I have installed MANY water softeners ranging from what would be considered a premium brand to a big box brand like this one. Installation was simple and took about an hour for the softener side of it. I added a 60 micron self back-washing sediment filter just before it to catch anything that could cause a problem in the future with the filter media in the softener. Only time will tell if this will live up to the job that I need it to do but with the foot print size it has (comparison to some its very slim and compact) this is one of the very few that would have worked in the area that I had available. I have not had any problems with it so far but will be keeping an eye on it due to the plastic clips that hold the plumbing connections in place and the o-rings that prevent connections from leaking.