First, the original “dark” version of Willard Water is/was known as “Triple X” or “XXX” and it still is available, however we don't even list it on our order form, because once Doc Willard perfected the dark, creating what he called “RL-1”, it just didn't make any sense to us to keep selling the Triple X—because the Triple X is only about 45% as “potent” as the “Clear” Willard Water, and as the “new” RL-1 (the dark we provide). Triple X, therefore, needs to be mixed 2-1/4 ounces of concentrate per gallon to equal the catalytic benefits of the dark we provide, or of the clear. (And that's assuming the Triple X hasn't been improperly bottled by some third party adding additional ordinary water to it.)

The dark and clear from us are close to identical. That's because nearly all of “the water's” benefits are from the molecular change it makes in the water you add the concentrate to, rather than from the minerals and other nutrients which make up the dark material.

However, there are some differences that apparently do result from the greater concentration of those nutrients in the “dark”... most often, people tell us that they simply like the dark better — they “find themselves thinking about wanting some of it” at various times of the day, whereas with the clear, they simply got on a schedule to remember to drink it at a particular time or times. Some people even say they crave the dark — I believe it's an accepted fact that any time a person craves anything, it's due to a mineral deficiency of some sort...since the dark is dark due to minerals in it, that could explain why some people “sort of crave it” who didn't “crave” the clear.

Also, very consistently, people with blood sugar problems — whether it's high blood sugar or low blood sugar — have told us that the dark has worked even better for them than the clear. “Ditto” that for people with gout. And, since gout is a type of arthritis, we've often wondered if perhaps anyone with any type of arthritis might not prefer the dark, but we're not as sure of that.

And a lot of people have said they think they get “even a little more energy” from the dark than the clear; and people using “the water” along with any of our weight loss and energy supplements have very consistently said they felt that the dark boosted their results even more than the clear did. (We've heard that from people who started out with just the supplement, then added “the clear water” and felt the supplement was working better for them; and then, finally, they switched to the “dark water”, and they say they saw an even greater improvement in their results.)

But, there are a few cases where we believe the clear is the best choice...

Doc Willard always said anyone using the product in their eyes (the mixed-up-gallon, not the concentrate), should use the clear. So, for those of you who spray your tired, and/or red eyes with it, you may want to keep that spray bottle filled with the clear mixture. Same goes for anyone using it as an eyewash, or as a contact lens cleaner. Doc suggested that because he said, in theory, if any of the nutritional items in the dark ever came out of solution, it might be a somewhat larger particle than would be desirable in your eye. As a practical matter, we've never seen it come out of solution, nor had Doc, but he always felt it was much better to err on the cautious side, and we'd have to agree.

Also, if a person has lots of allergies, or sensitivities to “about everything”, it would seem to make sense to at least start out with the clear—there's just less in it to “react to” or “be sensitive to”.

And, from an aesthetic standpoint, some people simply find the clear more “appetizing looking”, or they believe others in their household will...in that case, it makes a lot more sense to use the clear—if you get the dark, and nobody will use it, you've just wasted your money!

I (Charlie) can't resist telling you about my wife Kolleen's “conversion” to the dark... she'd always said she'd never drink that—it looked “too yucky”. That was until the day we first met Doc Willard in person. We'd had a fascinating and intense conversation with him from 7 a.m. when he picked us up at the airport all through the day... about 5 o'clock Kolleen sort of “sunk” into a couch they had at the plant (the Willard's manufacturing plant where we were visiting), saying she felt mentally and physically exhausted — “like a computer with an overload”. Ever the considerate host, Doc asked her if she'd like a glass of his water — she said that would be just fantastic. What she didn't know was that Doc always drank the dark, and that was all he had “mixed up” at the plant for drinking... so he came up with a TALL glass of his dark water and presented it to Kolleen... there was just no “gracious way” to tell Doc it was “too yucky”, so “down the hatch” it went... surprise! She really liked it! And it was after that we learned from Doc about gout and blood sugar problems seemingly benefiting more from the dark... Kolleen was pregnant at the time — it was the first day of the last month of her third (and final) pregnancy.

Well, during that pregnancy she'd developed “gestational diabetes” which we'd been told would result in the baby being “taken early”, because her blood sugar would undoubtedly “go sky high at the end” and endanger the baby. After hearing what Doc had to say about “the dark”, she switched to the dark that day, and her blood sugar started coming down . She went full-term, and had no problems whatsoever. We never explained it to her OB/GYN, but I did feel sorry for him when he stammered around one day, trying to convince me that what he'd told us would usually happen, really usually did; he said, he had no idea why it didn't in Kolleen's case. I assured him I believed him and we were just glad to be an exception!