I can't beleive I ddin't get one of these years ago.
Positive Product Points
Coffee in about 5 min on a gas stove. All glass parts - very easy to clean. Coffee is very clean and honest to the odor. PV=nRT ... excellent teaching tool. Top notch parts, fit and finish. Top half is warm, not hot. It's easy to use.
Negative Product Points
None.
Detailed Commentary
Basically, I just want to +1 what you've been reading here. I've only just started using this device, but am thrilled by it. Everything I read here is perfectly true. I had to watch a Youtube video to see how the procedure of brewing with these works. It's seemed confusing at first, but is actually as easy as an autodrip. It's about as tricky as a French Press once you know how to use it.
DIRECTIONS FOR USE
Fill bottom half with water Begin heating it on gas stove Put the spring attached to the glass rod down the cylinder of the top half Extend spring and use hook to fasten it to the bottom of the cylinder Add your coffee grounds to the top half Securely put top half on bottom half Wait for water to go up through the cylinder to top chamber Maybe allow some time for the boiling water to mix with the grounds (or not) Remove pot from heat onto cool stove top. Coffee is vacuumed down in about a minute Serve
Rinse with hot water to clean. The spent grounds go out with the rinse. Getting if you don't rid of the grounds want might be annoying if you don't have a compost or drain or garden to dump them into. That would be the only caveat with this contraption.
I feel lucky in that mine seems to work perfectly. To think this was made in the 30s! If you're shopping for one, you definitely need to have a good seal between the chambers. The rubber gasket that makes the seal would be annoying to replace, so make sure it's pliable (not stiff) before you buy. The glass is pyrex and the handle is bakelite. It could last forever.
Buying Experience
Perfect. I got an honest seller who packed the item excellently.
