Some things to know:

None of this is new or proprietary - these are standard parts and supplies with a brand sticker on them - and there's nothing wrong with that... but "brands" will pop up over night.

The AFW system is using carbon, the Springwelll is using KDF + carbon - which is where most of the cost increase is. KDF media is expensive.

The carbon (or KDF + carbon) is going to have a limited life span and will need to be re-bedded fairly often. In the case of the Springwell - you are probably looking at replacing the entire tank instead of re-bedding because of the KDF. Neither of these are backwashing units.

I'm a big fan of Fleck control valves.

I would also go with the AFW.

That said, are you trying to remove chloramines? It requires catalytic carbon to do that... and they aren't giving much info on the carbon.

Just my 02 - consider if you need whole house carbon (and the maintenance that will require) or if you just need it on your drinking water.

Also - "salt based softener" is redundant. There is no such animal as a "salt-free softener".

@Jake The Wonderdog, thank you for your thoughts. What I know of softeners comes form yours and Alice's posts on these forums (it's how i learned that Fleck and resin % matters A LOT).

My water test showed chlorine and my city's water quality report lists chlorine. There is no mention of chloramine in either report, although one softener sales guy said it was important I have chloramine removal while nother sales guy had never heard of it. I'm assuming it would be listed on the water quality report if it were being used?

There are so many brands out there with spotty reviews for craftmanship and service. I want to be sure that my money is well-spent and that I get what I pay for without paying Rainsoft and the like $10k +. Would you have another system suggestion instead?

Piggyback question if you have time: do I need an R/O of I have a whole house filter? The husband isn't interested in adding a second faucet; is there another necessary option?

Chlorine is used in most municipal water systems. As you may have read, there are concerns about the byproducts of chlorine disinfection and some municipal systems are using chloramine instead (which has its own issues). If your water system uses chlorine, then you are fine with standard carbon. If your supplier changes, you can change your carbon type.

I'm a big fan of doing what you are doing - a decent water softener and a carbon filer to clean up taste, odor, remove chlorine and remove some other stuff like VOC's . Unless you have water that has specific contaminates (nitrates, for example) you don't need R/O. It makes me crazy to read that people are spending $7-10k on water treatment - for no particular reason.

Everything that you do to water requires maintenance - and ignoring that maintenance is worse than not installing the filter in the first place. Just keep that in mind when you do this.

The water softener will go for 10-15 years before it needs the resin replaced - otherwise it will just need salt.

The carbon filter you are looking at will need to be rebedded possibly every 2-3 years.... It's difficult to know because it's based on the amount of water used and the level of contamination - as well as the amount of carbon.

R/O units need a lot of maintenance.

My preference is using a carbon filter just on drinking water. Then you are talking about replacing a cartridge once a year - or every two years if it's KDF + carbon. That is a cost and level of maintenance that I'm willing to accept and my toilets don't need carbon filtered water.

Thank you for this info. Do I understand that you are saying a whole house filter isn't necessary; an under the sink filter will do? We only ever drink from the tap or our filtered fridge. We don't drink from toilets. 😂

Does the softener take care of chlorine? Would that be the benefit of a whole house filter so we're not bathing and washing hair with chlorine?

Water softeners don't remove chlorine.

The small amount of residual chlorine in the water is usually a taste and smell issue. Some people are trying to make a big deal out of showering or bathing in water with residual chlorine... I think that's nonsense. People spend a lot of time in swimming pools, including swim teams and such and are exposed to far more chlorinated water for longer periods of time.

If you don't want chlorine in your shower/tub you are back to a whole house carbon filter.

Otherwise a cartridge type carbon filter under your sink will do everything you need.

@Jake The Wonderdog, thank you for time and input. We have skin issues and incredibly dry hair. I'm thinking removing chlorine from daily use would be beneficial. I may consider showerhead filters and under the sink for drinking instead of the whole home. Thank you again for your time.

@tbrown1025 A water softener will do wonders for your hair and skin. I would start there.

I'm amazed at the difference in my water, skin and hair... not to mention the cleaner fixtures and dishes.

If you still want to remove chlorine in your shower after that, add the whole house carbon filter.

If not, something like the Everpure EF6000 on your kitchen cold water (if you don't have a separate drinking water faucet) will do a great job and is easy to maintain.

But back to your original question: The AFW system will do what you want it to do, at a reasonable cost. The rest is just fine-tuning,