Bravilor vs Fetco vs Curtis: Drip Coffee Maker Face-Off
Drip coffee makers are directly responsible for the introduction of quality coffee in the work space, the home as well as the office. They’re not only easy to use – but they make coffee that:
a) pretty much everyone drinks
b) they make a lot of that coffee in one shot
c) you’ve got (essentially) bottomless coffee in the time it takes to make a cup of single-serve.
We can already see the major advantages of this type of coffee solution, and we haven’t even mentioned that drip coffee makes are by far (miles, and miles – and miles) the most cost-effective type of coffee maker.
The coffee maker industry was also made to realise the popularity of this type of solution very early – and as a result – we’ve seen a surge in brands releasing heir own signature drip coffee maker solution. Bravilor, Fetco and Curtis have to be (arguably) THE biggest names in the coffee industry, and we’re about to compare them to each other.
Bravilor vs Fetco vs Curtis
For ease of reference, I’ll be comparing the most similar models of these batch-brewing systems.
|
Bravilor Bonamat Novo |
Curtis ALPHA3GT |
Fetco Extractor CBS-2061e |
| Price: +/- $ 400.00 | Price: +/- $ 800.00 (1 upper & 1 decanter) | Price: $ 2 300.00 |
| Cups per pot: 12 – two pots hold 24 cups | Cups per pot: 4.5 gallons – up to approximately 68 regular sized cups per pot | Cups per pot: 3 gallons – approximately 45 regular coffee cups |
| Self-regulated hot plate: Yes | Self-regulated hot-plate: Monitored | Self-regulated hot plate: No |
| Special features:
Self-regulated hot plate |
Special features:
Silent, LED light alerts operator when coffee is no longer at its peak of freshness and a new brew is needed. |
Special features:
Pulse-Brew Intermittent Spray Shower technology with programmable brew volume, brew time, pre-wet percent, bypass percent, pre-wet delay and drip delay |
| Dimensions: 16.9”H x 8.07”W x 13.4”D | Dimensions: 19.13″ H x 9.12″ W x 20.40″ D | Dimensions: 18.5″W x 22.5″D x 37.75″H |
| Weight: 4.4 pounds | Weight: 30 pounds | Weight: 92 pounds |
| Warranty Period:
As per supplier – usually 1 year warranty period |
Warranty Period: Curtis’ Exclusive G3 3-Year Warranty – Provides 3 full years of protection on the digital control components. |
Warranty Period:
Circuit boards: 3 years parts and 1 year labor; Electro-Mechanical parts: 2 years parts and 1 year labor; All other parts: 1 years parts and labor |
As we can see, there are major differences in each of these machines, even though we have compared the closest possible counterparts.
Having said that – we can draw some basic conclusions from having a look at the side-by side comparisons.
If you’re looking to serve drip coffee to a smallish amount of people (in a small office or even in a home) a Bravilor Bonamat Novo could tick all the requirement boxes. It is an industrial standard machine, with the output and functionality needed to make quality filter coffee at home. It is reasonably priced and does away with the bells and whistles that so usually push up the price of a machines.
Moving one up, the Curtis range of coffee makers is geared towards more busy, high-traffic area’s and has a great warranty period as supplied by the manufacturer. You can get a lot more out of this machine than many of the others we have compared, and while it is still aesthetically not as re fiend as the Fetco, it has a much more functional output in high volume areas – for a reasonable price.
Lastly, the Fetco range of drip coffee makers allows users to brew a huge amount of coffee, and to maintain the freshness and heat of that coffee by means of insulation in the form of a thermal flask. The machine has much higher functionality and special features than the others – so in an area where freshness, ease of use and product storage with a small air of aesthetic draw – the Fetco should satisfy your needs. However, take into consideration the higher price bracket you can expect when making use of this type of machine.