HI there...

Im new to this site, and actually new to the higher-level-equipment coffee brewing world. (not expert, barista-level...but mid-level equipment that provides great coffee, day in and out)

Currently my wife and I own an Oxo Brain grinder (love it, love it, love it), and we are on our 4th Chemex Ottomatic in only 4 months....

We purchased the chemex because it sounded very practical and easy to use, had a great "look" to it, and, though there were a very small number of reviews online for it, they all seemed to be positive.

So...with that bit of history behind me, I have to say that it truly is a great-looking device, but I have serious doubts about the quality control of the build, as well as the quality control of other, similar, devices (look up current reviews of the Bodum Bistro pour over, and the Wilfa). Heres why:

Purchased Chemex through Williams/Sonoma (who have been wonderful, BTW, through all our trials and tribulations).

First device arrived via UPS....Chemex carafe was shattered to million shards inside the box...cant blame Chemex, but back to Williams for replacement of entire unit. Knowing the box was obviously dropped hard at some point, I did not want to risk the entire unit being a problem.

Second device arrived without delivery issues about a week later....worked perfectly out of the box. Great tasting coffee, easy to use and clean up. Second day we used it? Otto shut off completely in the middle of the brew cycle....on the second day out of the box. Would not re-start. I called Chemex customer service for support and a very nice, young lady there told me "ohhhh, yeah...we are having issues with our current batch doing that"..send it back through Williams and we will get you a brand new one.

Williams was great. Got our second replacement in 3 days. Worked GREAT out of the box. Problem solved, case closed; we were new desciples of the Ottomatic.

9 days later, wife calls me at work: "ummmmm..theres a puddle under the chemex". Chemex is leaking from out the bottom during the brew cycle.

Call Chemex customer support...nice , different, young lady says, "Ohhhh, well..sounds like your first device was a UPS problem, sounds like the second one had an emergency shut off switch issue, and sounds like your third one has a leak in the pump or tubing. Weve had issues with the last batch of devices, but we have a new batch coming out at the end of May that should be fine".

Hey: at least they were honest. Didnt solve my coffee making problem, but they were/are honest.

So Williams has just sent me my 4th device in about as many months.

Only issue I notice at the moment is it takes much less time with this device to brew the coffee than the ones before it. We timed it...its about 50% less time) That being said, the coffee tastes good. I'll have to re-post in a few weeks to let folks know about the functionality, but here are my observations and concerns:

Ive noticed the EXACT same complaints about the short-lived Wilfa maker that Williams dropped from their website once they realized they were getting negative feedback about virtually every unit they sold...and the complaints varied from poor build, devices shutting off mid-brew, paint chipping off in the coffee, you name it!!

Now the Bodum, which is a similar device, has EXACTLY the same complaints. Device shuts off, pieces of the device dont fit properly (poor build quality).

I work in the manufacturing industry, and Im well aware that certain factories, from time to time, will supply similar pumps, motors, coils, etc. to multiple fabricators, that use them in multiple brands of "basically the same" device. (Think Toyota/Lexus, or Nissan/Infinity, for an easy example)

I wonder, based on all the reviews Ive seen on line, as well as my own experiences, if this current version of these auto-drip-pour-overs just isnt ready for prime time use? I wonder if they all share the same "guts". Maybe we all need to wait for version 1.2, or version 1.3, before all the quirks and faulty engineering/manufacturing issues are worked out.

I just bought a very expensive, locally-built, fishing reel. What I found out about it is the components are all manufactured in China, and can be purchased either 100% complete, or 70% complete for about $50 landed in the USA. The local distributor chooses to buy it 70% complete, and put the finishing touches on it here in New Jersey. It can then be marketed as manufactured in the USA, and sold here for $250. It IS, however, very finely-engineered and manufactured, and works flawlessly. It should for what I paid for it, versus other similar products that are much less money.

I think the Chemex should as well. With a price tag around $350, one would hope it functions flawlessly, and more consistently than other, less-expensive devices.

Sorry for the long-winded review, but I want to be as fair and honest as possible.

Truth is, I wouldnt spend the money on this again, unless these manufacturers all admitted they had problems, and what steps they took to remedy.

KB

I use a 1970's Chemex every morning to brew 750ml of coffee. While the Ottomatic and other "latest and greatest" brewing devices look really slick on the counter, and might even make good coffee when working properly, the best part of the Chemex for me is the enjoyment of the manual pour over. Blooming the grounds on the first pour and then breaking the crust with the second, releasing all that fragrant yumminess, is one of life's simple pleasures. Sure, it takes about 4 minutes to execute, but I can't think of another 4 minutes of my typical day that I enjoy more. It's time well spent.