Do you or your children fall ill for no reason? Do you often get inexplicable rashes or sores? It may be the water.

Chemicals in Singapore’s piped supply can negatively affect some Singaporeans households and a water dispenser may be the antidote you need.

A dispenser and purifier helps improve the quality and taste of homemade food and drinks. And there’s also the luxury of having instant hot water for a cuppa or cold water for a lemonade.

I've researched the best water dispensers in Singapore. The picks below combines stellar performance, intuitive tech, aesthetics and affordability.

Hottest pick

Xiaomi VIOMI 4L Smart Instant Hot Water Dispenser

4.5

From $129.50

Release date: November 2017

6-stage purifier Smart functionality Limited warranty

Xiaomi VIOMI 4L Smart Instant Hot Water Dispenser Verdict

Xiaomi is considered the king of budget devices and solidifies that title with this handy, affordable countertop appliance. Don’t let the low price fool you, though. It comes with a 6-stage purifier, plug-and-play convenience and a dedicated smartphone app.

Smart product makes for a smart buy

With on-board sensors that monitor and relay water level, quality and temperature, the VIOMI is a purified water dispenser for the Connected Age. It can send water status updates and even maintenance alerts to your smartphone.

You can also use the app to change those settings.

Compact but versatile

The VIOMI is the second-lightest unit on our list but still manages to fit in a 4-litre tank and 6-stage purification module. 4 preset water temperature settings make it a versatile addition to your kitchen or home office.

A host of safety features strengthen this well-rounded pick that doesn’t break the bank.

Also hot

Morphy Richards 131004 Redefine Hot Water Dispenser

4.5

From $699

Release date: 01-07-2015

2-year warranty Compact Average-sized tank

Morphy Richards 131004 Redefine Hot Water Dispenser Verdict

Morphy Richards is known for its sleek range of kitchen appliances that add a touch of sophistication to your kitchen and the Redefine is no exception. For a sub-$300 price, you get a BRITA filter, 3-litre tank, and multiple temperature and dispense volume settings. It would have been the chart topper here if not for the VIOMI costing less than half its price.

Precise convenience

With a knob that gives you the ability to dispense a precise volume of water from 150 ml to 600 ml at once, this is perfect for everything from a cuppa to a pasta dish. A large display screen lets you monitor the volume and temperature, and it also displays maintenance messages to keep performing at its peak.

Long-term performer

One of the most reassuring signs of quality is a lengthy warranty and Morphy Richards offers 24 months on the Redefine water dispenser. Because the BRITA filter eliminates limescale, metals and chlorine, the odds are that the device will perform as expected well beyond that period.

This is an excellent choice for homeowners looking for an appliance that compliments their modern kitchen.

Morphy Richards 131004 Redefine Hot Water Dispenser reviews (1)

4 by BestReviews.co.uk

"Overall, this Morphy Richards hot water dispenser is one of the best hot water models on our list." Read the full article here

Recommended by KettleTaps.com

"A great stylish design with digital display. No plumbing required, just take out of the box and plug in to use" Read the full article here

Recommended by ReviewsRevealer.com

"Morphy Richards have created a sleek hot water dispenser more (like) a piece of art than a kitchen appliance... is a cost-effective way to boil small amounts of water and it looks far more stylish than your old kettle!" Read the full article here

Also hot

Philips RO Water Dispenser ADD6910

From $679

Release date: 2019

2-year warranty 5-stage purifier and UV Immobile (piped), heavy

Philips RO ADD6910 Water Dispenser Verdict

This is the only appliance that outpaces the Morphy Richards in terms of design but does it at a premium price point. The ADD6910 also comes with the same 24-month warranty, alluding to the ‘you get what you pay for’ playbook. It’s the only device on the Hot List that features a UV LED to eliminate harmful organisms.

For the pedantic perfectionists

Goldilocks would have loved the ADD6910 – it can dispense water in a combination of 20 volume and temperature settings. Within the sleek frame, Philips has added an self-contained RO filtration module with UV for more protection than any other device on this list. All this is monitored by a CleanSmart system that displays an alert when the filter has to be changed.

Sleek but pricey

While this is a countertop water dispenser, it is a static plumbed-in appliance. It is easily the best looking device here and the screenless in-body LED displays are a sight to behold. If you are willing to shell out the dough, there are few reasons not to go for the ADD6910.

Philips RO Water Dispenser ADD6910 reviews (2)

Recommended by TheSmartLocal.com

"...the Philips ADD6910 RO water dispenser... with its 5-stage reverse osmosis filter and UV light disinfection ensuring the water you get is clean and germ-free." Read the full article here

4.5 by Fortress.com.hk

"Very convenient and space-saving. Water tastes like bottled water, but eco-friendly!" Read the full article here

4.5 by Courts.com.sg

"Good and convenient water dispenser." Read the full article here

BluePro D22 Hot Water Dispenser

3.5

From $89.90

Release date: -

Huge temperature range Self-cleaning No purifier

BluePro D22 Water Dispenser verdict

With 6 different temperature settings from 25°C to 99°C, the D22 is the most versatile performer on the Hot List. It is also the second most affordable, beaten only by the 3Life pump. That’s an amazing achievement for a device that also gives you an internal 2-litre tank and 3 dispense volume settings.

