LuxHaus 3 Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker - 100% Stainless Steel Moka Pot Coffee Maker for Home & Office - Perfect for Italian Coffee Lovers & Camping Trips

Summary: A pretty good quality product, but subtle design aspects make this item less safe than it could be. I’d recommend shelling out the extra $15 for the Bialetti Venus 10-cup—especially for a household with small kids or pets underfoot. (If you just want the safety concerns, scroll down…I’ve marked them!)I have a Bialletti 6-cup that I believe is an earlier version of or the immediate precursor to Bialetti’s current Venus line. Since we use it for a strong morning mug of coffee rather than an espresso (I have NOT tried a finer espresso ground in this product), those six espresso-sized portions just weren’t cutting it for our three-person household. I went looking for a larger alternative and—after reading MANY reviews—decided to take a chance on this LuxHaus 9-cup moka pot, which was almost 30% less expensive than the 10-cup Bialetti Venus. The LuxHaus is good enough that I’m not going to send it back for the Amazon returns department to dump in a landfill somewhere, but I still wish I had bought the Bialetti.Let me start with the positives: this seems like a well-constructed item made from quality materials that will withstand years of brewing. I love the addition of the spring on the bottom of the “funnel”/coffee basket. Having the top of the basket floating a couple of millimeters above the rim of the water container is super convenient. No more gently easing it out with my fingernails while trying not to spill wet or dry grounds. Every brand should adopt this! The manufacturer also did a good job with the angle and shape of the handle. I haven’t run into the issue I have with the smaller, older Bialletti model I own, where the handle drops straight down along the coffee reservoir and gets uncomfortably hot from proximity to the stove burner. (It does look like Bialetti fixed that on the current Venus, btw.)****BEGIN SAFETY SECTION****Now for the issues, which are primarily related to lid/spout design: The Bialetti, as you can see from my comparison photos, has a recessed lid that sits about a centimeter below the top of the coffee reservoir. There’s no pour spout at all, and the finished coffee goes through a small cutout in the lid and over the angled rim. The LuxHaus, in contrast, has a completely circular lid that sits just on top of the coffee reservoir, and the coffee comes out through a built-in pour spout that begins pretty much right at the final height to which the finished coffee reaches if you brew at maximum volume capacity. Somewhat counterintuitively, the very first cup of coffee from a full reservoir flows with perfect control over the Bialetti’s rim, even into a short mug sitting on the counter; the coffee in the LuxHaus, on the other hand, tends to splash out eagerly unless you pour very carefully and deliberately. It’s enough of an issue that, when the reservoir is totally full, I generally take the moka pot and cup over to the sink AND get the cup as close to the spout as possible before pouring. Perhaps more importantly, since the LuxHaus lid merely rests across the very top of the reservoir, it doesn’t really help contain any spillover if you accidentally slosh the coffee while you’re taking it off of the stove and moving it to the sink, counter, or table to pour. I’m not saying this thing is significantly more dangerous than its Bialetti counterpart, but the potential for hot coffee to splash over your hand (or onto a toddler’s head!) definitely seems higher.****END SAFETY SECTION****Aside from safety, the LuxHaus lid design creates a couple of additional drawbacks: First of all, even though the lid and it’s attachment point both seem solid, they’re undoubtedly the weakest point in the product from a structural standpoint. On the Bialetti, I can freely grasp the top of the reservoir to untwist it from the base—thus keeping my hand as far as it can get from the hottest part of the system, if I want to empty and reuse it without waiting for it to cool completely, and also avoiding any stress on the handle (which is the second weakest structural point on either product). I’m very hesitant to do the same thing on the LuxHaus, because I would also be grabbing and twisting the lid in a way that puts a stress on the attachment point which I suspect it wasn’t designed for and won’t withstand over the long term. And I’m not going to use the handle for leverage, due to the same concerns. So that leaves me awkwardly grasping, releasing, and re-grasping the main body of the reservoir UNDER the handle to unscrew it from the base…Annoying. Secondly, the larger radius of the LuxHaus lid—because