Both Coway and Cuckoo make excellent water filters and air purifiers, but which company delivers the better product overall?
So in the debate between Coway vs Cuckoo:
Read on below for our take on which of these companies make the better home appliance, and whether or not you should pick one over the other!
Note: this is mostly a general overview between both brands, and will not include more specific product comparisons.
Table Of Contents:
1. Coway vs Cuckoo Water Filter
Water filters help to remove contaminants from the water you use, providing you with safe, clean drinking water.
Coway and Cuckoo both make POU (Point-Of-Use) water filters/purifiers, and we’ll discuss how the manufacturers differ from one another below.
And if you plan on getting a water filter/purifier soon, check out our guide on picking the right water filter for you.
1.1. Water Filtration System
Coway Water Filtration Technology
The majority of Coway’s water purifiers use a Reverse Osmosis filter, which is the most thorough filtration system available on the market.
RO filters work by having water pushed through a semi-permeable membrane to remove contaminants from the water.
You can find a more detailed explanation on RO in the article here.
The other water filtration system Coway uses is their trademarked Nanotrap filters, which reduce microorganisms using electromagnetic fields.
These are only the main filters of course, as Coway’s cartridge-based filtration system ranges anywhere between 3 – 6 stages depending on the filter model.
Cuckoo Water Filtration Technology
All of Cuckoo’s water filter/purifiers, on the other hand, have a 6 – stage water filtration system, with their main patented filters being a natural filter and a nano positive filter.
The natural filter introduces a mild alkaline balance to drinking water to promote a healthier pH balance. Although there’s still a lack of credible evidence on the latter.
Meanwhile, the nano positive filter works to eliminate up to 99.99% of microorganisms present.
And remove other harmful contaminants (algae/fungi, heavy metals), absorbing negatively-charged harmful contaminants.
1.2. Water Quality and pH Levels
The water produced from Coway’s water purifiers is usually within 6.5 to 7.5 pH, which is fairly neutral.
As for water quality, while Coway’s use of a RO filter makes the resulting water very clean, there is the low mineral content.
Meanwhile, Cuckoo’s water purifiers advertise themselves as being mildly alkaline (around 7.5 Ph) with notable mineral content.
1.3. Water Tank Size
On average, Coway’s water purifiers do have larger tank sizes compared to their Cuckoo counterparts.
1.4. Servicing Frequency
Both Coway and Cuckoo have their own servicing arms for their water purifiers, offering regular filter replacements and check-ups on the purifiers’ functionality.
Coway’s water purifiers have a service session every 2 months, while Cuckoo’s water purifiers have a service session every 4 months.
1.5. Pricing
Pricing-wise, both Coway and Cuckoo have similar price points, with their respective competing models being only RM100 to RM200 off of each other.
Both manufacturers also offer direct-purchase or monthly rental options for the water filters/water purifiers.
1.6. Coway VS Cuckoo Water Purifiers – Verdict
Given the variety of water purifiers that both Coway and Cuckoo have available, it’s hard to generalize one brand being the better overall choice over the other.
What we can do is summarize what makes each brand unique, so you can figure out which of the two manufacturers you prefer.
| Criteria | Coway | Cuckoo |
| Main Water Filtration System | Uses Reverse Osmosis or Nanotrap filters | Uses a proprietary ‘nano-positive’ filter |
| Resulting Water pH | Water has a fairly neutral pH between 6.5 to 7.5 | Water has a more alkaline balance at 7.0 to 8.0 pH |
| Resulting Water Mineral Content | RO-filtered water will have fewer minerals | Unique filtration system allows for a higher mineral count |
| Water Tank Capacity | Has larger water tank sizes in comparison to Cuckoo | Water tanks are smaller in comparison to Coway |
| Servicing Frequency | Requires servicing every 2 months | Requires servicing every 4 months |
| Price Range | Similar to Cuckoo | Similar to Coway |
2. Coway vs Cuckoo Air Purifier
Apart from water purifiers/filters, the two companies also have air purifiers for sale.
Air purifiers are used to circulate and remove contaminants in the air, allowing you to breathe easier in your home, especially if you have asthma or allergies.
As for which company makes the better product, read on below:
2.1. Air Filtration System
Coway’s air purifiers vary between a 4 (Pre-Filter, Fine-Dust, Deodorisation, HEPA) to 6 (Pre-Filter, Fine-Dust, HEPA. RBD Plasma, Catalyst, Deodorisation) stage air filtration system.
While Cuckoo uses a standard 7 – Stage filtration system for all their air purifiers.
This consists of a Pre-Filter, Harmful Gas Filter, Deodorisation, and a 4-stage Ultra PM 2.5 Filter (Anti-Bacteria, Anti-Mold, Anti-Virus, Allergen Filter).
2.2. Key Filters
For Coway, their most notable filter component is the HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Absorbing) filter, which is able to remove 99.97% of particles up to 0.3 micrometers.
And as for Cuckoo, their advertised filter of choice is the self-developed Ultra PM2.5 Filter, which filters out material up to 2.5 micrometers, and has been tested and certified by University Putra Malaysia (UPM).
2.3. Coverage
From a cursory glance of both Coway and Cuckoo’s air purifier offerings:
Coway’s air purifiers do have a larger surface area coverage in comparison to Cuckoo’s air purifiers.
For example, Coway’s largest model, the Tuba, has coverage of 93m2, while Cuckoo’s largest model, the D Model, only has a coverage of 66m2.
2.4. Maintenance and Servicing
Coway’s air purifier service follows their water purifier service, in which a professional from the company will check-up on it every 2 months, along with filter replacements if necessary.
Cuckoo’s maintenance and servicing schedule is also similar, with a service team visiting every 4 months for filter replacements, and to ensure the device is working at an optimal level.
2.5. Pricing
Coway’s air purifiers range between RM2,500 to RM4,240, offering both economic and luxury options.
The price of Cuckoo air purifiers, however, range from RM2,358 to RM3,500, and are only marginally more affordable than their Coway counterparts.
2.6. Coway VS Cuckoo Air Purifiers – Verdict
As with the case of the water purifiers, both Coway and Cuckoo bring different things to the table when it comes to air purifiers.
Given the uniqueness of each model, it’s hard to generalize them, so we’ll instead list some of the more unique features and things to keep in mind for each manufacturer.
| Criteria | Coway | Cuckoo |
| Main air filtration technology | 4 to 6 – stage filtration system with HEPA filter (up to 0.03µm) | 7 – stage filtration system with Ultra PM2.5 filter (only up to 2.5µm) |
| Area coverage | Larger | Smaller |
| Maintenance & Servicing | Every 2 months | Every 4 months |
| Price | Marginally more expensive | Marginally cheaper |
Conclusion
When it comes to Coway VS Cuckoo, it’s best to do the research on the specific product(s) you’re looking for.
There’s plenty of factors why you’d choose one brand over the other. And in our opinion, neither brand is significantly better than the other.
So whether it’s a water purifier or an air purifier, don’t just rely on the brand name to carry you through to your final decision!
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