O/T - water softener and water filter systems

Went to Home Depot and it can get pretty pricey when you don�t know what to buy they sell GE brand.
Then I went to one of those water stores, as close as I could get to a price from the sales guy ($2800 + install). It would be almost double Home Depot. They won�t know until they come out to see what I need. From my experience when someone wants to get their foot in your door to give you a price, it�s usually way too high, and with a bit of pressure they up sell you even more. Like he said, �their valves are the best, and the salt will eat up the best and the others�.
What system works well for you?
What should it cost ballpark, Thanks.

First thing you have to know is how hard the water is. And how much iron it has. Around here iron plugs the softener first. Then you can judge the ratings of grains of hardness vs water comsumption vs the water hardness to see which softener is adequate. Some do a far more efficient job of using salt, but cost 4 times that of a walmart special. Plumbing them isn't all that hard and isn't different, no matter the make and model and fanciness.

The brine does corrode the valves eventually, but sometimes they can be rebuilt a time or two, but then all the passages get so worn that the very worn softener will use three or four times the salt of a newer softener. The Kinetico is very good on salt and very expensive. I've not tried the Walmart special yet.

Gerald J.