For everything that's been said, I agree. Mark Prince got me interested very early on and I got in at $75 so the cost to acquire is fairly insignificant compared to its potential, IMHO.

I thought a lot about the amount of plastic. I don't believe it'll be a 'forever' item since we're essentially early adopters of this idea/machine and I'm sure we'll be the guinea pigs for a more robust/effective design in the future.

Edit

In the future, I'll post about my coffee backing on Kickstarter even if it's just to give a head's up. I just assume everyone here knows and if it's not coming up in discussion than it's probably not worth discussing. Idiotic assumptions... I know.

SpromoSapiens wrote:
Tom's point about build quality is a good one. But I figure, with an MSRP of $200 and a sale price of $150, an a la carte machine for $100 seems like a good deal, as long as it actually does what it's supposed to do. (The brazen is pretty plasticky, too, when it comes down to it.)

YEP and has had it's fair share of consumer rage.

I also jumped onboard. Many thanks for the lead.
Although others could have tipped us on it $25 earlier ... Just kidding.

This pour over, if it delivers on promises, could very well be the best machine for my little office cubicle.
I'll still grind my coffee with the Lido 2 but having the liberty to not being hands on to pour over the Chemex will be invaluable for those times (everyday) when someone comes along with an "urgent" matter.

I'm glad so many more HB's are on board now. Come 2015 I anticipate some lively discussion in the brewing forum!

According to specs, it's exactly the same height as a Baratza grinder (14"), so they'll make a cute couple on my counter.

I admit I remain a tiny bit wary. I couldn't imagine a machine with so many variables being any other way, but there remains the specter of a lot of potential points of failure, both hard- and software-wise. Digital controls, touchscreen, dual-axis moving spout, "revolutionary" "instant" heater (thermoblock? I haven't seen an explanation), flow-rate control... If any one aspect fails the whole house o' cards comes down.

That said, I already paid my dough so we'll see how it goes. If it goes well, I would advise Cameron to set his sites on a commercial-spec "forte" model as the next step. Definitely a huge market for such a time, space & labor-saving device. Besides, does any pro barista really have more fun (or move more tippers through the line) with pourovers vs latte art? I'd tend to doubt it.

SpromoSapiens wrote:No worries about Christmas, Tom; the $100 machines won't ship until "Dec 2014" which in Kickstarter-speak tends to translate into sometime within the first quarter of 2015. Unless you want to be part of the "beta testers" which are projected to ship in November-- maybe.

I think it's a common experience that all early adopters are "beta testers."

My reply from Cameron Hughes about my inquiry about materials.

Cameron Hughes wrote:The casing will be made from plastic. The parts being used inside are, a die cast aluminum block heater ,a ULKA pump and a dc motor.

Count me in at this price either way. But I was just curious. If it works as expected, I'd replace it in a two year period with an updated version if the first one were to poop out. I really like this concept. A LOT.

Looks like a great idea. Love that the ledge is removable. Certainly it's for when one wants to free up their hands and/or are in a rush. Not necessary but hella convenient.

Whale wrote:I also jumped onboard. Many thanks for the lead.
Although others could have tipped us on it $25 earlier ... Just kidding.

This pour over, if it delivers on promises, could very well be the best machine for my little office cubicle.
I'll still grind my coffee with the Lido 2 but having the liberty to not being hands on to pour over the Chemex will be invaluable for those times (everyday) when someone comes along with an "urgent" matter.

I'm buying it primarily for the office, as well. Looking forward to automating the pour-over at work.

Well... not a big Kickstarter expert but looks like someone changed their pledge or backed out and opened a $75 spot for me... I have no more reason to complain to Spitz.me...
I am very enthusiastic about this water distribution machine. Because this is what it is really.

Whale wrote:looks like someone changed their pledge or backed out

Whaaaa?! I just checked now and there was indeed yet another 1 left, out of 200 $75'ers. What the frack? Maybe there were a few accidental double-clicks or other tech error. I'm going to have to assume it's impossible to back out of my hundred just to snag a $75.

Whale wrote:I am very enthusiastic about this water distribution machine. Because this is what it is really.

A water distributor, yes, although unlike a lawn sprinkler, it's also got PID, flow control, bloom pause, and long-term unheated dribbling for cold-brew. Almost seems too good to be true.

Thanks for the heads-up, Howard. I snagged the opening you mentioned.