I really appreciate the reviews you've been doing. They seem fair and are very insightful, thoughtful, and illustrative. (Zooming in on the lip of the carafe, etc.) looking forward to the next one!
No blame falls to James over this, but we have had two go bad. Two years ago I bought the first based on this video, and it made excellent coffee and was very handsome. A friend of ours admired it so we bought her one for her birthday. The second one we bought seems to have been a post consumer return. It had a much earlier serial number, and in very little time it started leaking because it was plugged. We cleaned it and it worked for a while, but then it failed a second time. We were able to get a refund. The first one I bought is now in parts in front of me. Two days ago I started it and the pump started then it stopped. I turned it over and saw a wire had melted its way through the bottom of the machine. I took it apart and the power wire to the boiler has a big burnt section and there is a large hole melted through the plastic base tray. We are lucky it didn't damage the counter underneath or start a fire. Based on this I'd be leery of Wilfa coffee makers if they were still available here in North America. Since I rather like the videos James makes I'm ordering a Breville Precision to replace it, same as his home unit. I already have one of their large food processors and they have been reasonable to deal with for replacement parts (dropped the bowl and broke it).
Once he finished grinder week he made a poll on what comparison video we would like to see next, and among the other options "the best home batch brewer" was there.
Totally agree on the pump noise! I find it loud and jarring, cheapens the build quality perception IMO. I wish you could fill the reservoir up to the top and then have a way to select less than the whole amount to brew at once. Say I fill it to 1.25L but only want to brew .25L for a single cup.. It would be nice to be able to do that. Also wish it had auto shut off.. Other than those few things, it does make a nice cup of Joe, and does so quickly!
Had one since they came out a few years ago, and I'd agree with most of this. Downsides for me are the hot plate (would be nice to be able to switch it off), the need to stir the grounds, and the temperature. I've always found it too hot, and am interested that you thought the brew temperature might have changed from the early models.
Had one of these for a while. I found the combination of low, constant flow rate and the design of the sprayhead meant the coffee bed never got properly wetted unless you stirred or intervened manually in some other manner. This kind of defeats the purpose of an automatic pourover, or at least is less than ideal.
I'm watching this in 2020 while trying to decide wether to buy a Moccamaster KGB select, or a Wilfa classic+, and I'm wondering what happened to the head to head. The Wilfa basically seems like a cheaper and better looking Moccamaster, but the 5 year warranty from Techni vorm suggests longevity and reliability. Where I feel Wilfa is more of an unknown quantity when it comes to build quality. Also the full/half batch select switch seems more appealing from a "set it and forget it" standpoint, than Wilfa's flow rate adjustable basket, although I can see why having that extra degree of control might be good, plus being able to close off the flow at first to allow pre infusion. Ultimately I want great filter coffee without the faff of brewing manual pour over first thing in the morning, and I want a solid reliable machine that'll last for years.
What did you end up getting? And are you happy with it? I got the wilfa. I'm pretty happy with it. Still figuring out the best grind size to make coffee with.
Out of curiosity - how many cups of coffee do you drink per day? To have such a well-built opinion about so many products over such a long time period must mean you brew coffee quite often. Do you serve it to others, or do you drink it all yourself?
Thank you for the review! Does it heat up the water on demand and basically start brewing immediately or does it take a minute or two or few before it starts. Thanks!
Do you suppose that lip in the carafe is to catch any fines that make it through the filter? More importantly, are you still happy with this machine, or is there a better one?
The plastic housing on front cracked because of how hot the water is hitting the plastic. Water leaked out and all over my counter. Have you run into this? I ordered the metal option and got plastic instead.
Hi James. Thank you for a great review. I've just bought the Wilfa Svart Precision 2A, and I have a quick question - does your "drip stop" function close the brew basket completely? Mine doesn't seem to stop the flow completely. It still drips a little, and I just wanna make sure, before I send a complaint to the retailer.
