Review for Brunton BrewFire Coffee Maker

Author: Bill Wolanin {!} , Outdoors enthusiast over a lifetime. 5 tents, 2 RVs, not enough time., from Encinitas, CA on May 18, 2009
Pros:  INSULATED CARAFE
Cons:  VERY POOR QUALITY, DEFECTIVE OUT OF THE BOX, FLAWED DESIGN
Would recommend:  no

Bill Wolanin wrote:

We are a true outdoors family. We alsod group camp a lot. We looked forward to this unit to replace our low tech Coleman drop coffee maker that works fine, albeit slowly, and which doesn't keep the coffee warm. This new 'high tech' cheaply constructed Chinese made Brunton unit however was a major disappointment. Arriving without a manual, I first had to find one, then download one off the net; per the manual I got on line, this was supposed to come with a butane converter and batteries, but it didn't come with those either. Put off but still undaunted, and still hopeful, I put new batteries in it, screwed in a new propane canister, and after filling it with water, followed the instructions exactly. And then? Nothing, nada, didly squat. Tried everything. Checked everything repeatedly. Couldn't get it to work and after several attempts, gave up. Quality? A screw fell out of the bottom, the plastic components fit poorly, in that the doors did not align well, fit, and consequently, did not close securely; the permanent filter doesn't fit where it goes well either, the polarity of the batteries is not indicated, and the door that covers them does not close securely, the rotary turn and ignite recessed switch felt very flimsy, and the propane can was somewhat difficult and awkward to install inside it, so it is somewhat poor ergonomically design -wise. The metal carafe appeared well made, but I obviously never got to see if it actually kept coffee warm. Besides the carafe, the rest of the unit was in IMHO unequivocal junk. For a hundred bucks plus, it should have been a lot better, and at the very least it should have worked, at least for a little while, if not several years. I sent it back and the shipping was costly. Even if this one was a singular defective unit, I don't want another one, since having good quality in my outdoor equipment is just not something I ever would compromise. I have no problem with spending more money for good gear, and thought this was going to be it. Save your money. Brunton, you really should apologize to us for this one and pull it off the market before your name becomes synonymous for junk.