Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I first got this as a "cure for the common K" (not a fan of the Keurig machine at work for various reasons, but still wanted a single cup from time to time). I've seen others compare this to the Aeropress, when in fact it's closer to a French press in function and results. I was very happy with this for months, but the fact is, it's made of plastic and prone to break at stress points. It came with a cracked plastic coaster, which I didn't even worry about at first. Eventually, the crack worked its way across the coaster, and once it got below the drip area, it would wick the drips out to the edge and form a ring on the table. That was a minor bother to be honest. Then the hinge of the lid broke. It's only a small pair of tabs that stick up and have little nubs that snap into little sockets on the actual lid. One of the tabs broke off. To be fair, I was in the habit of prying off the lid (as gently as I could) because it got in the way of washing, then snapping it back on. This was also a minor bother because I find it was just as well to leave the lid off; it then doubles as a coaster. That's my advice to anyone who decides to purchase this: snap the lid off once and leave it disconnected. It'll still work to cover the brew and keep heat in, but it won't get in the way for cleaning. The real deciding factor was the filter cartridge. There are two mesh arches embedded in plastic frames that nest together. The upper mesh is as fine as any French press mesh I've ever seen, and the lower mesh is even finer. This leads to a rich brew with insignificant sediment, and because the coffee drains out from under the floating coffee instead of being forced back through the grounds like in a French press, there's less bitterness. But sediment does get trapped in the space between the two filters, and the whole design makes it drain poorly, so you really do have to disassemble it frequently to clean; just rinsing won't do unless you plan to make another cup right away. Just taking it apart as per the instructions (pushing sideways on the nub that sticks up in the middle) puts a lot of stress on the skinny ribs that support the mesh. I'm surprised it took 6 months for them to break, but eventually they did. (On the plus side, it can be completely broken down and all parts can go in the dishwasher.) I looked in Amazon and at Zevro's website: replacement filters are unavailable. I wrote them a letter of complaint. I did not ask for another filter; I merely suggested they need to be designed to be stronger, and they should offer replacements. They apologized and sent me two replacements. So kudos to them for good customer service, although I didn't believe them when they say this rarely happens. I gave one to my Aunt because I'd gotten her the same device for Christmas. The second one they gave me was prone to intermittent clogging and broke within a month. I chucked the whole rig in the trash this time instead of trying to pry the broken filter out. I guess I would recommend this only to occasional drinkers. I used mine typically twice a workday, and stopped cleaning it between uses (only once per day no matter how many cups I brewed) once the filter started showing signs of wear. I hope they do redesign the filter cartridge to be stronger and offer separate replacements for purchase, but I don't think I'd go back myself. I think I've found a better alternative. I got one of those cup-top filter holders and a mesh filter that fits it. I brew the coffee in a separate mug for three minutes, just like in a French press, then dump it through the filter into the second mug. It's cheap and effective and makes about the same quality coffee. Also, it's easily scalable, in case I want to make a full Thermos jug for the weekend. Pros: -Makes as rich coffee as a French press does, and less bitter too. -Completely disassembles and is dishwasher safe -Unusual design is a good conversation piece (really, that's a pro) Cons: -All-plastic design will eventually wear out (the mesh embedded in the plastic ribs is a natural weak point) -Can only make up to 16 oz at a time