Do you find that the showerhead gives adequate coverage to the coffee bed? It only seems to hit the center. Maybe it doesn't matter so much with this kind of cone design?
What is the difference to the later model 2: I see that the black bar has been replaces by brushed aluminium alloy and that the power was reduced from 2000W to 1800W. Why is that? Is there any advantages with that? What else do I miss?
Hi James, have had one almost since they came out, but have never tried steep & release, so would be interested in your technique for 0,5L for example? Agree with the carafe comment, and regarding the condensation I tend to take off the water tank lid after brewing :-)
I bought one last December and have used it half a dozen times. The first few times there was a chemical taste that I attributed to it needing thoroughly flushed from the factory. Having done that to no avail I shelved it for a couple of months but returned recently desperate to make it work. I don't suppose you had a similar experience and have any advice? I've tried tap and bottled water and coffee that was tasting great by Aeropress and when cupping.
I'll do that for sure. The flavour is consistent; it's really odd. It has a chemical like plastic taste every time which I assumed could be removed with a thorough clean but I haven't worked out how to clean past the water chamber yet.
Any sugn of a moccamaster brewer vs Wilfa Svart brewer. I would buy the Wilfa Svart brewer now if only they used a thermos jug and no hotplate like the Moccamaster version. However I do like the build quality of the Wilfa Svart and I am a fan of hot coffee.
Over what period of time do you think the coffee would heavily degrade when sitting on the hotplate? Say if you were buying something for a) 2 people and b) 8 people who'd likely have one coffee first thing in the morning and then a second coffee around an hour later. Would a large batch be totally degraded after an hour or would it be far better to split into two batches of brew? Are there any steel filters available for something like this or would you get away with rinsing a filter and reusing? (I hate the waste!) Definite technovorm / buonavita versus this comparison would be much appreciated!
Spent some time watching this video and several others. Based on reviews, and what I’m looking for, Wilfa performance seems great. Cannot find a way to actually buy one in the US though. One vendor says spring 2023. This video is 5 years old. Is international shipping really that tough? Is this machine not popular enough to get wider distribution, despite such great reviews online?
Hi James! Great video, and (what I like very much), it is really „compact“, nice! I wonder if you have ever reviewed the mentioned „Technivorm Moccamaster“, especially the model „KBG Select“??? I am not able to find a review of this coffee machine I like very much. Kind regards from Germany Michael
Does the manual drip stop (and slow downer) mean it can pour straight into a mug instead of the jug? That is one thing I like about the Moccamaster, although some newer models have dropped this feature.
It's a Norwegian brand. I'm just not suprised its expensive... But they drink the second most coffee per capita out of all countries in the world... So I trust them...
On down left is 0n/off switch - main switch. And on top is some ”button” which starts the brewing. You can also turn it off from that button-switch on top. That switch is pretty sensitive, it doesn’t move almost at all.
Anyone know why these are SO marked down in the States right now? They can be found online near $75 right now and that doesn’t make sense unless there’s a quality control issue or if there’s a new model forthcoming?
Hi James thanks for the video. I was wondering how evenly the coffee bed gets hydrated and brewed? I used to use a moccamaster as well and that would dig a pit if I didn't stir.
Like the look of these and can see you have the Wilfa Classic+ in store now. Could you do a review of this one or differences as at £150 seems a great value, but what are you losing out on?
So, did you find an answer on that? I am kind of in the same place, wondering which model should I go for, since the one in the video seems really pricey to me. Thanks
Can you detach the (brewing-)cone or swivel it outwards? Otherwise I think it could be a little bit annoying to remove the paper filter. Might be a stupid question.
All I have had 4 of the black ones (shown in the video). All four have at a random time split right down the side of the plastic arms that go up. Each time the company where I purchased it gave me a replacement. Now they no longer make them and I bet it's because of the problem with the plastic. My daughter has the stainless version and it has yet to split but she makes way less coffee. Wilfa was shit to work with and they don't stand behind this product. DO NOT BUY ONE!!!
