My first vac pot and I'm hooked! I'm thinking of getting another one.
Positive Product Points
Deco is very well thought out...from the holder for the upper globe, to the "notches" used to keep the lower globe in place...and oh yeah, great coffee.
Negative Product Points
Not sure it's a negative, but the one I received did not have any markings on the globe as in the picture to mark the 3 or 5 cup levels. Also, it didn't come with any sample filters.
My fault, but some discoloration after the first few uses on the bottom globe from the burner.
Detailed Commentary
A lot of the other reviews have pretty much summed up what I would say...but I especailly like the fact that the product was well thought out. The base easily holds the upper globe before and after brewing the coffee...and the little divot in the base catches the few drops that don't make it to the bottom globe (very nice touch).
It's taken me a couple of brews for me to get the "system" down (boiling water, grinding the right amount, finding the grind that works for me, etc.) including a few stalls when the water travels "north" but after that learning curve, I absolutely love it.
Like I said previously, I don't know if it is much of a negative, but the item I received from the ebay seller did not have the markings to show 3 vs 5 cups, but that really hasn't been much of a problem. I know I read on this site and elsewhere that no filters were included with the package, but that still didn't get me to order the filters. That resulted in me staring at my new coffee maker for days without being able to use it before I finally won an ebay bid for a cory filter. I even tried to use the included filter without the paper/cloth insert that you are supposed to order (it didn't work).
The burner hasn't been a problem for me in terms of use, since I heat up the water in a kettle first, but the second or third time after using the coffee maker, there was a black discoloration on the bottom of the globe from where the flame was hitting the glass. At first I thought it was the burner, but after getting some advice from the discussion pages here at coffeegeek, it was because I wasn't properly cleaning the outside of the globe. Now before use, I quickly rinse the globe on the outside and dry it off, and I haven't had a problem since.
