Thermos Vacuum Insulated ~vs~ Bodum Young Shock Resistant This review is to briefly compare my experiences with theBodum Young Press Shock Resistant French Press Coffee Maker, 1.0-Liter, 34-Ounce, Red/Black and theThermos 34 Ounce Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Gourmet Coffee Press . Both are outstanding products, however I do have some design gripes and quality comments about both of them. I originally ordered a Bodum Young Press to replace an old classic Bodum glass press that broke. I was also particularly interested in the double-walled insulating properties of the press. The press arrived with a mangled, badly packaged screen that was unusable (error in packing somewhere along the line). Impatient to wait for a replacement to arrive, I also started using the Thermos Press. I tend to brew my coffee a bit longer and i like HOT coffee, so the insulating factors of each press were important to me. Without further preamble, the following is my impression of both presses: ==== THERMOS VACUUM INSULATED STAINLESS STEEL COFFEE PRESS ==== The Thermos press is solidly built, I travel often with it and since there's no glass liner, it's held up well without breaking. In fact, the press is as solid as the day I purchased it. I was disappointed in the filter quality. Side by side with the Bodum filter, its VERY OBVIOUS that the Bodum filter was better constructed. Sadly, the Bodum filter was also a hair larger and would NOT fit in the Thermos as a direct replacement. After 3 months of use, the filter developed a small tear at one edge for no apparent reason. The Thermos filter never quite fit perfectly, and always crinkles up in a few places, allowing more grounds to seep through than my previous presses. The press keeps my coffee pretty well insulated. The double vacuum wall works great, keeping coffee warm for much longer than a traditional open glass press. The lid however is very poorly sealing and does not insulate, so the press still loses A LOT of heat out of the top. The insulated design means that your coffee is still piping hot 20 minutes later when you want a second cup, but don't expect truly HOT coffee out of it after a couple of hours. I imagine this was done on purpose not to eat into their vacuum thermos business. When I want my pot to last a while, I always brew in the press, then immediately pour it into a proper thermos. But that doesn’t mean the idea of an "insulated French press" is a gimmick, its very much needed to avoid losing too much heat while brewing your coffee! It's just not well executed in this model. Finally, the pour spout deserves special mention here, because quite simply, IT WORKS. Far too often, this tiny overlooked detail leaves coffee dripping everywhere except the cup. Kudos to Thermos for getting the fluid dynamics right on this one! It pouts out in a very FLAT, wide, thin stream. Both interesting to watch, and works WELL. In the end, I took away two stars for the Thermos press' very low quality filter and poorly designed lid insulation. But I added one back in because of the press' exceptionally rugged build and attention to detail in the pour spout. ~~FOUR STARS - good, but you can find better~~ . . . ==== BODUM YOUNG SHOCK RESISTANT FRENCH PRESS IN RED/BLACK ==== The Bodum Young press is interesting. It's got the usual Bodum glass carafe in the middle, but is completely encased on the outside by show resistant linter. And more importantly, that liner acts a 2nd wall, essentially converting it into an semi-insulated press. But by not advertising it as "insulating", I can't take away a star for it failing to perform as good as the Thermos vacuum insulated, since it never was advertised as such. Even though it didn't perform as good, it performed very well, leaps and bounds ahead of a naked glass press. If you're going to brew your coffee and immediately serve most of it or put it into a proper vacuum flask thermos, the Bodum press keeps the coffee plenty hot during brewing for that function. Once again, don't expect hot coffee out of it after an hour! I strongly prefer the filters on this press. It oozes fine mesh quality, seals well, and doesn't pass nearly as many grounds on to the brewed coffee. And replacement filters are readily available everywhere. Cleanup is easy, the glass carafe comes out if needed to clean inside the liner. Downside to this press of course, is that it still uses a glass carafe. YES, it is absolutely shock resistant, much better than other glass designs, and so far, has held up without breaking. But i certainly wouldn't dream of subjecting it to the abuse I've subjected my steel Thermos press to. Putting in a final comment about looks, I think the Bodum Young looks far classier on the counter than the utilitarian Thermos, but that’s just a matter of taste. In the end, I had to give this press a solid FIVE STARS. It has all the advantages of a glass press, but its much more durable, and typical Bodum quality shines here. for the price point and the fact that its NOT advertised as insulating, I could find no good reason to take away stars. . . . ==== THE BOTTOM LINE ==== Which one to get? They both have their distinctive merits. Frequent travelers, or someone who never wants to break a glass press again, get the Thermos. Those still in love with glass, or willing to give it another try, and those who want the better Bodum filter quality, get the Bodum Young. It's worth mentioning that in 2014 when I purchased these, stainless steel French presses were just starting to become more commonly available, however most double walled models still cost 50-100 bucks. Thermos was one of the few making a decent quality budget priced model. Today, in 2016, that is no longer the case. I'd still heartily recommend the Thermos for BEAT AROUND travel (think, camping), however there are now many many many more budget options available that merit consideration for a stainless insulated press, some far nicer looking than the Thermos.
