All glass design makes it easy to clean. Stand provides place to put siphon (top part) when you're not brewing. Looks pretty (well I think so).
Negative Product Points
Alcohol burner can't really be used to boil water from room temperature. Shape of pot and handle can make pouring challenging. Expensive compared to some of it's competitors.
Detailed Commentary
Where to start? I guess I'd attribute this Vac Pot as the first item that started me on the slippery slope where coffee turns from just a drink into a full blown hobby. My SO would probably identify it as the start of an affliction she calls coffee hell, whose symptoms usually include diminished kitchen counter space and severly dented bank accounts.
The all glass design of the Cona makes cleanup very easy and there's no need for any cotton of paper filters that need to be replaced (I believe that's what some of the other units use but I may be mistaken since I've never seen any other vac pot in person). As mentioned in one of the other reviews, the glass design does seem prone to breakage but it's really quite thick and strong. I've heard that the first piece that usually gets dropped/broken is the glass filter rod. Having said that I've owned it for about two years and haven't had anything break yet.
The stand is sturdy and provides a place to put the siphon (top section which contains the coffee and filter rod, perhaps siphon isn't the right word.....) when you're waiting for the water to boil or after you've finished brewing. The shape of the stand always seems to beg me to pick up the entire unit by the stand arm. This is not a good idea. The siphon section is quite top heavy and likes to tip to one side. The entire thing could probably moved (empty of course) with very steady hands but I usually transport it piece by piece if I need to move it around. It's also a REALLY BAD idea to try to move it while brewing coffee since the entire assembly is very top heavy when there's water in the siphon area. I would assume that this is true for all vac pots.
It comes equipped with an alcohol burner to heat the water. The substance is burns goes by various names depending upon what part of the world you live in. It may be known to you as denatured alcohol or perhaps fondue fuel (or perhaps another name). The burner isn't really powerful enough to boil the water starting from room temperature so I usually boil the water first in a kettle, pour it into the pot and then bring it back to a boil with the burner.
Lastly once the brewing is finished the coffee sits in the glass pot which I found allowed the coffee to cool down to quickly. Usually I'll decant it into vacuum flask so it stays hot, and it also lets me avoid drinking the little bit of coffee grounds that make it past the glass rod.
Buying Experience
I purchased the Cona over the internet from sweetmarias. I would say my experience was like most peoples who've dealt with Tom and Maria. Prompt, curteous and 100% hassle free.
