not worth the money, especially if you pay retail...i keep going back to my 1960ish sunbeam coffeemaster c50...eBay has them all the time relatively cheap.
Positive Product Points
looks great
brewing show is impressive
keep warm for 2 hours with auto shutoff is great
Negative Product Points
the filter element is a piece of junk, particularly for a bodum product. $5 every three weeks or so? crazy.
hot water doesn't spend enough time with the coffee grounds = weak coffee or use alot of coffee grounds
pot requires some work to keep clean.
Detailed Commentary
a clone with the black and decker infuzion, great looking, and the visible show of water pump up, boil off, and drop is impressive.
don't bother with the plastic filter element that comes with it, use an ancient nicro metal cap and spring filter or a silex solid porcelein and spring filter. they both do a great job at slowing down the brewed coffee drop without stalling, are very easy to clean, and will last forever.
the hot water and coffee grounds "dwell time" in the top tank is way too short, brew is too weak for me and requires upping the amount of coffee by 50%.
pot and top pot can be kept clean with a bit of work, not really a problem.
just not worth the bucks, after a year, i still think my 40+ year old sunbeam c50 does a better job, but without the show.
Buying Experience
not relevant to most people, stumbled over it at a salvation army resale shop...
Three Month Followup
no change...
One Year Followup
Still using regularly but with the use of a Nicro stainless steel hook, spring and plate style filter instead of the junk plastic filter element. Works much better with a slower drop time. Have begun to develop minute airleaks around decanter base that shows up as small bubbles during high vacuum drop time.
Still not worth the full retail $ in my opinion. Nice to look and a bargain at the second hand store price i paid but i wouldn't buy one at full retail.
