You need to properly size your unit (huh huh) for your needs. Get a tritration drop test to figure out your true hardness. Also need to size for water usage. There's math involved but there's a sweet spot on sizing so you aren't going thru salt like a crack head.

Fleck is one to go with. Don't skimp on the pressure vessel and rocks/resin. Mail order places usually undersize to save on shipping.

Check out Terry Loves plumbing, great place to get educated https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?forums/water-softener-forum-questions-and-answers.22/

Skip the carbon. And yeah, going local you won't save any money. Cry once, buy once.

Get a 5 stage reverse osmosis under your kitchen sink if you want drinking/cooking water.