Farberware FCP240 2-4-Cup Percolator, Stainless Steel

I've had this model for a few months and think that it will also last a long, long time (don't know about the cord, though). This machine looks terrifically retro, is easy to clean and keeps the coffee consistenly hot for hours. After tasting coffee here, you won't go back to your old drip machine.

My advice to you is:

1. Don't overfill the basket with grinds, because it's very easy to make a STRONG cup of coffee with this. We like strong coffee, so this is a good thing.

2. Clean it w/soap & water as soon as you are finished with it to protect the pot. I also clean it out with Dip-It every 6 weeks or so to remove the coffee stains from the inside and make it shiny and new-looking.

3. At most supermarkts you can buy little paper disc filters that sit in the bottom of the jar and keep the smaller grinds from falling into the water. It also filters out alleged carcinogens that are not removed by traditional percolators or coffee presses.

I would actually give this 4.5 stars, because sadly, these newer models are now made in China rather than the Farberware factory in the Bronx.


The Best Little Perc in Town   April 27, 2005
Sarah E. Markey (Concord, NH,USA)
93 out of 96 found this review helpful

For the coffee traditionalist AND for those who long for the taste and smell of home!

This little perc has been a presence in our family for thirty or forty years. After I left home several decades ago, I evolved into a coffee press/Peet's fanatic myself, but when I brought my parents to live with me, the little Farberware Perc came with them, and I quickly reverted back to that fresh perked taste and smell. The coffee makes up fast and goes fast, so you never have that old perked coffee smell in your house or that syrupy brown gunk to deal with, and these chubby little Farberware droids last forever. Fortunately my folks decided they liked Maxwell House Colombian better than the Master Blend, and we brew several pots of this delicious liquid a day.

Warning: do not compare this coffee experience to your Peet's or Zabar's cafe presse - instead think of diners and grandma's house!


Heavy coffee drinker delight!   August 30, 2004
Dr. Michael E. Brown
48 out of 49 found this review helpful

My present Farberware perc just gave out -- after 25 years. Going all day long every day. Actually, you can replace the heat unit yourself. Just slip the new one in by unscrewing the big screw on the bottom. (I couldn't get the screw out this time -- guess 25 years was too much for it.) For coffee -- stainless steel never gets a "taste" like aluminum; cleans up easily; and you don't have those paper filters (which I can taste, whatever the make).

Don't bother with Farberware if you don't really like coffee a lot, use paper cups, Coffeemate and the rest of that. Yeah, you have to unplug it to shut it off. Big deal. The classic percolator -- the real taste of real coffee.


I love perked coffee! Great little perk! Jr. size.   July 5, 2007
Tara (Los Angeles, CA USA)
40 out of 40 found this review helpful

This is a wonderful little perk. I've had it for almost a month and used it every day, sometimes twice a day.

Speed of coffee prep: A+ (doesn't really take longer than a drip machine)

Speed of perking: A+

Temperature and Temperature maintenance: A+

Ease of cleaning: A+
(Day-to-day cleaning: rinses out easily with very little elbow grease, and you should also buy some percolator cleaner - you can find it at most grocery stores hidden amongst the dishwasher stuff. You use this stuff about once a week - or approx. every 5-10 uses - to clean any stains or grounds buildup. I use about a TBS. of powder and one perk cycle, rinse powder residue, and voila, it's perfectly clean - cleans the "slots" without scrubbing)

Design: B+
(the manufacturer's label piece on the front started coming off immediately, but since this has absolutely nothing to do with the perk's function, I'm too lazy to return it).

If you have never used a perk before, or have used a different kind, you may need to experiment a bit with how finely or coarsely you grind your beans, and your preferred ratio of water to coffee beans. But when you find that right balance to suit your taste buds, well, you'll never want to go back to a drip coffee maker!

Note #1: This is a 2-4 cup perk. This means 2-4 SMALL cups of coffee. If you're like me, your coffee cup is more like a 12-16 oz. cup. I fill with water to the 3 or 4 cup (max) line, and I only get about 1 1/2 cups of coffee out of this. I think the 4-cup max means 4 6-oz or 8-oz cups of java. So if you want more than 2 decent-sized cups of joe without having to make another pot, I'd suggest buying the larger version of this perk. This size is perfect for a limited coffee drinker, or someone who's single. It's small (and kind of cute).

Note #2: I do wish they'd start making these with an auto shut off option. Some folks don't want an auto shut off, but some of us would. The perk does lower the temperature to a keep-hot setting, but if you leave this baby plugged in all day, you may arrive home to the smell of burnt coffee. Depending on how much coffee is left in it, the coffee will eventually reduce/evaporate even on the keep-hot setting. I made this mistake once, and so I've learned to always unplug the percolator after I pour my cuppa joe.


This is the percolator to get!   July 26, 2005
Mykal Banta (Boynton Beach, FL USA)
26 out of 26 found this review helpful

First of all, perked coffee is the way to go. If you love coffee, you will never have a hotter, better cup of coffee that the perked method.

Once you have decided to go the perked way, do yourself a favor and get this model. I had the Melita percolator, and it just didn't have any staying power. It started making irregular coffee after about a couple of months (temperature not consistent, not heating up correctly, making poor coffee) until finally the glass bulb on top just broke off.

Then I bought this Faberware Percolator, and I have been happy ever since. It is simply much better made that the Melita. I have been using it about 1 1/2 years now, and waited this long just to make sure of its quality before posting a review.

It makes an incredible, hot (and the great thing about perk coffee is its hotness) cup of coffee. --Mykal Banta