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Presto Stainless

Presto Stainless

By Presto · Coffee Makers · Kitchen & Cooking · More from Presto

  • Power 800 W
  • Voltage 120 V AC
  • Capacity 2 to 12 cups
  • About 1 minute per cup

Price not listed

New
Used, refurbished, open-box

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Problems, parts and running costs

Summary

A basic stainless-steel electric percolator for people who want percolated coffee and nothing else, sold by Presto as model 02811. Check your tolerance for manual shut-off before buying: there is no timer and no automatic shut-off, so the pot must be unplugged when the brew is done.

Strengths

  • Brews hot, strong coffee that owners rate above drip, and it is quiet once the initial heating noise stops.
  • All-stainless body, filter basket and perk tube, with a detachable cord and dishwasher-safe wet parts.
  • Small and light at 2.79 lb, so it fits on a counter or in a cupboard.
  • No pod or capsule lock-in; the metal basket can be used filterless for a stronger cup.
  • A manufacturer parts channel exists, and Presto sells a matching wrap-around filter.
  • A one-year warranty covers defects, as long as the unit came from Presto or an authorized seller.

Weaknesses

  • No timer and no automatic shut-off, so the element runs until you pull the plug.
  • The pot body gets hot enough that one owner scalded a hand while pouring.
  • The perk tube must be seated in a narrow well by hand; a misfire yields weak coffee or plain hot water.
  • The manual calls 3.5-inch disc filters compatible, but one owner reports grounds bubbling out of the basket and leaking down the sides.
  • The basket holes can plug up over about a month of daily use and need a wire brush or chemical cleaner.
  • The long-term owner replaced the power cord after heavy use and the bottom screws after about four years, because they are not rust-resistant.

Verified specifications

Typeelectric percolator coffee maker, not a drip machine.
Electrical120 V AC, 800 W.
Capacity2 to 12 cups, where one cup is about 5 ounces of brewed coffee, so the top setting is roughly a 60-ounce pot.
Stated brew rateabout one cup per minute, a manufacturer claim with no independent measurement behind it.
Body, filter basket and perk tubestainless steel; the lid cover knob is hard plastic.
Signal lightilluminates when the coffee is ready to serve.
Keep-warmcoffee stays hot automatically as long as the appliance stays plugged in.
Corddetachable, described in the manual as short and detachable.
Fill level indicatorinside the body on the handle side, marked in cups.
Filtersdisposable wraparound filters ship in the carton filler; the manual also calls 3.5-inch disc-style filters compatible.
Dishwasherthe basket, basket lid and perk tube may be washed in a dishwasher.
Dimensions9.12 × 5.25 × 12.37 in (width × depth × height); 2.79 lb out of the box.
In the boxthe coffee maker, the detachable cord, and disposable wraparound filters in the top filler of the carton.
Warrantyone year, US only, parts and workmanship, repair or replace at Presto’s option, units bought from unauthorized sellers excluded.
Full research notes and sources

No timer and no automatic shut-off

The machine has no timer and no automatic shut-off. It starts brewing the moment it is plugged in, and the only end-of-cycle cue is a signal light; to stop the element you have to pull the plug. Presto’s own copy says the coffee stays hot automatically as long as the pot is plugged in, which is the same fact from the other direction. The manual’s guidance is to disconnect the cord from the outlet first, then from the appliance. A buyer who wants a machine that can be left on in a busy office should look at the timer-equipped electric percolators in the same comparison roundups, such as the Farberware FCP412, the Hamilton Beach 40616 and 40614, and the Cuisinart PRC-12.

Cleaning, filters and running costs

Wash the basket assembly, cover and inside of the machine after each use, and do not immerse the unit. The spout and perk tube, including the washer, are cleaned with a brush, and the washer must move freely. The basket, basket lid and perk tube go in the dishwasher. For descaling, the manual has you brew a full pot with 3 tablespoons of automatic dishwashing detergent instead of coffee, leave the unit plugged in for 15 to 20 minutes after the signal light, pour out the solution, rinse, then perk plain water through and rinse again.

Presto sells the matching wrap-around filter, Stock No. 41551, at $6.00 for 55 filters. Filters are optional in practice, because the metal basket is perforated finely enough to be used without one, according to one owner who accepts a few grains in the last cup. The manual points to grocery stores and online for Brew Rite wraparound or Melitta wrap styles. Other recurring costs are coffee, electricity and descaling detergent; there are no pods, no proprietary capsules and no filter required by design.

Repairs and owner reports

The retrievable owner evidence is one pool of seven customer reviews on a third-party retailer page.

The strongest voice in that pool is a buyer who had the machine for six years and had bought a second one for work; she rates the coffee above restaurants and above friends’ drip, calls it super-reliable and inexpensive, and paid less than $40 for it in 2010. She also replaced the power cord once after the plug developed a minor short, and replaced the bottom screws after about four years because they are not rust-resistant. Other owners note the pot body gets hot enough to scald a hand while pouring, that the perk tube has to be seated by hand in a narrow well and a misfire yields weak coffee or plain hot water, and that the 3.5-inch disc filters the manual calls compatible let grounds escape the basket. One owner timed a roughly 4.5-cup brew from plug-in to signal light at 7 minutes 29 seconds.

Presto’s part finder returns three service model numbers for this machine, 0281103, 0281104 and 0281105, each with its own service-parts page, and the manual says the model and series numbers are on the bottom of the coffee maker. The manual also says the Presto Service Department can service the machine and supply genuine parts, and warns that look-alike parts may not perform the same. Product registration is requested within 10 days of purchase at GoPresto.com/registration, though the manual says registration does not affect warranty coverage.

Is it worth it?

Presto sells the machine direct for $84.99 and its replacement wrap-around filters for $6.00 a pack of 55. A third-party retailer listing for the same model shows $57.46 (Above Average Coffee, 2026). Under about $60 it is a clear buy for someone who wants a percolator and a full stainless pot; at the $84.99 direct price it is fair, with the one-year warranty and parts channel behind it. Above roughly $100 the missing timer and automatic shut-off become hard to excuse against the neighbouring electric percolators listed in the same reviews. The honest differentiators are the all-stainless body, basket and perk tube, the detachable cord, the small footprint, the dishwasher-safe wet parts, and the option to brew without a filter. No instrumented test of this model was found from any major test outlet, and the only specialist write-up is a roundup entry with pros and cons and no measured data.

Which model this is

This page covers the Presto 12-Cup Stainless Steel Coffee Maker, Stock No. 02811, made by National Presto Industries in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The Amazon listing for this machine is ASIN B00006IV0Q. Presto’s part finder splits the same machine into three service model numbers, 0281103, 0281104 and 0281105. Don’t confuse it with the 02815 Cordless-Serve or the 02822 6-cup model, which are separate products.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

Buying guides for this category

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