Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have been making iced coffee the cold brew way for a few months with two jars and a strainer. Since I consume so much, I thought I would give the famed Toddy system a try - surely so many people couldn't be wrong. Boy, am I sorely disappointed! I open the package and all you get is a cheap plastic pitcher and a glass carafe. $30 for this is way overpriced! Even so, the price would be fine if it did anything different or better than my makeshift system but it is actually worse, way worse!!! Here are my reasons: 1) The cheap plastic brew container has NO COVER and a FLIMSY STAND. I am going to leave an open, wobbly container full of coffee concentrate on my countertop for 12 hours, does this sound like a good idea? Does it sound sanitary? Unless your house is like a museum, probably not. By contrast my $2 jars have lids - imagine that. 2) The filters are so sensitive you cannot stir the grounds and water together to fully soak the grounds. What genius designed this filter? They expect you to go through a delicate dance where you add a few grounds, slowly pour the water in a circular pattern, add some more grounds, slowly add some more water, etc. All so the filter doesn't CLOG. Who has time for this!? By contrast, when I put water and coffee grounds into my $2 jar, I drop it in and stir with a spoon - imagine that! My $1 strainer and 10 cent regular coffee filter removes all the grounds/residue and leaves me with pure concentrate. 3) You have to keep buying their filters and they aren't cheap! Nowhere had I seen that you had to keep buying their filters - they cost $2 each and you can only use them 10 times! And you most likely will end up ordering them over the internet, where you will have to pay shipping. They might end up costing $4 each! Why wouldn't I just keep using my $1 strainer and 10 cent coffee filters, which works just fine and are easier to get!? 4) Their filters require a lot of care. Every time you use them you have to go through some ridiculous process of storing them in a zip lock bag in the fridge. Again, who the heck has time for this?! My $1 strainer takes 5 seconds to rinse and then I stick it on the drying rack and the 10 cent filter I just throw out! All in all I am very disappointed with the Toddy system. Not only is it way overpriced, but it is worse than a $5 makeshift alternative. I am using the carafe because I might as well and the brew container is now used in my son's bath... I hope this helps people to see the light about this product.