From the Halsey Taylor website, the price range for an average unit is $1,500-$2,500. Their main competitor, ELKAY, lists fairly similar prices and has almost the same type of interface. The main categories that each offer include "regular," "vandal-resistant," "green," "architectural contour," and "wall mount." The vandal-resistant models are said to be for higher-traffic areas, though from both websites there doesn't seem to be much difference between those and the regular ones other than price-point. Architectural contour and wall mounts simply define how the products interface into the wall. Green models advertise that they are even more energy-saving.

The ones that MIT has are the regular ones, in automatic and manual. Each type of station comes with its own set of problems. In the first, the user has to pay attention to the dispenser to know the current water level. Also, the stream of water does not stop right away when the bottle is removed, so the outside of the water bottle, and sometimes the user's hand, typically gets soaked in the process of removing the bottle. Luckily, these stations are usually positioned outside of bathrooms, so there is a convenient nearby location to find a paper towel to wipe off the excess water.

In the case that the water dispenser will also automatically shut off, as in the fountain in building 5, it will typically not completely fill the bottle, leaving the user unsatisfied. Then, the user has to face the choice of leaving with an unfilled water bottle or attempting to start the process again, but this time with a wet bottle exterior because the bottle had to be removed halfway through the second fill cycle.

As for the manual type, users are usually annoyed to find that they have to press down the button the entire time. It can be taxing on the hand as well.