I've been using this for a little over a month, almost daily. I must say it does just what it says it does, a great cup of cold brew in a reasonable amount of time. I make five cups at a time using the Bold setting. I began with the medium setting and found it made my inexpensive coffee so much better that I moved to the bold setting with the same results, more flavor. I drink a blend of Sumatra roast and medium decaf. I normally make my coffee the night before, make it up the way I like (honey, stevia, and coconut milk with vanilla), and put it in a measuring cup and in the fridge for the next morning. I make half-decaf to tone down the caffeine (unless I really need it, then full strength) since I drink the whole five cups in about four to five hours. When I get ready to go I nuke it to the right temp for me, put it in my thermos and I'm ready for the day. I don't use this for cold or iced coffee so I can't speak to that. I've occasionally used it after work or on a day off and it's just a little less convenient than my old hot brewer but noticeably better tasting. All about a little planning ahead. If you just need/want a cup in a hurry you'll definitely need another machine, which I'm sure most already have. Since this brewer does take more time than others and has less capacity than some I don't see this replacing everyone's. For me, it's just fine and I've only used my old brewer once or twice since this arrived. I will keep my old brewer since it works fine, as a back-up or when I need more quantity. For more quantity, I'll mix the two pots so at least the flavor will be better than the hot brewer alone. It's easy to operate. On to cleanup. With a permanent filter, it takes me several minutes more to clean up. The parts disassemble easily. I use my faucet sprayer attachment to clean out the filter basket and "tank" with hot water and occasionally wash everything in the dishwasher on the top rack. I always run a little hot tap water through the dripper by putting some in the empty tank after spraying it out to keep the dripper rinsed. Seems to work fine. The hand rinsing takes a few minutes more than just tossing my disposable filter, but the enhanced flavor makes it worth it to me, most of the time. I've read other reviews about trouble cleaning but I've not experienced that. Now to machine quality. EVERYTHING but the carafe is plastic. Not a huge deal overall but after using it for a few days I dropped the "tank" against my stainless steel sink and the edge of the "tank" got chipped. I also handle the filter basket VERY gently when rinsing because I'm afraid I'll put my fingers through the mesh if I accidentally push too hard. I am going to buy a replacement "tank" and filter basket now since I've already experienced the minor chip and don't expect the filter basket to last. I don't know a solution to the "tank" problem but wish the permanent filter basket was mostly or all metal. In summary, in my opinion, it's a great way to get the smooth flavor of cold brew coffee (even inexpensive coffee like I drink) in minimal time. Also takes no refrigerator space which is a premium for most. They should improve the plastic "tank" and basket by using stronger materials. It feels strange to say this but I wish it had a wireless connected app, preferably wifi. There are high pitched notifications that sound at the end of the cycle. Since it can take up to 45 minutes to brew, I'm not always near the machine (obviously no one is going to stand next to it until it's finished) when it goes off so I don't always know when it's done. I always have my phone. It would be helpful to be notified by remote. It also has a high pitched noise (and a light that's on when it"s open) when you move the lever from opened to closed when emptying the "tank". It would be helpful to be able to adjust and/or turn the sound off on the machine for either or both of these when noise is not wanted but still be notified. I think that would be a helpful feature for most people now that wirelessly connected products are everywhere. Also remotely open the "tank" to drain the finished coffee and then close again. I can see how these would be beneficial for almost everyone using this brewer. Overall, great cold brew concept and operation with minimal drawbacks but room for improvement. Update 12-15-20: Still working well and holding up, even with regular, daily (sometimes multiple times a day) use. A few more notes: I've noticed during the "brewing" process the machine is noisier than I realized. Not so much that it's unusable (obviously) but still something to keep in mind. And it's mechanical noise unlike a hot brewer with the somewhat soothing water pumping/flowing sound. Another feature that needs to be added (I can't believe now it isn't there) is a countdown timer to finish. I usually set a separate timer as a reminder but on the machine would be ideal. This, again, along with Bluetooth or other connectivity (and other features as mentioned above) would make this machine SO much better. The coffee is still great BTW.
