We trasure the family of Frieling coffee pots- they are a dream for religious tea and coffee drinkers. May we suggest that you read carefully the instructions - so that the pots will last you a life time. The Frieling Company (the manufacturer) has a very professional and kind support service team - and we are very thankful for their products and assistance.

This is the second one we have bought. The first one weld one top knob broke within a month. The second one, the part that keeps the lid on the plunger broke.

Pros:
1. My coffee tastes great
2. The press looks beautiful
3. It feels really well made

Cons:
1. The product arrived with hard, white, chalky stains on the top of the press handle. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was weird and I almost exchanged it. But it washed off with a bit of scrubbing so I kept the unit.
2. When I brew and cup, there is sludge at the bottom of my cup. I have a higher-end grinder that is very consistent so I wasn't expecting this. Even at the most course setting I get sludge. So, the advertising that no sediment gets through is false.

At the end of the day the two positive points above matter most to me.

I have gone through 2 or 3 glass french presses over several years, all bought from Ikea for less than $10 each. After shattering my last french press in my kitchen sink, I finally decided to buy a stainless steel version. Reading through a few reviews/comments on Amazon, the reviews for the Frieling impressed me (though I'm skeptical if plastic is actually that bad for your health, but the Freiling is completely stainless steel). It simply delivers a better cup of coffee than the glass ones I had in the past. Maybe it's the better filter/plunge to keep less coffee grinds out. But I think it's the insulation that keeps the coffee warmer while soaking up the coffee beans that makes the biggest difference. The glass french presses probably lose enough heat to lose some coffee flavor. Dishwashing is great. My wife (who hated my prior glass french press) says the Freiling is much prettier. Though I do think you need to disassemble the filter/plunge once in a while to clean up the coffee grinds that do stick in between the filter parts (don't worry, there's very little grinds to clean up).

It was a long search to find the best French Press coffee maker for me. I spent at least 5 hours (may be more) reading and researching. And I ended up buying this why. You might be struggling to decide on which one is the best for you, so here is my review and reasons why I bought this one. I hope it will help you.

Selection process:

I had several wishes:

1) Made in USA or Europe
2) Quality of materials and product
3) Usability (easy to use and to clean)
4) Price

After a quick search I realized that there was no ideal French Press coffee maker. However, I realized that I have several favorites and Frieling was the number 1 for me.

Why?

1) Frieling is a solid professional brand
2) Product had good reviews
3) Product looked solidly built.

Concerns that I had:

1) Made in China (I have nothing against China but I prefer products that are built in here or in Europe for, I assume, obvious reason)
- Nothing can be done about that. But again, Frieling is a solid brand and their French Presses looked not cheap.
2) Quality of Steel (Everyone should be concerned about it since you will eat/drink food that was made there and we consumed enough toxins as it is)
- I contacted Frieling about it and they answered me very quickly. Thank you, Frieling! Other companies are not that professional. For example, Cousinox ignored all my emails. However, the answer from Frieling was not what I wanted to hear. They told me they use either Chinese or Korean stainless steel from a big Korean manufacturer but they assured me that their 18/10 stainless steel was of high quality. I hoped for German, Russian or American 18/10 stainless steel but at least it was not a noname brand one from G*d knows where.

I thought hard about those two minuses, plus the product was not cheap. But at the end, I felt it was the best French Press I could find and I decided to buy Frieling Brushed 18/10 Stainless Steel French Press, 23-Ounce. I paid $79 for it, I see that now it is $59.

So, it has been two years and I love it and gave it 5 stars.

1) The coffee maker looks like new and is beautiful. I have used it at least 100 times, most likely more. I am glad I decided to get a brushed one. They always look like new for a long time since micro scratches are not noticeable and no finger prints.

2) It is made well. You can see it is not a $20 one.

3) It is very easy to clean. I have owned at least 4 different french presses before and always had issues. With this one, I just put a plunger under running water and that is it. Plus, all the parts are dishwasher safe. I usually hand wash it ones every two weeks. Put it in dishwasher at least 10 times too and had no issues whatsoever.

4) Makes good coffee - only remember about a 4 minute rule.

5) I purchased some parts (screens, plunger stick) but it looks like the original parts will last for years to come.

I am going to add some pictures too.

Good luck in your search for a perfect French Press maker and I hope it was useful for you!