For two years, I bought bottled water. Coupang Rocket Delivery, 12-pack of 2L bottles, 2-3 boxes a month. It was fine — delivery handled the heavy lifting.
Then I moved, and the new place had no room for water bottle boxes. That's when I started looking into water purifiers.
In Korea, you rent water purifiers
This surprised me. In Korea, most people don't buy water purifiers outright — they rent them. For 20,000-30,000 won per month, you get the machine, automatic filter deliveries, and free repairs. It's called "렌탈" (rental) and it's a whole system.
Why I chose the Coway Icon 2
My studio kitchen is tiny, so size was #1. The Icon 2 is only 18cm wide. It barely takes up counter space. Despite the compact size, it does cold water, hot water, and room temperature.
The hot water has four temperature settings: 44°C, 70°C, 85°C, and 100°C. Great for instant ramen (100°C), pour-over coffee (85°C), or baby formula (44°C).
6 months in
Way more convenient than bottled water. Obviously. But pressing a button for instant cold water beats opening a fridge. Summer game-changer.
Portion dispensing is surprisingly handy. Half cup, full cup, two cups, or continuous. Set your cup down, press, walk away.
UV auto-sanitization every 6 hours. I don't have to do anything. The spout is also detachable for washing.
The IoT app is... thorough. Shows daily water usage, filter life, settings. When I went on a trip, it sent me a notification: "You haven't used water in a while." Slightly creepy but impressive.
The downsides
Hot water runs out after 3-4 cups. Small tank means it needs time to reheat.
3-year contract. Early termination means penalties. If you're only staying in Korea for a year, might not be worth it.
Not actually cheap over 3 years. ~25,000 won × 36 months = 900,000 won. You could buy a purifier outright and replace filters yourself for less. But you'd also have to manage everything yourself.
Bottled water vs. purifier cost
I did the math: 2L × 12 bottles = 8,000 won, 3 boxes/month = 24,000 won. With card discounts, the rental is 15,000-20,000 won. The purifier is actually cheaper than bottled water. Plus no heavy boxes and no plastic waste.
Should've done this sooner.
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