Don't Buy an eskiin Filtered Showerhead Until You Read This
I Tested It Against 4 Rivals. Here's Why It's Worth It, How It Compares, Who Makes It and Today's Offer.
Claire with the eskiin Handheld in her own bathroom.
You've seen the ads. Then you google it, and "eskiin complaints" comes up first.
So I put it in my own shower and tested it against the four filtered showerheads everyone else is buying.
My verdict, up front: eskiin is worth it. The real category complaints are dead pressure, Instagram tax, stains, and a filter you can't open. eskiin is what you buy after you've seen that. It's the only one of the five with two filters and a head that lifts off the wall, it had the strongest spray I tested, and it's the one still in my shower.
Here's what it was like to use, how it stacks up against the other four, the two people behind it, and today's offer.
What Happened When I Tried It
I've tested more showerheads than I can count, and most of them blur together after a week. This one didn't.
It went on in a couple of minutes. I unscrewed my old head, threaded the eskiin on by hand and clicked the handheld into its holder. No tools, no plumber.
Then I turned it on. The spray came out fuller and stronger than anything I'd had on that wall, and I could feel it reach my scalp right through my hair.
By the end of the first week, the chlorine smell that used to hang in the steam was gone. My hair smelled like my shampoo again.
The part that sold me was the conditioner. I tip my head back, aim the handheld at the back of my hair, and it rinses out in one pass. A few weeks in, my hair feels softer and lighter at the roots.
It's the one I kept, and the one I'd tell my sister to buy.
eskiin vs the ones everyone else is buying
I put the eskiin Handheld next to four popular rivals. Prices are each brand's own, checked in November 2026.
| eskiin | The Instagram one (Jolie) | Cheap Amazon inline | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front price | $139 | $149–$169 | about $36 |
| Filtration | 15 layers (dual-stage, two filters) | single / 2-media | basic carbon + sulfite cylinder |
| Chlorine & metals | 98.7% | ~84% | not claimed / weak |
| Pressure | up to 2.5x (Venturi) | soft, no boost | same weak spray you already have |
| Filter swap | twists out, no hassle | hard to open | n/a |
| Face / cleaning | face comes off, no stubborn stains | stains, hard to clean | n/a |
| Install | fits 99% of US showers, everything in the box | can be bulky | extra joints, pressure loss |
| Guarantee | 60 days | varies | marketplace returns |
Canopy Handheld
Price: $150
Canopy is the pretty spa object. Scent tablets, nice on the wall, almost no pressure. Four minutes of rinsing and your crown can still feel coated.
Check price on Amazon →
Jolie Filtered Showerhead
Price: $169
Jolie is the Instagram one: influencer tax, soft pressure, ~84% chlorine claims against 98.7% here, a face that stains, and a cartridge that fights you when it is time to twist it out.
Check price on Amazon →
AquaBliss Shower Filter
Price: About $36
AquaBliss is the cheap Amazon cylinder. It screws in behind the head you already hate. Same weak spray, extra leak points, nothing for pressure.
Check price on Amazon →The people behind it
There Are Real People Behind This One
Wes and Maddie, the founders of eskiin. Photo: eskiin.
eskiin didn't start in a boardroom. It started with two people who were fed up with their own showers.
They tried product after product. When nothing worked, they looked at the one thing they hadn't changed: the water coming out of the shower. Here's how they tell it on eskiin's own site:
"Wes had eczema. Maddie was losing hair and struggling with perioral dermatitis. After everything failed, we looked into our shower water. We were shocked to find out how dirty it was."
They went looking for a filter to buy. None had the water pressure, the filtering and the build quality they wanted. So in 2023 they made their own, and that's how eskiin started.
Today they still run it themselves, out of Beaverton, Oregon. eskiin says its goal is clean shower water in one million homes.
Why They Built a Handheld With 2 Filters
Their first product was a filtered head that stays on the wall. eskiin calls it its best-seller, and good feedback from friends and family kept them going.
Then they took the same pressure and filtering and built it into a handheld you can lift off the wall.
A 15-layer system that takes out 98.7% of chlorine and heavy metals before the water hits your skin and hair. Two filters, not one: one in the handle that does the deep work with KDF-55, calcium sulfite and vitamin C, and a second ceramic stage at the face that catches whatever is left, so the water is cleaned twice. Pressure climbs up to 2.5x with a Venturi design, so the spray actually reaches your scalp.
Our Verdict
- The one I'd buy: eskiin Handheld
- Price: $139
- Filtration: 15 layers, 98.7% chlorine & metals (dual-stage)
- Comes off the wall: Yes
- Setup: No tools, eskiin says
- Try it: 60 days
Shipping is free, and they add shower steamers. eskiin is a US company, run by its founders Wes and Maddie in Oregon. You get 60 days to try it, and if you don't love it, they'll send your money back.
In Summary
Claire is the senior tester at Strand Reviewer. She covers hair, skin and the bathroom gear that actually changes how your shower feels.
Comments
I love that I can rinse my hair in the morning without washing my makeup off. Sounds silly, but it's the thing I didn't know I needed.
89Had the AquaBliss for a year. It's fine, but it's the same weak spray, just filtered. Switched to the eskiin last month and the pressure is night and day.
64This is exactly why I'm here lol. My AquaBliss is in a drawer.
9How hard is it to change the filters? I have arthritis in my hands and twisting things is tough.
15Rosa, the filter in the handle twists out and the new one twists in, no tools. It takes about a minute, and you only do it every three months or so.
22Thank you for actually saying who's behind it. I'd much rather buy from two people in Oregon than some faceless brand.
38Got mine in September. My skin doesn't feel tight when I get out anymore, and the bathroom doesn't smell like a pool. My husband noticed before I said anything.
112The pool smell thing is so real. Ours is gone too and I can't believe I lived with it.
7Canopy owner here. It's pretty and the scent pods are nice for a week, but I always had to rinse twice. Switching when my filter runs out.
27My color used to fade in about three weeks. I've had the eskiin since August and my stylist actually asked what I changed. The back of my hair finally feels clean after conditioner.
47Same here! My toner is lasting so much longer and I didn't change anything else.
12Is it hard to put on? I rent and I really don't want to call a plumber or mess with my deposit.
23Tasha, no tools needed. You unscrew your old head, screw the eskiin on by hand and click the handheld into its holder. When you move, put your old one back and take the eskiin with you.
31Perfect, ordering tonight. Thank you!
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