Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Contrary to the one star, I LOVE THE COFFEE THIS THING MAKES! I've had every kind of coffee, I suppose: Drip, percolator, espresso, french press, boiled... Had them all, and the AeroPress makes the best (YMMV and all that). So why the 1 star review? This is my third Aeropress! The first one lasted only 4 months of normal (i.e. about "one pot" a day) use before the plastic in the barrel began to break down and the seal on the plunger was worn so badly it was unusable. NORMAL USE!!! And if you look through these reviews, you'll see my experience is not unique. If you do a few quick web searches, you'll find even more examples of this new AeroPress not holding up to coffee drinker's use. By "new" I mean, apparently Aerobie redesigned the AeroPress after the PET scare a few years ago. I found some users of the old AeroPress claiming their unit had lasted 5 years and was still going. I haven't found any reports of this new one lasting much over a year. The last 2 units I have purchased haven't lasted more than six months before the plastic becomes so stretched out that the coffee/water passes the plunger and runs up the barrel. Bizarrely, Aerobie remains adamant that all is well, and is ignoring the complaints about build quality and requests for a more sturdy unit made out of glass or stainless steel. Which is why the 1 star review. Yes, I love the coffee. And yes, the AeroPress is cheap enough that I will spend no more on it, even replacing it every few months, than I would a crappy Mr. Coffee or equivalent. In fact, my wife and I turned to the AeroPress in disgust after we went through 3 coffee makers in 2 years. (For the observant, the coffee maker we had prior to those last three lasted 5 years, so no, the correlation doesn't equal causation.) But that I'll spend no more is not the point. The point is, Aerobie needs to build the thing to last at LEAST 5 years of use in the hands of a coffee lover. THAT'S the point! If you go through a pot of coffee a day or more, you might either want to pass on Aeropress until they figure out how to make one that will last.