Superfast, super-quiet self-cleaner

Get steaming hot water just 3 seconds after pressing a button on the D22. Better still, it reroutes excess scalding steam back through the nozzle and internal piping to sanitize itself automatically. With a maximum operating noise volume of less than 45 dB, it can be operated in virtually any environment.

Small and safe

Integrated into the appliance are water temperature and volume sensors that eliminate the risk of both short circuits and dry heat damage. As an added safety feature, all temperature settings above 45°C are protected by a child-safe lock button.
The device has a small footprint which comes at the expense of any filter mechanism. If you can live with that given the high quality of piped water in Singapore, it is a handy device for your home or home office.

Mijia 3Life Water Pump

3.5

From $15.90

Release date: 2019

Low price Integrated TDS monitor No warranty

Mijia 3Life Water Pump Verdict

The smallest, lightest and most affordable water dispenser on the ChiliRank Hot List is a unique device. Not only is it a standalone unit which you can charge via USB but it even comes with a TDS sensor that monitors water quality in real time.

Fits anywhere, goes everywhere, dispenses all liquids

Versatility is the 3Life’s forte. Slip one end of the supplied 58 cm food-grade hose into any liquid and you instantly have yourself an electric beverage dispenser. You can use it with all liquids but it works best with those between 5°C and 45°C.

The base attaches effortlessly onto most liquid containers and can also be handheld. Response time between pressing the button and the first drop is a mere 0.2 seconds. An auto-fill feature lets the tap run for an entire minute, which will be useful in filling pitchers.

Clean drinking water wherever you go

This Mijia device charges fully in 3 hours. Apart from the suction, the battery also powers a TDS (total dissolved solids) sensor that detects soluble salts, ionic organics and heavy metal ions. This can be especially helpful if you are travelling to less developed parts of the world. I was wondering if it could be used to serve beer ‘on tap’ at home but somebody beat me to the experiment.

Ultimately, this is a convenient and entertaining gadget that is well worth its low price.

Frequently asked questions

The best water dispenser for you is the one that meets your needs, and that varies for everyone. Singaporeans shopping for water dispensers usually consider:

Portability – Freestanding, countertop or connected to water supply?
Capacity – Does it need to be refilled manually? How often?
Temperature – Can it dispense hot, cold and room-temperature water?
Purification – Does it filter out impurities and eliminate harmful organisms?
Price – Are the features worth the cost?

Some of these features tend to work against each other. For example, a portable water dispenser has to compromise on tank capacity to maintain mobility; meanwhile, a high-capacity dispenser with integrated temperature control and purifier won’t be easy on the wallet.

Then, there’s the aesthetics. A freestanding upside-down bottle dispenser is economical and fits right into an office but can seem garishly out of place in a home. Here is a simple table to help you hone in on the type of device that you want.

Criteria/Best for	Type	Variant	Pros	Cons
High capacity –office or large family	Countertop	Piped	Unlimited supply	Immobile
High capacity –office or large family	Freestanding bottle	Top/bottom load	Economical	Bulky, not aesthetic
High purity – health conscious people and young children	Countertop	Internal tank	Portable	Needs refilling
High purity – health conscious people and young children	Countertop	Piped	Unlimited supply	Immobile
High portability – fans of 'personal energy conservation'	Countertop	Internal tank	Self-contained	Small capacity
High portability – fans of 'personal energy conservation'	Pump	-	Very affordable	External tank needed
Multi-temperature – kettle, cooler and dispenser in one	Freestanding bottle	Top/bottom load	Large capacity	Bulky, not aesthetic
	Countertop	Internal tank	Portable	Needs refilling
	Countertop	Piped	Unlimited supply	Immobile
Low-cost –economical option	Pump	-	Cheap	Lacks features

You may also want to consider whether or not you want an instant hot water dispenser. Singapore being the equatorial country it is, an instant dispenser will probably be easier on your power bill than a system that stores and constantly reheats water in a tank. Perhaps a simple water filter might be a better idea.

Most water dispensers fall into 3 categories – dispense both hot and chilled water; hot water only; and room temperature water only. Generally, the first of these are the most expensive and the last, the most affordable.

Because there is a tea and/or coffee fan in virtually every household in Singapore, a hot water dispenser can be pretty useful. On the other hand, if you already have a kettle or coffee machine, splurging on an expensive dispenser with heating doesn’t make sense. The same goes for homes that have a fridge with water dispenser – why spend more for another appliance with the same function?

