A great vac pot for the price. Replacement parts is readily available.
Positive Product Points
It is easy to use. Coffee tastes much better than the drip. It is less expensive comparing to other vacuum/syphon pots. Nice size opening at the bottom flask for cleaning. No routine replacement of filter is necessary. It can be used over the stove.
Negative Product Points
Glass of the bottom flash is a little thin. Quite a bit of water left over at the bottom during brewing. Plastic filter doesn't trap all the coffee ground.
Detailed Commentary
The Santos is my first vacuum pot brewer. I have been using it for over eight months now. The setup for brewing is easy. On average, I brew about 4 to 6 cups of coffee on my gas stove at one time.
The bottom glass flask is a little weak. It was cracked at the bottom after six months of use. I might have cracked it due to over heating. Anyway, I purchased a replacement at the Bodum store for $20.
The plastic filter doesn't trap all the coffee gound. I might consider replacing the plastic filter with a Cona glass rod. Unlike other reviews, I never had any problem with the filter clogging.
The unit tend to wobble a little when most of the water is at the top while brewing more than 4 cups. However, I never had any incident with tipping over or spilling coffee.
Overall, the Bodum Santos is a nice vacuum pot especially for beginners. It can be used over the stove and no replacement filter is required. So there isn't any on-going operating cost other than the coffee ground and gas for the stove. I will definitely recommend the Santos to anyone using a drop coffee maker.
Buying Experience
I purchased the less expensive Santos set from the Bodum store. It is also available online at the www.Bodum.com.
