So I watch every PF video, and I have to defend him a little bit. Todd's videos are orders of _magnitude_ better than the garbage that Consumer Reports, Wirecutter, and other so-call "professional" review outfits provide. Not just in quality, but quantity even.

The first thing I will say is that water filters are not Todd's core competency. He usually tests motor oils and tools, so water filters are certainly out in left field for him.

He can't test every dimension of a product, partly due to lack of time and partly because he can't cheaply/easily test every scenario. TDS is mainly what people buy water filters for. Yes, SOME people want to filter flouride and bacteria but these are uncommon. (Flouride because it's generally safe to drink in municipal tap water, and bacteria because most water has flouride or comes from a sterile well.)

Even I would like to see him do more in-depth testing of some tools, but he does a good job overall of testing whether most products stand up to the maker's claims and whether they survive typical use. (It's surprising how many do not.) I'd personally like to see teardowns and subjective assessments of build quality along with more punishing longevity tests but I know that is asking quite a lot on top of what he already does.

Plus, the YouTube Recommendation AI demands weekly uploads and a constant stream of engagement from your viewers, or else your channel gets sent straight to the dark, sweaty backlot of obscurity and your funding along with it.