (Hydrogen Diffusion Unit) to the ionization process.  While alkaline water ionizers produce lots of H2 when they are brand new or if the plates are cleaned every week, they do not have the ability to reintroduce the H2 created during electrolysis back into the water.  That means virtually all of the H2 created by alkaline water ionizers escapes into the air when the water is being dispensed or within 30 seconds or so of when the water lands in a drinking glass.  The H2 bubbles that you initially see in the drinking glass rise to the surface of the water (gas is lighter than water) and dissipate into the air.  Therefore, virtually all the benefits of the H2 created by alkaline water ionizers is lost before you ever drink the water.  In contrast to alkaline water ionizers, the HDU compartment of a hydrogen ionizer basically “mixes” the tiny H2 molecules into the water where they remain for hours before gradually dissipating into the air.

The 3 technological advancements are responsible for how and why HIM’s are capable of producing therapeutic concentrations of hydrogen enriched water that lasts for hours in virtually and potable (safe to drink) water.  The advancement also explains why you should always choose a HIM over an alkaline water ionizer.

How much do HIM’s cost?

Short answer: 

$2,000 for above counter units and $2,500 for under counter units. Brilliantz recently slashed their prices for both units to $1,040 which makes them by far the best value on the market. I expect their competitors will respond or Brilliantz will own the market.

Long answer:

The short answer gives the price information for pure HIM’s

Many alkaline water companies advertise that their units are actually hydrogen machines, but if you have been reading along, you will know that the alkaline water ionizers are very inefficient at producing sustainable concentrations of hydrogen enriched water.  The leading brand of alkaline water ionizers sells their top end products for $4,000 to $5,000 while the copy-cat companies typically charge $2,000 to $3,000.

What do the magnesium based H2 tablets cost?

Short answer:  

$60 for 60 tablets which is a one month supply

Long answer: