The four ways to get H₂ into your body
- Magnesium tablets dropped into a glass of water
- Portable hydrogen bottles with a small built-in electrolysis cell
- Countertop PEM hydrogen water machines
- Hydrogen inhalation machines (a different category — see below)
Quick side-by-side
Tablets
Pros: Cheap to try ($1–$3 per tablet). No equipment. Easy to travel with.
Cons: Single-use consumable, so ongoing cost is high if you drink hydrogen water daily. The Mg + H₂O reaction also produces magnesium hydroxide, which raises the pH of the water — fine for some people, irritating for others. Dose per tablet varies meaningfully between brands; there's no easy way to verify it at home.
Portable bottles
Pros: Portable. Good for a single serve on the go. Mid-range entry price.
Cons: Small electrolysis cells degrade faster than countertop units, so peak output drops within the first 12–24 months of regular use. Battery limits how many serves you get between charges. Output per session is modest compared to a countertop machine.
Countertop PEM machines
Pros: Highest cost upfront, lowest cost per litre after that. Stable, repeatable dose. PEM/SPE membrane separates hydrogen and oxygen, so the gas delivered into the water (or to a cannula for inhalation) is high-purity. Designed to run for years.
Cons: Sits on the counter — you have to make space for it. Needs distilled or deionised water; tap water will scale the membrane.
Inhalation machines (a different question)
Drinking hydrogen water and inhaling hydrogen gas are not interchangeable. Inhalation delivers a much larger dose per session because the gas goes straight into your lungs rather than dissolving into ~250 ml of water. If your reason for considering tablets is "I want to feel a noticeable hydrogen dose", inhalation is the closer comparison — see the inhaler range.
The cost-per-litre maths
A magnesium tablet at $2 makes one ~250 ml serve, so a litre of hydrogen water from tablets costs roughly $8. A countertop machine making 2 litres per day for 5 years works out to under $0.05 per litre once amortised, even before you count the electricity. The cost crossover usually happens inside the first 6–12 months of regular use.
So which is right for you?
- Trying hydrogen water once or twice: tablets, easily.
- Travelling or occasional use: a portable bottle.
- Drinking hydrogen water daily, indefinitely: a countertop PEM machine pays back fast.
- Wanting a noticeably larger H₂ dose: inhalation, not water.
- Full-body exposure: a hydrogen bath system.
See the full range comparison for the eight machines we sell, including bath systems.