Product review (5 stars): Read the instructions before giving bad reviews!
Authentic replacement for the original Kenmore 9690 water filter.
Arrived with a red end cap attached, and shrinkwrapped in a tamperproof seal.

To those of you seeing the "gray water" or getting bad taste from using these: You did NOT read the instructions when you installed it.
The instructions state that tou MUST run water through this filter for 5+ minutes before the gray manufacturing carbon sediment is washed away and the filter is ready for drinking. It's normal to see dark water or have bad taste from a new filter if you haven't flushed it properly. I recommend holding up a hose to funnel it into a bucket, for around 5 minutes. Alternatively, you could flush the water into a large cooking pot, and just make a handful of trips to the sink until the water clears up.