T6 Water Dispenser – The 6th Most Indispensable Kitchen Appliance?

Posted on Oct 18 2010 - 11:37am by Richard Sharp

We’re still failing in our unending quest to find a kettle that connects to the Internet, try though we do to track one down. However, the next best thing might just be here in the shape of the T6 Water Dispenser; so called because the manufacturers believe it is the 6th most indispensable kitchen appliance. We’ve looked but we don’t know what they considered to be numbers 1 through 5.

The T6 offers filtered  boiling hot, hot, ambient, and chilled water so that you can apparently get the temperature of your favoured beverage just right every time. It is also connected to the mains water supply and the water can be kept at your preferred temperature so that you don’t have to idly wait around in the kitchen. Just imagine how many minutes a day you could save in the coffee making process.

The digital display and easy press buttons enable you to choose setting which not only lets you choose how you want your water dispensed this time but also lets you choose whether to keep water chilled or hot ready for next time. This is a great, time saving element if you always have the same drink or at least drinks of the same temperature though you may have to wait if you change your mind last minute and swerve away from a cup of PG and instead opt for a chilled blackcurrant cordial.

Three filter strips ensure that the water is properly filtered once its delivered and this means that you can enjoy healthy and great tasting water no matter what the temperature you opt for and no matter how you intend to use it.

The design of the T6 is stylish and sophisticated. The drip tray can be chucked in the dishwasher and the occasional once over with a non-abrasive dish cloth is enough to ensure it stays clean and good looking.

Obviously, not everybody is going to have the desire or the need for a water dispenser but the T6 is a good looking and very useful kitchen addition for home or the office.

24 Comments so far. Feel free to join this conversation.

  1. Tracie Ryan January 5, 2011 at 2:16 pm - Reply

    Despite this gadget being released over a year ago, I cannot find any reviews from anyone who's actually tried it. All the reviews, including yours, simply take the narrative from the manufacturer's website. Has anyone actually bought one? I'd like to know what the electricity consumption is like, since it appears to be a mini immersion heater which are not cheap to run at all. I fully appreciate the "saving water" aspect and would love to do away with the plastic bottles but, in practice, is there any actual energy/cost savings in running a water heater all day? Really stylish. Really want one. Anyone out there got any real views???

    • Andrew jacquest May 19, 2011 at 11:48 pm - Reply

      Hey

      Just a quick Note. I have one in My kitchen and think it's great. My kids love it. I've not noticed any increase in my electricity consumption. It's fantastic and although a large out lay it's worth every penny to me. I hope this is some help.

      Andrew

  2. Ralph Bell January 22, 2011 at 12:29 pm - Reply

    In response to Tracie Ryan above, I too would like to see some user reviews (and an idea of the price?)

    I'm very interested in buying such a thing but I wouldn't rush into such a purchase without seeing some more independant thoughts.

    I'm also curious as to how the MD of the importers – Nick Heane – came up with an average price for bottled water being 73p per litre. I tend to pay between 2.8ppl and 5 ppl in Waitrose http://www.free-press-release.com/news-the-t6-sav
    so I have my suspicions about the price being set, based upon an inflated cost of bottled water.

  3. Stanley Browne January 25, 2011 at 6:58 pm - Reply

    ummmmmm,…..I too am singing from the same page!

    I have been on the computer now going through various search engines to find reviews of those who have actually used one!! …but to no avail.

    however, I have been in touch with the company who have quoted a price of £425.

    I am tempted, but will not buy until I can get some sort of feed back on this handy little kitchen appliance. …

    also I agree, it would act like a water heater, although the company says it only uses 11kw compared to 18kw from a kettle!!

    but a kettle is not left on constantly!!

    ummmmm……. the Jury is still out on this one….

    Stanley Browne.

  4. @crispinslee February 21, 2011 at 7:34 pm - Reply

    There was a review on the BBC's Something for the Weekend show recently. What they said is here on YouTube:

  5. Jacob Neale June 22, 2011 at 10:40 am - Reply

    We've just bought a Bibo from here http://www.bibowater.co.uk which is a similar thing. We're really pleased with it, and they installed it in my kitchen as part of the price. My daughter loves it for being able to take a reusable water bottle out with her and it's very handy for tea and coffee.

