Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Hi. I leave very few reviews due primarily to laziness and skepticism (do folks really take these to heart, given the wide range of griping?). But, I have found myself shopping for a number of items online lately, and relying on reviews, so here is my paying it forward. And no, I do not work for any coffee company. I am a bit of a stovetop percolator fanatic. Simply put, nothing beats percolator coffee. Drips aren't hot enough, take up crazy amounts of counter space, and the coffee is subpar. French presses produce gritty coffee and don't keep heat, and electric percolators have gone down the tube in quality since grandma bought hers (I have one from the 60s that I bought on ebay, and after using daily, it STILL outperforms my previous standard, the 2008 Farberware electric percolator). That said, I have tested a bunch of stovetop percolators for various uses, like camping, power outages, and general "getting off the grid" living. I have had several Colemans, the Italian-style caffeteria, the french press, a few electric percs, and this Farberware. Trust, this is a fantastic product. But how can one tell? The things to look for in stovetop percolators are: 1. Quality of the construction. Stainless steel is best. Looks for a sturdy build with a nice balance of weight, a large enough size for your needs, and [very important!] the placement of the handle. It should be easy to clutch, be far enough to NOT be above the heat source, and sturdy enough to handle the weight of a full pot. Screwed on means it can easily be tightened, which is good, and the material of this percolator stays cool and has a nice, tactile grip. 2. Solid/durable interior parts (stem, basket). This was a major downer for the Colemans. Too many complaints of people finding theirs bent upon arrival! Plus, the stem and pot shouldn't ever look dried our or "rusted" in that stainless steel way. I used my Colemans only a few times, and the stem/pot looked scary to drink out of. I can't help but wonder if there is a residue or something entering my coffee. This percolator looks as great on the inside as it does on the outside. Just look at the pictures. No hiding anything there! 3. A plastic knob. While the glass knobs are more aesthetically pleasing, the entire structure of a percolator means that the knob WILL break at some point. The difference is that glass expands/contracts when the percolator is heating, and then shards from the threads end up in your coffee even if the knob hasn't visibly or entirely broken off. This is dangerous. The plastic is just as effective for viewing the strength of your coffee, without the terrifying possibility of swallowing glass. The plastic won't shred and cut your throat. Complaints about the plastic knobs breaking are ridiculous; ALL PERCOLATORS will have broken knobs at some point. Accept it. 4. Does it clean easily? Exterior: Especially if you take this camping, you will be on a open flame, so will the material tarnish? This one stays clean, and can easily be polished, if you are the polishing kind, if you are exacting in how mirror-like you wish it to be. Interior: there are no sharp crevices, lips, awkward pouring spouts here to cut you or your sponge as you move on in to clean up. Pieces (including the lid) are removed with ease and without the nails-on-the-chalkboard sound of cheap, flimsy metal material. The other common complaint is that the coffee isn't right. That is not the perc, that's your method. Try varying your coffee/water ratio, your boiling time vs your simmering time. Be patient; stovetops take longer but they produce infinitely better coffee. From a practical/frugal standpoint, after removing the stem and basket, this pot doubles very nicely (with style!) as a kettle. You can't go wrong. Plus, it is quite a lot bigger than it looks online. You can get at least 10 cups. Although I alternate between electric and stovetop for my daily use, this baby is one thing that I shamelessly refuse to lend out, refuse to really even hail its praises for fear of the inevitable "Can I borrow it?" that happens. I have had it for 3 years now and nothing has broken, nothing has taken a nose-dive in terms of quality, and I am actively excited/grateful/proud/vain about it EVERY time I use it. If you buy one of the Coleman enamel ones, or the odd camping specific ones with a D-ring for a handle, you'll just end up buying another one after you get mad at its ineptitude. I would even recommend this one over the majority of electric percolators, since the rest on the market currently are just crap. Get yourself some good coffee beans, some good water, and this baby, and you'll be a coffee addict! Cheers!