It's really tough to find a large french press. After days of searching online, I decided on the Bialetti, partly because of the reviews and partly because I'm familiar enough with them, owning 2 other smaller presses, to note the essential features that I want. This one is sturdy and has a nice stainless steel base which I like because I have a magnetic stovetop that I set to warm after I brew my pot. It keeps the unit perfectly hot while I sip the first and get to my second mug! When we travel in our RV, I use an electric grill to warm it, turning the grated side to the flat skillet surface - set to warm. Many of the presses I found did not have the stainless bottom to accomplish this; they use a vinyl material that doesn't keep the pot warm for the length of time I desire. I love this pot, it is perfect for two coffee lovers and I don't have to clean dregs out of two pots anymore! Yeah! The only part that kept me from giving it a 5 star rating is the screen -- I think it will need replacing sooner than my two smaller Cafetiere brands. When I turn the stem to clean, if I have tightened up a bit too much, it tears the sceen, so be careful when you tighten it periodically. Other than that, there's not too many out there that can compete with this size press, functionally and economically.I purchased the 12-cup, 51 oz version. Visually, this is an excellent design, and that's why I bought it. I needed a large capacity pot, but I wanted something pretty to look at, and this checked both boxes. I also like the flat top on the plunging mechanism, as it is more comfortable under the hand when you push it than the traditional ball shape. Everything fits snugly, that is another plus. However, the glass on the beaker is extremely thin and fragile. I'm not sure if I was just shipped a defective one, or if the hairline crack under the metal housing happened sometime between when I removed it from it's packaging and hand washed it. Unknowingly, I went to make my first pot. I poured in my water and fresh grounds, then left the kitchen for a moment. I came back to a puddle of coffee spreading rapidly across my counter and threatening to drip over the edge onto the floor. I am pleased to say, however, that the Bodum Chambord replacement carafe in 51 oz is a workable replacement - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0093EPCDY - and from a thicker amount of glass. It doesn't fit as tightly in the frame as the original vessel, but the difference is very slight. It saved me from a total disappointment, and, all and all, I'm pleased with the final set up.Got this for my birthday as it's the only way I found I can drink actual coffee. I usually spend way too much money on fancy espresso drinks (hello, starbucks mochas) until I tried this along with Lion coffee beans (hazelnut is my current favorite flavor) and a little bit of cream and sugar. My only complaint is that the 3-cup model really is a lot smaller than I expected. It's 3-cups in terms of measuring cups, not cups of coffee. So 3-cups in this maker barely fills my travel coffee mug. I wish I had gotten the 8-cup model for a few bucks more so I didn't have to brew twice to get the volume of coffee I want. Other than that, it works and cleans up great. After cleaning, I store the filter/pump part upside down so the filter sticks in the air instead of scraping against the counter to dry.Love this little guy! It's just enough for one 10 oz. mug of coffee or tea. It's the smallest press I've seen, which I like because it takes up less space. If you need to do two American sized mugs, this will be too small. (When they say "3-cup", they are referring to espresso sized shots). It's such a beautiful, polished stainless design, I keep it right on the counter after rinsing. It's like a work of kitchen art, compared to my old plastic Bodum which was bigger than I needed and bulky. The beaker is like one you will remember from chemistry class. It's rather thin glass, so I'm careful to stir lightly when I put a spoon in, and when rinsing. It slides easily out of the holder when you turn it upside down to rinse, so be careful when doing so. I was a little nervous about pouring boiling water into it, but it's fine! I've used it about 20 times and am so pleased I bought it.I love this product. Another amazing Bialetti product. Solid construction. I love how the carafe slides smoothly out of the frame for cleaning purposes. High quality glass. Mesh holes are nice and small. The plunger slides smoothly when plunged. No grinds come through the mesh. The same grind comes through the mesh on my Bodum French Press. I had to strain the coffee through a tea diffuser before drinking it.The carafe is sturdy enough to hold the proper temperature water, just beginning to boil. Makes the perfect cup of coffee every time. No matter what the blend. And so fun to use. Very easy to clean!!I have no need to look to any other French Press for my coffee maker collection. I admit. I am Italian and am proud to own Italian products. I have two Bialetti Moka Express stovetop espresso makers that I love, also. A 9-cup and a 3-cup.And it looks amazing on any counter.I spent weeks looking for this product to replace the one that my husband lost. It was the same coffee maker only he bought it when he was on a trip and it had a moral value. This may not have the same value but he was happy with it. It came safely, well packed, and exactly as described.This french press is very nice. I've used it daily since I purchased it. At first I was concerned because the plunger doesn't hit the bottom of the carafe or glass but I've since learned that it doesn't need to. It's super easy to clean. The 8 cup press is larger than I need, I only make 6 cups instead of the 8 cup capacity. If I were to purchase again I might buy a smaller one but the large is good in case I have company.I received my Bialetti cafetiere on Friday as a replacement for a cheaper one I'd bought days earlier and hastily returned (see my reviews), and I have three words to summarise my experience with it so far: I LOVE IT!For starters, this is a simply