Nice item...worth the price.
UPDATE:. Oh, I'm loving this French press! I bought a metal mesh sieve (set of 3, actually), which makes the cleanup so much easier. You can buy them here on Amazon, but I don't think they appreciate adding links to purchases. Actually, THEY really should add mesh sieves to the bottom of the screen as "bought together"...or maybe the seller can add a metal mesh sieve to the set! [*wink-wink*]. So, I simply allow the glass to cool a bit before putting warm water in the grounds, swishing the water around to catch all the grounds, and pouring them into the sieve. It really helps if you have a "shower" type of spray nozzle on your spigot. This prevents the water from splashing all over the sink. So I rinse as many times as I can to remove the grinds; usually not more than three times. NEVER add cold water to hot glass. This can cause the fragile glass to crack. I empty the strained grinds into the trash. Then I use the spray nozzle to spray the few loose grinds off the sieve and plunger. I fill the carafe 3/4 full with clean warm water, then add a bit of detergent to the water in the carafe, then pump the plunger up and down in the water to clean the glass and plunger at the same time. To empty the carafe, I pour the detergent water over the sieve to clean that, and use the spray spigot to rinse the soapy dishes. I rinse everything with hot water, again using the spray nozzle, then set everything in the empty dishwasher to drain. I have a top rack for small dishes, but you may need to drain the small items on a towel on your counter. I also discovered that the glass does slide out of the metal holder. I was pulling up on the plunger one day when I discovered the glass pulling away from the metal. I don't know if it was originally glued in, but this certainly makes it much easier to clean. I was noticing coffee grinds between the glass and metal, which was very annoying. I'm so glad it can be removed to clean. But I do have to make sure it doesn't slide out of the metal casing when I pour or pull out the plunger. Since everything is much easier to clean now, I make all my coffee in the FP. I also noticed a difference in the taste, and it is not my imagination. I don't think I'll ever go back to drip! There are a few negative reviews, mainly about cracking. But as long as you DO NOT ADD COLD WATER TO THE HEATED GLASS, you shouldn't have cracks. I'm considering buying a second FP just in case this one breaks. This is well worth the purchase. Last review: This is my first French press, and I've always wanted one. That being said, this review is more on the reflection of the French press process than it is on this specific device, since I have nothing else to compare it to...except my drip coffee makers. Before receiving the shipment, I viewed instructions of YouTube videos, so I would be prepared to use it immediately. CONS: 1. The French press does not use a paper coffee filter as the drip makers use. This is the biggest con, but it's also the biggest pro, which I'll explain shortly. I'm accustomed to pulling out the filter and dumping the grounds in the trash. I have experienced the downfall of washing the grinds down the drain. It can cause major plumbing issues, which can be expensive if not dealt with in time. So my first and only experience to date of disposing of the grinds was a messy one. I had to use a long spoon to get the grinds to the top of the carafe and dump them in the trash. The grounds got all over my hands, the floor, the trash can...and then I still had to rinse them out into the sink. In this case, there were only a few grounds remaining, so I turned on my garbage disposal before rinsing it out. In hindsight, I should've just poured them over an empty coffee filter and proceeded as I do with drip coffee. I'll figure it out. People have been doing this for years, so I know there's a better way. 2. This particular model has metal molded around a glass carafe. I'm assuming this is designed to keep the coffee hot. But in washing the carafe, water gets trapped between the metal and glass. My OCD won't allow me to dismiss this issue. I don't know if mold will become trapped between the glass and metal, or if the metal will rust. But I do know I can't put this away in the cupboard until it dries thoroughly. I turned it upside down, and am patiently waiting for it to drain thoroughly. 3. It isn't electric, so the coffee doesn't remain hot. I can pour the coffee into my drip carafe and keep it on the warming plate. But it would be better to just make another cup of coffee. 4. It's not an automatic process, like I'm used to experiencing with a drip coffee maker. I just set the drip maker up and turn it on. Eleven minutes later, it's ready to pour. Not so with the press. For a good cup, the press needs to be preheated, coffee beans need to be weighed, ground, soaked, and then pressed. There is no time to sit down and wait for it to brew. But, it doesn't take much time to make French press coffee, either. 5. It's a bit difficult to clean. It's not impossible to clean, but compared to the drip coffee brewer, which needs to be rinsed out and occasionally cleaned with vinegar, there is a bit more complicated cleaning process. The press has a few parts that need to be cleaned after each use. PROS: 1. This does not use a paper coffee filter. This is a plus, because you don't have to worry about running out of coffee filters, and it produces less trash for the landfills. 2. It's perfect for those times when you just want one cup of coffee. 3. Though cleanup can be a bit of a hassle, it's not difficult to clean, if you tackle it immediately after pouring the coffee. 4. It's compact, easy to store. 5. This model has a lifetime guarantee, of which I will take advantage, should anything go wrong. I inspected the item thoroughly; and aside from the water becoming trapped between the glass and metal, it's in perfect condition. Don't forget to register it asap. 6. It's simple to use. Even though it's not automatic like the drip coffee maker, it's not really that difficult to use. I would suggest to anyone buying this, that an electric kettle would come in very handy. You can boil water on your stovetop, but personally, I prefer the electric kettle. HERE IS MY SYSTEM: 1. Boil water in kettle and pour into FP carafe and put plunger and elements into the water and cover. This process will heat up the carafe and elements, so they are unlikely to cool off the boiled water, lowering the coffee temperature. 2. While the parts to the FP is heating, I boil more water. After water boils, I dump out the water in the carafe, dry carafe, and add premeasured grinds into carafe. I personally use the same amount of grounds:water ratio that I used in the drip maker. 3. Pour boiled water over grinds; just enough water to cover grinds. I stir with a long handled spoon so all grinds get wet; then carefully pour a tiny bit of boiled water over spoon to get the remaining grinds off spoon. (OCD...remember?) I cover the carafe and allow the grinds to soak for a few minutes, while I boil more water. 4. I add the remaining boiled water to the grinds to complete the coffee, allow coffee to set a couple minutes, then carefully place lid with plunger and slowly push down the plunger evenly, so no grounds will get into the coffee. 5. I pour coffee in cup(s) and add cream/sugar as usual. 6. I wait for remaining water in carafe to cool a bit before clearing out the grounds. In the future, I might add warm tap water (NOT cold! That could crack the glass, if it's hot), swish water around a bit; and, using a small rubber spatula, pour them over a filter, allowing it to drip in the drip carafe. In fact, I might even consider cleaning out some used coffee filters from the drip maker and save them for this purpose. I don't know. I'll figure it out. What do I think about this particular model? I do like it, but I cannot claim that the coffee tastes any better or worse than the drip. The difference between the two are that the drip maker pours hot water over the grinds, which drips into carafe. Whereas, the process of the press is to pour water into the grounds, soak them and push all the water out of the grounds at the bottom of the water with the plunger. I assumed the press would require fewer grounds, since they soak in the water, but I didn't see a difference. The perculator, on the other hand, seems to split the difference. It uses the drip method by sucking up heated water from the pot and spitting it out over the grinds, which drips back into the water. It repeats this process, soaking the grinds like the French Press soaks it's grinds, until the coffee becomes strong. I don't think I'll use this French Press every day. But it will come in handy when I run out of filters, when I just need a single cup of coffee, or if/when the drip coffee maker breaks down. Read more