it’s covering a larger cross section of reservoir than the Bialetti—leaves it heavier and therefore floppier (and louder!) during cleaning…That’s a fairly minor annoyance, though, that I probably wouldn’t have noticed at all except in comparison to my Bialetti.For those who aren’t worried about the safety aspect and just care about whether it makes a decent cup of coffee, our household has noticed that the metal basket seems to filter out fewer of the grounds compared to the Bialetti. There’s noticeably more “sludge” in the bottom of the reservoir/cups after the coffee’s been poured/drunk. How that affects your enjoyment of the resulting brew will be a matter of personal preference. We quickly got used to the difference in taste; it might be a bigger issue for someone who actually uses a fine espresso ground.In conclusion, still a four-star product that I’d probably be perfectly happy with if I didn’t have the Bialetti to compare it to. If you have the extra $15, go with the Bialetti; if that’s a stretch for your budget, you can probably buy the LuxHaus with confidence.I rarely do reviews but THIS!!! I just received this 9cup Mocha Pot and had to try it out right away. I’d been using an aluminum one for the past several months but noticed I just wasn’t feeling as good since, so in case it was the culprit, I decided to buy this stainless one and went larger ;)The experience of making it is straight forward and easy. The experience of drinking it is AMAZING! So rich, creamy and satisfying! Oh, and more of it! Yay!I saw a review of someone who claims his pot is rusting and this is probably the biggest reason I’m doing this review instead of keeping my delight to myself.A few things that can cause the perception of rusting in this and other pots is:…The water!!! I have a home water distiller and use that water for all drinking and cooking purposes. You should see the bottom of my distiller! This acts a bit like a distiller and will leave particulates behind. If those particulates are then left to burn on the bottom of the pot and mix with the bit of coffee that find their way into that water, it would absolutely look like that.Never let your pot sit on the hot burner or over heat after the espresso is completed it’s cycle. There should always be a bit of water left in the bottom pot.Next, the pots and parts should be rinsed at the very least and dried before putting away. Simple, easy and worth the minute it takes to make it happen.OH! Did I mention the serious box this come in? This would make a very nice gift to give for most any occasion!Obviously I just received this, so time will tell if it remains in my current high esteem. I’ll let you know if not.For now… YUMMMM as I drink my first BIG cup with frothed sweetened creamer! Nummm!Bottom line- it's a beautiful little moka pot that makes delicious espresso.A friend started talking to me about possible links of aluminum to dementia, plus live in a saltwater environment where everything pits and corrodes, so a 100% stainless pot seemed the way to go. I got addicted to 'cortaditos' when I lived in South Florida, and the coffee from this pot brings me back.The only negative I can say is that the edges of the milled steel can be a bit sharp. Upon receiving the pot, I cleaned the inside bottom reservoir and got a 'paper cut' from the sharp edges of the threaded lip of the pot. All the edges are fairly hard/sharp, so just take care when cleaning.BUT! It's a pretty pot and makes delicious espresso. I'd give 4.5 stars if possible!There are so many subtleties using a moka pot reviews can vary due to people not having the skills required to make a great cup of coffee, these little coffee makers are not necessarily user-friendly. By making sure you follow the directions and use boiling water in the base, not packing down the coffee in the basket, using a courser rather than a finer grind, and taking your time, you will produce a fantastic cup of coffee. This particular design and brand is the epitome of this type of coffee maker and it's beautifully executed and a lifelong piece of equipment that will last for years and years. Great. value fore a truly excellent product.I am very impressed with the very high quality of this moka pot. Every piece is precision made and sturdy. The instuction booklet is informative for the new user of moka pots. The pot was exceptionally packed into a box that had dense recessed foam that snugly held the pot and the box itself was sturdy and very attractive. (The delivery person heaved the package onto my porch and I gasped hearing the thud.) However, all was well. I encourage support of this business.This pot would make a very special gift -- you would not be embarrassed giving this as a shower or wedding gift.I just love it!