Customer Reviews

Bodum Brazil Shatterproof 8-Cup French Press Coffee Maker

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

When I got the press, I thought the price was a little high for an all plastic French press. Then it occurred to me that I'd already broken 3 glass ones at $20+ each. This guy is more than worth the buy. It's also dishwasher safe to boot.

As for the plunger; it's plastic mesh, and I thought I wouldn't like it. But it's much easier to clean than the layered metal screen in the press I had previously. And it makes a better seal so grounds do not migrate around.

From a klutzy guy, I'd say it's more than worth the $$ to keep from breaking the glass carafes.

UPDATE 09-15-11 De-rated to 3 stars.
After 1 year of use (mostly on the weekends) the polycarbonate has developed multiple hairline cracks all over it. Maybe this was from putting it the dishwasher, but who knows? When you plunge it, hot coffee shoots out of the cracks all over the place. I ended up replacing it with another glass one. If I was going to spend the extra money for a shatterproof press, you'd think it would last longer than 1 year with occasional use. I loved this thing and now I'm pretty disappointed.

My husband and I love this French press! We have owned several other brands of French presses over the years, but none have made the coffee taste this good or been so effective at keeping the coffee grounds out of your cup. It really is amazing! The press is significantly better than any I've ever seen because it really seals the grounds down at the bottom. I know that from now on I'll only buy Bodum French presses.

First french press I've owned. Love it! Needed something that wouldn't break easily, so chose the shatterproof press. The beaker is a heavy clear plastic. Looks like glass from a distance, but very durable. The mesh filter for this product is a one-piece unit and does not disassemble into smaller parts, but works like a charm. No grounds in the coffee and easy to clean.

Pros: Very smooth upon plunging, lightweight (In fact, more lightweight than a previous "backpacking" model we purchased from GSI!") Won't shatter when you drop it! Low price.

Cons: Glued slighty off-kilter (The leaning tower of Ethiopian Mordecafe!), lid doesn't fit snugly.

Overall, we love this press. We almost love it more BECAUSE of it's flaws. When we grind our beans too fine, we have no problem plunging it nice and smoothly. It forgives our flaws, so we forgives its flaws. I have used many different models in my decade working in coffee houses, and wouldn't say this is the nicest press in the world, but it sure does the trick! Due to the low price, this will get purchased by a lot of beginners. I think that you will be quite happy with your purchase!

I would recommend this model for beginners, for backpacking, and for anyone looking to get a solid press for a low price!

We bought this press to replace our other one after we had two carafes break on us for no reason. The glass was just so fragile, it didn't last more than two or three months. We were getting tired of replacing it so we figured we'd try this shatterproof one.

It's really nice to not have to worry about breaking the glass now, but this coffee press isn't as nice as our glass one was. This one is entirely made of plastic. The plunger, the handle, the lid, are all made of cheap plastic. Our major complaint is that the plunger, being a different style than in the glass carafes, always allows ground to get into our coffee. I don't know why it's doing that but our old one didn't do that and it had an entirely metal plunger.

If I could find a press with a shatterproof carafe and a metal plunger I would be happy. Why, oh why, can't Bodum make a glass carafe that doesn't break when you look at it wrong?? I much prefer the glass if it wasn't so fragile.

I thought this would be the end-all for me... but after a few months use (once a day, max)I see a zillion hairline cracks in the carafe. I use water just off the boil (which may be the problem, but if I don't, the coffee is too cool by the time it's pressed and in the mug) and I hear and see new cracks happen every morning. There are so many that it is sure to start leaking soon, so I'm going to order a glass one now. Works GREAT-- perfect coffee, no mess, great plunger... but it's not holding up, so I am disappointed.

Great Coffee. You only need hot water and coarse ground coffee. This is the French press style of coffee presentation often offered in fine restaurants. Shatter Proof polycarbonate beaker means it can be stowed any where on board. Easy to enjoy good hot coffee every morning on a cruise. Boil water and 4 minutes later enjoy your coffee. For easier cleanup and less grounds grind beans on the coarse grind setting at your local store. Do not use your espresso coffee in this maker.
Amazon Prime got it here in 2 days!

I brought the glass version with me on a deployment to Iraq. 4 30-40 year old SNCOs became increasingly dependent on the daily buzz provided by the amazing coffee this thing produced. Then one day one of our young guys was yanking on the gun rack we used as a coffee bar like he was a freaking gorilla and knocked it off. We thought about throwing him over the fence and we told him we would consider it more and more as the coffee-less days went on. He ordered the plasic shatter proof version (probably to be a smart@ass) and when it showed up we were pretty mad. I thought the plastic would make the coffee taste funny--wrong. This thing really works fantastically AND it's shatter-proof! He's still not allowed in the office, but if he was he would see 4 30-40 year old SNCOs happily chugging coffee.
I use one of those hot-water-heater-pitcher-things and stir the coffee as I pour the water in. I leave it for about 4 minutes and pour a little bit into each cup until it's empty.

This coffee press functions as it should. It is entirely plastics and vinyl.
I broke my glass Bodum which I used daily when it slipped while being washed.
This replacement will not have that problem.

When making coffee, a large quantity of fine coffee grounds pass through the screen. Perhaps you like your coffee this way, but it's not what I want at all. Also, the plunger stops well short of the bottom. Between that and the inevitable fact that the plunger starts down the beaker far enough to clear the spout, the unit does not produce its advertised volume of coffee. Maybe it makes 30 fluid oz. Certainly not 34.

One review commented on "cheap plastic". I have worked in plastic manufacturing businesses since 1979. I can say with some certainty that this product does not count as "cheap plastic". It appears fairly well designed (in the structural sense) and made of good quality materials. The parts are well formed, not showing any obvious molding defects. I don't like the coffee it makes, but it's not "cheap plastic".