Review on Bodum Brazil French Press Coffee Kitchen & Dining by Isaac Valdivieso

After I lost my old French Press, I replaced it with one of these. After a month of use I've decided it was a bad decision and will be returning the press before the window closes. There are several design flaws due to which, if the device has not yet fully collapsed, it will soon fall apart. Other reviewers seem to have seen this, but with an average rating of 4.5 stars, I didn't dig too deep before purchasing. It's already weakening, and assuming that, great care must be taken not to over-tighten it. I can say that this will be one of the first works. Other reviewers can show what happens when this part breaks. It doesn't matter that a piece of plastic hanging in a boiling hot drink isn't the best choice anyway. The plastic itself *feels* cheap. I'm not against plastic in general, but the overall feeling from the press isn't very good. Low-density plastic with an odd-feeling surface texture and visible glare from the injection molding process are all minor issues and aren't deal-breakers on their own, but they don't contribute to a good experience. — You cannot remove the glass jug. The design of the plastic case locks it up and makes it impossible to deep clean it when needed. Water and coffee *seep* between the body and the pot, and hanging it upside down and shaking it isn't enough. I already have water stains between the case and glass that I can never reach. - The lid does not rotate to retain heat. It's minor, but on presses like the Bodum Chambord, you can twist the lid to move the filter out of the way and prevent steam from escaping. However, the steel filter fabric is the worst for several reasons: The fabric deforms. and allows for thicker splashes on the edges when using the plunger. Part of the problem is that the net has to flex in order to slide into the pitcher. That's how they all work, but instead of flexing evenly, this one flexes and folds. No amount of careful reshaping will ever fix this as it happens over and over again every time you use it. Squeezing the plunger very slowly may help but will not solve the problem. The spring on the rim of the piston assembly is also very uneven where the ends overlap and that doesn't help solve the warping problem. The edges of the mesh are curved to strengthen and smooth them, but this creates tiny pockets between the layers where dirt gets trapped and never comes out. A dozen needle wires (for now) stick out all around the inside edge. I've cut and punctured my fingertips and sponged these wires multiple times while cleaning or simply treating them, although being very careful. Maybe I've just been lucky with my experience so far, but I haven't had this problem with other French presses I've owned over the years, including the Chambord, also made by Bodum. I keep trying to straighten the wires again but this problem will not improve. Again, I've had it for less than a month so far. I'm really worried that over time one of those tiny wires might break and end up floating in the coffee. (Though it's possible everything else will break before that happens. Who knows?) To be fair, it's not that bad. Coffee made in a press is tasty, although this is likely the result of using more coffee beans, grinds, and water than the press itself. I also like the overall aesthetic of the press and that it comes in multiple colors, although the pandemic has still left me with plain black. The glass jug is a nice size and shape and it pours very well, the coffee doesn't drip down the spout or the sides of the lid which is a shockingly common problem. So overall, any pros far outweigh the cons for me, and while it's probably a "you get what you pay for" sort of situation, I'll definitely keep looking for a replacement.