That said, a hot and cold water dispenser can be convenient in an office. The downside, of course, is that it is an energy-hungry feature sure to put a little spike in your utility bill.

If you are willing to pay for the convenience, though, here are 2 factors you should consider:

Design - There are two main types of hot and cold water dispensers: countertop or freestanding (top- or bottom-load bottle). Which will fit better into the room/office?
Space - They tend to be bigger and heavier than regular dispensers because of both refrigeration and heating elements. There is also the need for two separate tanks to store the chilled and heated water. Some have a third compartment for water at room temperature.

Of the 17 devices we looked at, 4 were capable of dispensing both hot and cold water. The 2 better ones are the Frigeria HC66L top-loading bottle dispenser and the 3M HCD2 tabletop water dispenser. Singapore retailers advertise the Frigeria for around $400 and the 3M water dispenser for around $1,600.

If you just need a basic water dispenser for home use, skip on the multiple temperature options. All the devices on the Hot List apart from the Mijia 3Life dispense hot water.

Can you drink the water in Singapore? Yes! If you are a fan of tap water, Singapore is one of the safest places in the world to indulge. However, there are other considerations as well and acidity is one of them.

Singapore homes receive recycled water after it goes through an intensive purification process. With a direct piping water dispenser, Singapore residents are exposed to acidity in the water introduced during purification. This has the potential to upset the body’s pH balance and can potentially also damage appliances like rice cookers. An alkaline water dispenser helps to counter this.

Of the 17 dispensers we looked at, only 2 had an integrated alkaline water system and both were countertop models from Novita.

The standalone NP6610 with its massive 16-litre tank and 6-stage purifier costs $299 and has to be connected to a power supply. The tankless $599 NP313 with its 3-stage filter has to be connected to a piped water supply but does not require electricity. Every Novita water dispenser comes with a 12-month warranty.

Choosing the ‘Best Water Dispenser’ – It’s a Science (plus some Maths)

It’s insane how many ‘Best Thingamajig in Singapore’-type guides are just product descriptions and a collection of reworded reviews off the internet. There is no real order to the ranking, no logic to why one device beats another. In short, they don’t really help you make the best purchase.

At ChiliRank, we do things differently.

The process begins with a shortlist of between 15 and 20 products that receive consistently good reviews. In this case, we considered 17 water dispensers ranging from the simple to the extremely sophisticated.

We then consider the chief criteria that Singaporeans look for in that particular product. Portability, tank capacity, filter system, temperature control and cost figure heavily when it comes to water dispensers. By placing the relevant data in a table, we find the top contenders that balance all these factors.

Tbl 1 - 17 water dispensers compared

The shortlist is then whittled down to about 10 (here, we settled with 8).

By ranking the features of these qualifiers against each other, we find the 5 finalists (highlighted in yellow above). They are pitted against each other one last time to give us the final rank.

Now, you understand why this is not just another typical ‘Best’ article. ChiliRank spends the time and effort to ensure that when we recommend something, it stands up to scrutiny and really is the best product for you.

My conclusion

Our long and detailed assessment process culminates in the Hot List, a list of 5 devices that feature the optimum balance of the most popular criteria. This approach evens the playing field. It is why the simple Mijia 3Life pump which costs less than $40 makes the top 5 when the fancy $1,999 Tomal Global Freshdew, which was one of 17 devices we considered, does not.

I like to use a ‘radar graph’ to represent the relative strengths and weaknesses of the products on the Hot List. It puts the reasons to buy each one in perspective.

For example, you can immediately tell that if temperature control and high water purity matter, the Morphy Richards (green line) and Philips (grey) offer the best combination of both. Similarly, fans of cheap and portable water dispensers can see that the Mijia (red) is the smallest and most affordable but that they will have to compromise on every other factor.

The Viomi (blue) covers the biggest area, topping or nearly topping every category except for temperature control. If you can settle for that, it is clearly the winner. I certainly thought so.

Resources used for this article

Patric Tarnhamn

I’m the founder of ChiliRank.com and when I’m not working with this website I like to read, listen to music, watch tech videos on YouTube and go skateboarding.

My goal with this website is to deliver trustworthy, high-quality information, and build enough authority that people like yourself seek out ChiliRank.com as the number one website for product reviews & buying advice.

Hottest pick

Xiaomi VIOMI 4L Smart Instant Hot Water Dispenser

Also hot

Morphy Richards 131004 Redefine Hot Water Dispenser

Also hot

Philips RO Water Dispenser ADD6910

BluePro D22 Hot Water Dispenser

Mijia 3Life Water Pump

Frequently asked questions

Choosing the ‘Best Water Dispenser’ – It’s a Science (plus some Maths)

My conclusion

Resources used for this article

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