To update this thread from three weeks ago - [
forums.macresource.com] - the thing works as advertised and it works well.
The first carafe I brewed had the end of a pound of coffee that we'd purchased a week previous, so the taste was a bit off, but with a fresh pound ground to a 5 to match the Melitta filter, it's a relatively fast (~10 minutes) and very tasty brew. The insulated carafe works very well and keeps the coffee well sealed and at a very drinkable temperature for at least five hours (or so I found one day when I stopped home from work for lunch and found some left in the pot). If you're thinking about one, I can recommend it.