Thought i'd take a few minutes to write a quick review on the Yama Tabletop Vacpot. I'm not going to get into brew times, temp or grind specications (there are plenty of great resources for that out there for that; i.e. coffeegeek) but I thought it'd be nice to write a brief summary of my experience with the newest member of my brew posse. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Vacpots (coffee siphon/vacuum brewer), the basic principle is a two chambered coffee brewer that functions off of the physics of vacuum pressure to draw the brew water up into the upper chamber and contact the grounds in a full immersion brewing technique. I tend to really enjoy vacpot brews. The cup is much cleaner than that of press pot brew methods, although they can tend to be a bit finicky. Luckily Yama® has an incredible gasket system providing a solid seal resulting in a very reliable, almost stall proof brewer. 
Their price point is nice too. This 5-cup model retails for right around $60, significantly less than it's more expensive counterparts. Yama currently makes a few different types of vacpot brewers in all different cup sizes including a stovetop model. Personally I tend to favor the stovetop model for all practical purposes. Although the tableop model is a nostalgic representaion of early 20th century design and brew technology. As for the heat source, the stock heating element makes this model a bit time consuming. The current heating element that is shipped with the Tabletop model is a wicked alcohol burner that is fueled by either Isopropyl or Denatured alcohol. Although effective, this fuel source is not all that efficient. As an upgrade, a small adjustable butane burner can be purchased to maximize the potential of the brewer. 
In my opinion this is a must have if you plan to use this brewer to it's full extent. The adjustable butane burner allows you to fully maintain great brew temperature throughout the entire siphon process, by adjusting the size of the flame to maintain the rate of boil and vapor production. As for the filter element, the Yama tabletop ships with a cloth filter assembly (w/ extra filters) that is common among most vacpot brewers. They do a great job and I typically grind slightly finer for these and adjust my brew time accordingly. Although these cloth filters work well, they're one more thing to clean, and if not stored properly can accumulate mold growth. (If used, store in the fridge). 
However, the current filter element I use in all my vacpots including this tabletop model is a glass Cory filter rod. It you hunt around on ebay, CG, or even craigslist you can generally find these at a reasonable price. They're basically a glass rod that that has a spherical base with an array of tiny glass nubs. These little bumps allow the coffee to pass around the nubs back down into the bottom chamber while restricting the flow of the grounds. The best part? They're a snap to clean and they never wear out. Just rinse them off and you're good to go. Overall, I'm really impressed with this small tabletop model. As with all my Yama brewers, I've rarely had any issues or stalled pots, and it makes a great cup, and one hell of a conversation piece. Build quality on the Yama Tabletop is pretty adequate given it's price point. It's about 1/4 the price of a Cona Vacpot brewer and therefore the build quality has a slightly cheaper feel to it.
In my opinion this is a must have if you plan to use this brewer to it's full extent. The adjustable butane burner allows you to fully maintain great brew temperature throughout the entire siphon process, by adjusting the size of the flame to maintain the rate of boil and vapor production. As for the filter element, the Yama tabletop ships with a cloth filter assembly (w/ extra filters) that is common among most vacpot brewers. They do a great job and I typically grind slightly finer for these and adjust my brew time accordingly. Although these cloth filters work well, they're one more thing to clean, and if not stored properly can accumulate mold growth. (If used, store in the fridge). 
However, the current filter element I use in all my vacpots including this tabletop model is a glass Cory filter rod. It you hunt around on ebay, CG, or even craigslist you can generally find these at a reasonable price. They're basically a glass rod that that has a spherical base with an array of tiny glass nubs. These little bumps allow the coffee to pass around the nubs back down into the bottom chamber while restricting the flow of the grounds. The best part? They're a snap to clean and they never wear out. Just rinse them off and you're good to go. Overall, I'm really impressed with this small tabletop model. As with all my Yama brewers, I've rarely had any issues or stalled pots, and it makes a great cup, and one hell of a conversation piece. Build quality on the Yama Tabletop is pretty adequate given it's price point. It's about 1/4 the price of a Cona Vacpot brewer and therefore the build quality has a slightly cheaper feel to it. 
yeah it was great i loved the vacpot! It was cool to watch and use. Maybe almost too clean for me though, compared to a press you couldn't taste the flavor notes of the coffee until it cooled down all the way. I would however prefer it to drip any day.
"They're basically a glass rod that that has a spherical base with an array of tiny glass nubs."? Just say it: it looks like a penis.