Is it worth paying extra for a Bodum French Press?

Laphroaig52

Hello coffee experts,

I went shopping for a new French Press at the weekend. I thought I'd buy a nice Bodum but I found that they are an awful price. €96 in Todds, in Limerick...Yikes! Roches Stores had them a bit cheaper but still they were very dear....around €60 I think.

I saw some other unknown brands in Tesco and Homestore much cheaper. They had the same look and feel as the Bodum but I was wondering if there is something holy about the Bodum filter or assembly that isn't discernible to the eye. I presume that pyrex is just pyrex.

Any experiences in terms of quality and durability of the cheaper brands? In the end, I would pay for the Bodum if I thought there was a real value there but not just for the feel good factor.

Thanks!

Gran Hermano

No way I'd pay that much for a Bodum press, I've spent €20-40 on the stainless steel ones in the past as I find they last longer than the glass.
Plus you can throw the steel one in the dishwasher. Check Home Store & More.

Mr Magnolia

Ikea have them for €10 and they're grand.

You don't need to pay over the odds for one. Make sure the plunger is nice and tight and travels well. Check the lid is made up of only one part. I'd an old one, the lid was stainless and then there was a plastic underside bolted to it underneath. Water would get in between the 2 materials eventually it would smell a little of old water. I chucked it, I've a bodum 500ml and an ikea 1L at the moment.

Laphroaig52

Thanks Gents!

Actually I was looking at a nice steel one in Homestore last night. It looked good but I was concerned about a 'steely' taste.....not a concern obviously?

They had other apparently decent pyrex ones for ~€14.99

eclectichoney

Flyer28 wrote: »

Thanks Gents!

Actually I was looking at a nice steel one in Homestore last night. It looked good but I was concerned about a 'steely' taste.....not a concern obviously?

They had other apparently decent pyrex ones for ~€14.99

I'd go for a stainless steel one too. Your heart will be broken (literally! ) with the glass ones breaking all the times. Worth the few quid extra.

Slaphead07

Flyer28 wrote: »

Actually I was looking at a nice steel one in Homestore last night. It looked good but I was concerned about a 'steely' taste.....

I have a stainless steel one at home and there's no discernable 'steely taste' from it. It has insulated walls which is what attracated me to it... now that I think of it, it was bought to provide coffee at meetings so keeping the coffee hot was important!

Clinker

Just a warning: I bought a large cheap FP which had a rubber gasket around the edge of the piston (presumably to stop grounds escaping up around it) which made it almost impossible to push down the piston without coffee squirting everywhere. I threw it out, it was too annoying and messy!

mud

Flyer28 wrote: »

but I found that they are an awful price. €96 in Todds, in Limerick...Yikes! !

Totally off topic but I found a Todds carrier bag today and had a moment of nostalgia

Todds is/was a waaay nicer shop than BT!

i71jskz5xu42pb

mud wrote: »

Totally off topic but I found a Todds carrier bag today and had a moment of nostalgia

Nostalgia indeed, I couldn't figure out how Flyer28 had travelled back in time to shop in Todds.

Laphroaig52

Chelsea Brief Groceries wrote: »

Nostalgia indeed, I couldn't figure out how Flyer28 had travelled back in time to shop in Todds.

Bah. It will always be Todd's to me.

Gran Hermano

Just remembered, TK Maxx often have Bodum gear in at prices cheaper than the norm. Add another to the 'no taste difference' noticed with steel over glass.

donnacha

OP - I would definitely check out TK Maxx before you invest. Not sure what the Limerick outlet is like but they've had a great range in their Dublin and Kerry stores over the summer - bodums and others for approx €20.
The Limerick store is at Parkway retail park. Off the dublin road on the way to Castletroy according to wikianswers.

JPA

How could a french press possibly cost €96?

Khannie

+1 for the 10 euro ikea one. I bought one for the oifig and it's working out grand. 96 is flipping ridiculous.

r3nu4l

Gran Hermano wrote: »

Plus you can throw the steel one in the dishwasher. Check Home Store & More.

My glass one goes in the dishwasher all the time. It's Pyrex and that's dishwasher safe.

eclectichoney wrote: »

I'd go for a stainless steel one too. Your heart will be broken (literally! ) with the glass ones breaking all the times. Worth the few quid extra.

What the hell are people doing to the glass ones that makes them break? :eek: It's pyrex so shouldn't break unless it's very badly treated or dropped!

glaston

If you like your coffee with a little more bang go for Italian aluminiummmmm....:P

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bialetti-Moka-Express-Espresso-Maker/dp/B00004RFRU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1252234605&sr=8-1

Clinker

r3nu4l wrote: »

My glass one goes in the dishwasher all the time. It's Pyrex and that's dishwasher safe.


What the hell are people doing to the glass ones that makes them break? :eek: It's pyrex so shouldn't break unless it's very badly treated or dropped!

I agree: I've been using glass plunger pots several times daily for about 20 years and I've broken a few, but not many for a glass utensil that gets used so much. I take the glass out of the holder and put it in the dishwasher (I have two small and two large, but may resort to hand washing if coffee demand is high). The metal discs are a bit inclined to wander in the dishwasher and have stained some china, so they are are put in carefully or washed separately.