Farberware Electric Coffee Percolator, FCP240, Stainless

The best little coffee maker I’ve ever used!
I have had this same unit (and its “big brother”) for at least five years and absolutely LOVE IT! So, when a family member requested a coffee percolator for Xmas, THIS is what I chose for them… I love it for several reasons.First, and most important, it makes wonderful, VERY hot coffee. Because it makes such hot coffee, the taste of even a “so-so” brand is significantly improved, and the taste of a great coffee becomes OUTSTANDING! (You cannot get the high brewing temperatures from an automatic drip coffee maker, thus making this percolator far superior to all of them, even though it lacks a few “handy features” like an automatic timer)Second, it is reliable. As noted above, we’ve had this model for at least five years and have never had a single problem with it… It works as designed every time!Third, it is fast! It takes less than five minutes from start to finish to have a full pot of steaming hot coffee ready to drink.Fourth, No waste! It makes one large mug and one regular mug of coffee for each full pot (or four small cups)… So, say goodbye to wasted coffee! With the price of coffee, wasting it is almost a crime… (We have its “big brother” for when we have company and that one makes four large mugs or 8 small cups)Fifth, it is EASY and very simple to use. There’s nothing complicated about it, in fact, a 6 year old can easily do it for you if you let them.Sixth, it is easy to clean. All the parts except for the body of it can go into the dishwasher or be washed in hot, soapy dishwater. I recommend scrubbing it thoroughly at least once a week to keep the stains away as it is always easier to keep them at bay than to get rid of them once they appear. If one is fairly lazy and doesn’t want to do more than just rinse it out daily, then you can run vinegar through a cycle once a week to keep it shiny too…The only downside that I can think of are that it does not have an automatic timer, but it’s so fast, who cares? To be even faster, it can be prepared at night and simply plugged in when you get up.It is fairly small, which is perfect for two good sized cups or 4 small ones, but if you want more than that, you have to refill it or simply buy a larger pot instead or in addition. That’s why we have two sizes. Normally, the small pot is just perfect for us. But several times a year, we have overnight guests (or dinner guests) and need more coffee. We’d normally only buy the larger one, BUT the larger sized percolators really are NOT good at making small pots of coffee~! I’m guessing it is because of the inaccuracy of water to coffee ratio not being “just right” when trying to use a large model to a small model’s job.Bottom line: this small model works perfectly, is just the right amount, and is well worth the purchase price for those couples who each just want one, fairly large, great cup of coffee each every morning or for the single person who wants two big cups every morning…

Nice upgrades from older versions
This small 4 cup (actually 5) is a nice upgrade from earlier models. It’s a replacement for an older one that still works but is getting fragile and finicky. The biggest and most obvious change is the cord. Gone is the old hard plastic ungrounded 2-pin that was around for, I guess 50 years. Now Farberware is using the standard rubberized 3-prong grounded cord IBM introduced in 1981 for its PC and is today used on all sorts of devices because IT WORKS! I’ve never seen one break, and a grounded metal pot is far safer. And it still makes great percolated coffee! The base inside is now one continuous piece of stainless steel, now longer a multi-piece retainer for the bottom of the perk stem, meaning less chance of failure.I use a drip basket type brown paper filter in the basket and you can hook the edges over the perk stem to little or no grounds end up in the coffee and cleanup is far less messy. Plus it smooths out the coffee as well!3 small cons:For the longest time Farberware had an extra support around the perk stem that is now gone. Not sure it matters.The basket lid no longer snaps on to the basket, which prevented it popping off. Not sure I like that. I’m using the basket and lid from the old one as it’s a perfect fit!It uses a lot more coffee. When filled to the 5c line it take 35 grams of coarse-ground coffee to make the perfect pot. My 14c Cuisinart uses 42 grams of coffee ground to powder to make the perfect pot.Overall, this is a great little pot, perfect for travelling. Combine it with a Zojirushi 16oz sipping thermos and you’re all set!Addition: A lady name A. Ricci complained that the cord is too short. I have an easy solution for her: Take the cord to a local Best Buy, computer store, or hardware store and show them the cord. It is EXACTLY the same as all computer power cords since 1981 and longer ones are common. Just ask them for a longer cord, like 3 or 6 feet and they’ll be HAPPY to sell it to you! One problem solved!On a recent trip the pot doubled nicely as an electric kettle bringing water ro a boil rapidly.

So cute!
I don’t care for the fancy coffee makers. Perked coffee not only tastes better but it actually gets hot. This little pot makes up to six 5 oz cups of coffee or two 10oz cups of coffee. Its quick, easy to use & makes good coffee.

Difficulty removing the lid of the pot. There was no on and off switch on product and no indication with a light telling you the product was on or off unless you went to the main switch. The product was more like tin than stainless steel and had a very weak plastic handle. The product came with an American electrical connection and not a British connection with plug. This was not in the advert of the product. The product would not work with a British electrical connection that we had to buy and so would not heat up the water in the percolator which looked more like a tin kettle.We have to pay postal costs to send this product back to America which was also not in the advert of the product. Altogether a terrible purchase and a waste of one’s time.

This is a nice-looking little percolator, but I didn’t know when I bought it that it comes from the US with an American plug. In order to use it in the UK, I would have to buy a transformer for nearly £100. In order to send it back and get a refund, I would have to pay the extortionate postage to America. I feel I’ve been comprehensively fooled. I’m angry. Don’t buy from this seller.