Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I ordered the Brio Top Loading Water Cooler Dispenser after the heating unit in our Primo - Easy Top Loading Water Dispenser failed. Several observations now that I have installed and am operating the Brio unit: • The Brio unit is taller and it is easier to access the buttons and to dispense water than the Primo. The Primo sits rather low and looks like it should sit on a 12” riser stand. Since the cooling section was still working, I donated the unit to our startup church and the leader asked me if there was a platform for the Primo unit to sit on. So it IS low. • The space under the dispensing nozzles where one puts the glass, bottle or container is taller on the Brio and will take a full size ½ gallon pitcher. The Primo unit would not. The lip on the container shelf on the Brio is larger so that your bottle is less likely to fall off. • The on/off switches for the hot and cold water are on the left side of the Brio rather than the back as on the Primo making them easier to access. • The child lockout for the hot water button is much easier to deal with on the Brio than on the Primo unit (I had to oil that one to get it to slide easier and there was barely a lip on that one for the flesh of one’s finger to grab on to). • The Brio is more top heavy than the Primo, which resulted in the delivery people delivering it upside down. According to the User Manual, the unit is never supposed to be tilted to the side more than 45°, let alone upside down (Amazon’s delivery people obviously weren’t informed of this). I believe this has to do with the refrigerant fluid needing time to return to the collection reservoir before the chilling pump can be turned on. I let it sit for several hours upright before assembling and filling with water. What makes the Brio top heavy is that both the heating and chilling units are near the top of the interior (leaving an empty bottom section) rather than the chilling unit sitting on the base as it did in the Primo. • The hot water setting on the Brio seems a bit hotter than the hot water on the Primo unit. It measures ~170°F. I didn’t measure the Primo’s temp, but suppose it was around 160°F. The “hot water” from the Primo took longer to cook stuff than my prior dispensers. • The bottle burps faster on the Brio than the Primo, allowing for faster chamber filling after cleaning the unit and for water dispensing. • The water flows faster out of the hot and chilled water nozzles on the Brio than the Primo, but the room temperature water comes out rather slowly on the Brio unit (weird). Other Notes: Due to the rather large vacant space under the heating/chilling section, there is little reason why Brio couldn’t make the bottom front panel a hinged door and allow for a 5-gallon bottle to be stored in the bottom section. (Brio, are you listening?) Longevity: The Brio just appears to be built a bit more solid than the Primo unit. The heating coil on the Primo went out on mine, hence necessitating its replacement as it was out of its 1-year warranty. It appears the Brio unit has the same heating pod as the Primo unit. I suspect the same vendor, so I don’t think that has improved. I sadly haven’t been able to find the proper Hot Water Tank online, so if it goes out, one is stuck buying a new dispenser. You may be able to find a used unit on eBay by searching for OEM Hot Water Tank for Water Cooler Dispenser Error in the User Manual: The manual says to turn the unit on with the power switch on the back side. While there is a molded space for a power switch, there is none on this unit. Honestly, a power switch really is not necessary and for this unit, turning on the hot and/or cold switches on the side powered the unit on. For the minor price differential, I would recommend the Brio Top Loading Unit over the Primo Top Loading Unit. If you found this review helpful, please vote it a thumbs up or up vote.