Brio Self Cleaning Bottom Loading Water Cooler Water Dispenser – Limited Edition - 3 Temperature Settings - Hot, Cold & Cool Water

Prior to buying this Brio water dispenser we owned a Primo brand dispenser (also purchased from Amazon) we were pretty happy with it, for the most part. Over the past few years the primo has developed a taste I didn't care for, but no one else in the house seemed to notice or care. I tried cleaning it with vinegar and water flushes and dilute bleach and water flushes but the taste remained. I figured it was just the brand of 5 gal bottles we were having delivered so I drank a lot of wasteful single serve plastic bottles to avoid the water from the Primo unit. Finally the cooling part of the Primo broke so I started looking for a replacement.I definitely wanted another bottom fed cooler. Once you get rid of that 5 gallon bottle perched on top of your cooler you'll never want to go back. Just not having to deadlift the 50 lb bottle and flip it over without spilling a bunch of water on the floor is reason enough, right? Then there is the nice clean look of the cooler without the bottle perched on the top. Anyway, the Brio is a bottom fed so it fit the bill there. I also liked the sound of the "self cleaning ozone" feature so I decided to give the Brio a try, and I'm so glad I did.This Brio is such an improvement over the Primo it replaced. Let's start with little things. The Brio pump is quieter. No one in our house cares about this but I've seen people complain about noisy bottom fed coolers and the Brio is pretty quiet.The Primo had a room temp button but the water was the nearly the same temp as the cold. It was a pointless and never used button on the PrimoThe Brio room temp button is just that, room temp water. I measured each spout and the cold is 43°F, room temp is 71°F, and hot is 178°F. Now you may already know this but 178°F is a great temp for steeping most white and green teas as well as herbal blends. Oolong and black teas want to be a little hotter (up over 200°F) but for a relaxing cup of sleepytime tea this thing s perfect. The Primo only reached 165F°. Point Brio.Also note you can turn off the hot water in the Brio if you don't want to use it and don't want to waste the energy heating water you won't use. This was the same with the Primo.Tall containers fit better in the Brio. The Brio has a full 1 3/4" (4.5cm for you non-Americans) more space under the spout than the Primo did, a full 10 inches from base to spout as well as a slightly wider perch than the Primo. I can fill my baseball stadium "big ole beer" cups, my Bubba Keg, even my wife's tall 64oz Camelback fits under the Brio nozzle no problem. That never worked with the Primo, you were always holding cups at a weird angle with your finger over the edge to feel when the water was close to the top. Point BrioThe Brio is attractive, at least in my opinion. Black and stainless fit well in most any decor. The Primo was the same color scheme so a wash there.The taste. The water from the Brio is delicious. I don't know what the deal was with the Primo, maybe it was age or some tubing they used I didn't like but I'm back to drinking water from the dispenser instead of destroying the environment with plastic single serve water bottles. I'm going to make regular use of the "self cleaning ozone" feature in hopes of keeping it that way. I much prefer being an environmentally conscious citizen but I just couldn't drink the water from the Primo, it was gross.So I guess you've figured out by now I really love this Brio water cooler and I highly recommend it. It is on the higher priced side of water dispensers but not by a lot and to me, if the self clean feature works it is 100% worth the extra money to have a cooler I will continue using for many years because the water will actually taste good.

I am very happy we finally decided to do this. The machine is very easy to set up and use, and looks great with any decor. Not only are we drinking more water but we can also feel good that we are not polluting with plastic bottles! The temperature for both cold and hot is perfect out of the box. It's the perfect cold so you can chug it and not cringe but still get the refreshing coolness you desire. The hot water is hot enough for tea so no more waiting for the kettle to have a cup of earl grey. The only thing I would change if I could is the noise level when it pulls water up from the jug. It's not disturbingly loud but certainly noticeable but overall you forget it's there until you want a drink and then you're just so pleased to have it. The cleaning feature is nice peace of mind and the only long run question is how well the buttons hold up. I am a bit concerned with this button layout although I'm not sure how else it could be done so I will be sure to update this review after long term use and note any issues that may arise as this is not cheap and one expects long term quality. So far though... 5 stars!

Initial impressions----Build quality-- This is a cheap flimsy cooler. The metal covering the top front was dented. Several other users made this same comment. The "metal" is THIN. I didn't want to mess with packaging it up and sending it back only to get another one with the same issue. The water bottle door is super flimsy. Others commented on how there wasn't a recessed area to open the door which made it difficult to open. I would partially agree. There isn't a "finger" indention to make it easy to open the door. It's not that big of an issue to open it though.Noise-- It's not any louder than other coolers I've had. You can hear the cooler running but it's not bad at all. There were several comments about it being loud. Unless they had a faulty unit, It isn't.Water flow rate.-- It's decent. I would have liked it to be at a higher rate but, it's acceptable.Taste-- The water tasted fine.Easy of use-- It's easy to use. Push a button and water comes out. Buttons are easy to push. Others commented out the buttons being hard to push but mine work fine.Water Temp-- I don't use the hot water feature so I can't attest to how it works. The cold water is about what you would expect if you got it from the refrigerator.Longevity-- Only time will tell since I just got it. These coolers tend to last about 3-4 years so I went ahead and got the 4 year warranty. With the warranty, it was about the same price as its closest rival.Height of unit-- It's the normal height of this type of cooler. I'm 6'1" and have to bend over to use it but it's not an issue. Some reviews made issue with its height but It's fine for me.Self-cleaning-- I haven't used this function yet since I just bought it but if it works, I'll be happy. My previous unit automatically cleaned itself without having to activate it manually. It's not a big deal though.Pros- It looks pretty nice.Cools water.Noise level is decent.Price was decent.Self-cleaning.Cons- Cheap materials.Metal was dented when I got it.Water bottle door is flimsy.Conclusion-- For the price, I think it's about the best your going to get. As of right now, I would recommend it. If it breaks, I'll update the review.UPDATE 1-24-23 -Coolers working perfect. I recommend running the self cleaning function when you're not home due to it being loud and lasting about an hour.