gorgeous cafetiere - I was going to go for one of the nondescript stainless steel double-walled numbers, but this one besotted me with its stylish Italian looks and I can honestly say that it looks even better in the flesh than it does on a monitor. It almost looks too good to use, but I actually find that this is a positive thing as I feel more compelled to keep it clean than I did with my old ugly-duckling one, which I had developed a habit of leaving spent grinds festering in. It’s not all just about good looks and style though; the materials used in it are of top-notch quality; the carafe is made out of borosilicate glass, the cage is made out of 18/10 stainless steel and the handle is a rare fusion of function and sharp-as-you-like style. The whole thing feels pleasingly robust and it’s really nice to pick up and use.The most important thing any cafetiere however is undoubtedly how well it makes coffee, and in this regard the Bialetti excels par excellence. In my morning coffee ritual, I run through the following steps:- I heat the catetiere up with some hot tap water. This is perhaps the most important step, as although this cafetiere’s carafe is made from borosilicate glass, it’s best to avoid the thermal shock of pouring boiling water into a cool glass container- I whizz up some coffee beans in my grinder while I wait for the kettle to boil. You can use ready-ground coffee if you like, but coarsely ground fresh beans work best in cafetieres - that’s a fact- Once the kettle has boiled, I wait for about 20 seconds before filling the cafetiere - you don’t want to scald those precious coffee grinds- I chuck out the hot tap water, chuck the grinds in and fill the cafetiere up to the ‘4 Cup’ line, then pop the lid/press onto the top, making sure that the blanking plate is at the spout to keep the steam locked inside and the coffee hot- Leave it to brew for 4-5 minutes; no swirling or agitation required- I slowly push the plunger down to its lowest point, enjoying its incredibly smooth action- I spin the lid around to its pouring position, then pour the coffee into my big mug- I add a bit of Oatley Barrista, and drink!Running through the above steps with this cafetiere results in a beautifully smooth cup of coffee, with no stray coffee grinds and very little in the way of the black sludge that you can get at the bottom of your cup from lesser cafetieres. I’m really, really impressed by it.Summing up, I would say that this is pretty much the perfect French press cafetiere. It oozes class and style, is very well made and it makes perfect cups of coffee every time. It is however early days as I’ve had it less than a week, so it’s going to be interesting to see if I experience any problems with the carafe cracking or anything that other reviewers have mentioned. I’ll come back in a couple of months with an update.Oh, and just in case you doubt whether this is a genuine review or a bogus 'sponsored' one, I can assure you that I bought this with my own hard-earned cash.Gostaria de troca do produto, a jarra veio quebradaCafetieres are just cafetieres, right? They all have exactly the same basic mechanisms and materials, so what's to pick between them? Well, there are subtle variations in construction that can make a good deal of difference to how easy they are to use and clean, for instance.This one replaced a Procook French press that was just OK. It's a liitle unfair to make a direct comparison, because the Bialetti costs over twice as much. But it's definitely worth the extra. The stainless steel cage is an excellent fit - tight but not so tight as to make removing and replacing the carafe difficult. The gauze is an excellent fit to the carafe so there's no leakage of coffee grounds around it. The inside of the lid is a single piece of plastic, joined externally to the stainless steel outer lid. This means that the coffee can't get between the two lid components (a really annoying feature of the Procook version that made cleaning a pain).Altogether a very satisfactory purchase!This is a nice looking coffee press and does make a nice cup of coffee. The guide for water to coffee cups ratio is based on very small cups, we just adjusted quantities to our mugs at home. What i am very disappointed in is that i am having to purchase a second Glass for my coffee press as the original one has developed a stress fracture in it - Not good for only being 6 months old and only used for breakfast coffee. I can not see a guarantee policy anywhere for this product. I don't really think 6 months life expectancy on the glass is acceptable when i have bought much cheaper presses that have lasted for years.Sehr gute Frenchpress, funktioniert ohne Probleme!Viele Rezensionen haben mich vor dem Kauf verwirrt. Einerseits wird Kaffeesatz erwähnt, andererseits die Bruchanfälligkeit des Glases. Beide Fakten kann ich absolut nicht bestätigen.Wird der Kaffee sehr grob gemahlen - viel gröber als für Filterkaffee, so gehört das nun einmal - dann wird er beim Ausgießen auch komplett rausgefiltert. Der Mahlstaub, der immer auch enthalten ist, stört nicht im geringsten und gehört bei der Zubereitungsmethode dazu.Das Glas ist überraschenderweise sogar ein wenig dicker als Laborglas, mit dem ich beruflich viel zu tun habe. Man muss sich nicht besonders bemühen oder das Glas mit Samthandschuhen anfassen. Es ist robust und widerstandsfähig. Und es sollte auch klar sein, dass Glas bricht, wenn es runterfällt oder gegen eine Kante stößt. Da kann das Glas direkt aber auch nichts dafür. Die Kannen für Filterkaffee sind wesentlich dünner, da schreibt seltsamerweise auch niemand von "besonders empfindlich". Alles wirklich unsinnnig.Fällt Glas runter, ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit hoch, dass es bricht. Fängt Holz Feuer, dann ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit auch groß, dass es komplett abbrennt. So ist das nun einmal.Ich schreibe das deswegen so sarkastisch, weil ich mich vorm Kauf durch diese stupiden Meldungen fast abschrecken ließ und allen weiteren Interessenten an dieser Frenchpress diese Bedenken nehmen möchte.