  6. S.Dawe October 7, 2011 at 1:06 pm - Reply

    The Bibo looks almost identical to the T6 and fitting is free (£56 for the T6). Filters are roughly £100 more for the T6
    No comparisons seem to have been done in the press which is unusual! I am more concerned with who has copied who & who manufactures the machines? Neither company want to talk about this. Bibo seem to have only 4 staff whereas Strauss Water Co are huge.
    My sister has just bought a T6 & I'm well impressed-massively overpriced however

  7. @bibowater October 25, 2011 at 1:39 pm - Reply

    Hi S Dawe, thank you for your comments. We are asking a few magazines and websites to do a comparison between us as we believe it would be useful for potential customers to be able to read about the differences between the products. We are very happy to answer any questions you might have about how and where the BIBO is made and you are welcome to visit our offices in Oxfordshire any time. Best wishes, BIBO Water

  8. Toni October 27, 2011 at 1:02 pm - Reply

    We use one in a work enviroment – and I do love it – I think it does take up a fair amount of space if used in a domestic enviroment this might be an issue. I used the boost button to make sure the water is hot if making tea, but find it is not required if making coffee – it comes out a resonable drinkable temperature, which is great when you don't have time to wait for it to cool down. the cold water side is awesome – has saved me personally a small fortune in not buying bottled water. I just refill my re-usable bottle from the T6.
    It has now been in regular use most days for the last six months and the water tastes as great now as it did when we started using it. It does have options on the one we have so you can get it to power itself down when not going to be in use so for us over the w/ends when office is usually empty.
    But one button press will get it to wake up, but you might need to wait about two minutes from there for it to heat the water.

  9. S. Dawe November 1, 2011 at 10:53 am - Reply

    Hi Bibo, good to see you are on the ball & thanks for the invite.
    Perhaps you could short circuit the process & tell us all here & now what the differences are & whether you both have patents etc. So much to find out yet-I gather your machine will only go up to 98c whereas the T6 reaches 100c, 6m cord length vs 25m. Yours has a colour touch screen & theirs is black & white?? They have a larger colour choice
    Also, you have just introduced a £36 fitting charge & T6 will do it for free! How much will your extra single filter cost me in the first year & how much is your warranty in years 2 & 3? Are the filters identical?
    Looking forward to hearing from you

  10. gadgetsandgizmos November 4, 2011 at 8:13 pm - Reply

    Hello all, we are having a brand new Bibo installed on Tuesday so will update you once we've lived with it for a while.

    • blocksandbytes November 22, 2011 at 1:23 pm - Reply

      My Bibo was installed yesterday in silver. Looks great next to the delonghi bean to cup coffee machine. Surprised that they are a similar size! and it can be a bit noisy when heating\chilling the water, but the convenience of having triple filtered\uv hot\cold water on tap is priceless (especially with a baby).

  11. gadgetsandgizmos November 28, 2011 at 6:35 pm - Reply

    Our bibo review is now live: http://www.gadgetsandgizmos.org/bibo-water-dispen

    • Louise May 16, 2012 at 4:18 pm - Reply

      Great review, I have decided to go with the BIBO for my beauty salon to avoid the endless boiling of the kettle. this has been a great help.

      • gadgetsandgizmos May 16, 2012 at 4:26 pm - Reply

        The Bibo is a great piece of kit. We've got one in our kitchen too in cream.

  12. S Dawe February 28, 2012 at 3:14 pm - Reply

    Well blow me down, both firms seem to have shifted the goalposts somewhat similarly
    The T6 has gone from £651 over 3 years to £734 a rise of 12.7%
    Bibo from £620 to £705 or 13.7%
    No quantitative easing there then!
    Not even a first years worth of filters

    • @bibowater July 31, 2012 at 3:54 pm - Reply

      Bear in mind that BIBO comes with its first set of filters in the machine as part of the purchase price – the Virgin Pure T6 and T7 don't.

      • gadgetsandgizmos August 16, 2012 at 11:22 pm - Reply

        That's a fair point; also the replacement filters are cheaper with bibo, especially if you get their filters at home deal.

  13. Sam October 24, 2012 at 10:18 am - Reply

    So is it that because of increased demand the price of the BIBO has gone up and it no longer comes with installation? This is has put me off getting one. Really REALLY annoying!! I thought prices came down the more successful a product is?

    • gadgetsandgizmos October 24, 2012 at 11:40 am - Reply

      Has it gone up? By how much?

      • @bibowater January 29, 2013 at 4:03 pm - Reply

        BIBO is £383 and has been for more than a year now, it hasn't gone up in price since January 1st 2012 . We still carry offers free home installation in various national newspapers and magazines.

  14. Abby Taylor September 24, 2013 at 10:05 pm - Reply

    well i can't find the filters for the T6 anywhere does anybody know where we can buy them from

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