The wild discrepancy in hardness numbers from the two reps you have seen so far is precisely why you need your own independent water test from a reputable lab. Your state's web site should have a list of certified water labs from which to choose. You want to know: pH, TDS, hardness, iron, manganese, sulfates, nitrates, VOC, bacteria, and any other items recommended or required by your state - different areas have different issues and concerns so will make somewhat different testing recommendations. If you take a look at a sample of the water in a clear glass container, does it have any color?, odor, particulates? Once you have that information, I can make a recommendation. Until that time, nobody can make a reliable recommendation.

All of the vendors you have spoken to so far use proprietary equipment. This generally means more expense up front and more expense if repairs are ever necessary. I prefer something industry standard with readily available parts. However, of those above, Kinetico has a very good reputation for quality and reliability - that reputation does come at a premium price.

Which brands offer industry standard softeners with readily available parts?

Here is our water test results from an independent lab:

alice, our water does not have any noticeable color nor particulates, and it has an extremely faint odor.

Thanks so much for your help!

I met with the Kinetico rep this morning, and he gave me a quote.

Pricing I've been given so far:
Kinetico S150 - $3299
EcoWater ECR3502R40 - $1489
Hague WaterMax 62AMQ1 - $2395

I've read on other threads that the Fleck 9100SXT is often recommended as a non-proprietary twin tank system.

Opinions?

The Kinetico price seems really high as I read on other threads that the same price is quoted on their S250 or S350 models.

Interesting that the lab did not report our pH level; Kinetico rep said today that it was 7.0.

Thanks!

Softener controllers/valves with easily accessible parts are Fleck, Clack (relatively), Autotrol. Anything else will be difficult to get.

The Fleck 9100SXT is a fine valve - a twin-tank system may be just idea way to address your situation with the multiple guests you expect to have.

I did have Kinetico rep come by too, their price is too high. I cant afford it at that moment, so I did go with Fleck 7000SXT, seems to be a durable unit. Only have it few days, but many recommend them.

Roughly I spent about $1500 on install and equipments (this include the prefilter before the softener). The shed is different story, probably spend another $500 on that alone with lots of modification.