If you’ve read all about how the Aeropress is a stellar travel brewer and are looking for a metal filter to make traveling even easier, you’re on the right path. But you’re about to run into a confusing situation.
There are so many metal Aeropress filters…
Lucky for you, we’ve just about tried them all—and we’d love to help you look at how they’re different (and similar) to find the one that’s a great fit for you. Here’s a list of the different filters we’ll be analyzing:
- Able Disk
- Able Fine Disk
- KohiLabs
- AerDisk
- Corretto
We’ll look at durability, sludge creation, and a slew of other elements to help you determine which metal filter may be the best one for your circumstances and taste preferences. Let’s get started with the first filter!
Read: 5 Reasons The Aeropress Is The Ultimate Brewer For The Coffee Connoisseur
Able Disk Regular
As one of the earlier metal Aeropress filters, the Able Disc has made quite a name for itself over the last few years. One of Able’s drawing points is that their products are designed and manufactured in the USA.
The Able Disc Regular (or Standard) is a single sheet of stainless steel that has holes laser cut into it. So, rather than being a mesh, it’s hole-y steel. It’s a pretty sturdy filter and is difficult to bend or damage.
Coffee made via the regular filter has a rich flavor, full body, and a noticeable amount of sediment. It’s not quite as intense as the grit from a french press, but it’s definitely noticeable.
Price: $12.99
Sediment: Very Noticeable
Hole Size: 008 Micron
Material: Stainless Steel
Amazon.com Score: 4.7/5
Able Disk Fine
Able’s first Disk was very well-received, but there was demand for a filter with smaller holes that produced less grit. A few years after the Disk’s release, Able came out with the Disk Fine.
This second version of the Able Disk has over twice the number of holes as the original Disk, and they’re two microns smaller each. This does lead to a noticeable reduction in coffee sediment, but the tradeoff is the filter durability. Probably to keep the filter affordable, Able had to reduce the thickness of the filter by 66%, making it much easier to bend or damage.
Read: A Recipe For Aeropress Espresso - Or As Close As You Can Get
Price: $12.99
Sediment: Noticeable
Hole Size: 006 Micron
Material: Stainless Steel
Amazon.com Score: 4.6/5
Kaffeology S-Filter
Created using a method similar to our own filter, the Kaffeology S-Filter features a fine stainless steel mesh surrounded by a strip of steel. The filter has 100,000 holes per square inch and allows very little grit into your final mug.
Kaffeology is proud to manufacture the S-Filter in the USA. Some reviewers struggle to fit the filter to their Aeropress, but Kaffeology does have a fitting guide that demonstrates how every single filter can fit an Aeropress.
Read: Take Your Aeropress Camping For Easy Outdoor Coffee
Price: $12.99
Sediment: Low
Holes: 100,000 per Square Inch
Material: Stainless Steel
Amazon.com Score: 4.3/5
Corretto
Departing from other filter offers, Corretto actually sells three different filters for just $12.88: a fine filter, an ultra-fine filter, and a mesh filter.
While Corretto doesn’t publish the hole size or frequency of its filters, it appears that the “fine” filter has larger holes than the Able Disk Regular; the “ultra-fine” has fewer, larger holes than the Able Fine; and the “mesh” filter appears to be slightly coarser than our own JavaPresse filter.
Price: $12.88
Sediment: Very Noticeable to Low
Hole Size: Small, Large, Mesh
Material: Stainless Steel
Amazon.com Score: 4.7/5
Picking The Right Filter For You
We’ve presented a lot of information, but we haven’t yet told you how to use it. We can’t make the decision for you, but we can give you some possible scenarios and filter suggestions for them.
Read: A Recipe For Shaken Iced Aeropress Coffee
“I want as little grit as possible.”
- Your best bet are the fine mesh filters, such as, S-Filter, or Corretto.
“I want the most filters for my money.”
- The Corretto pack’s trio comes down to $4.29/filter, and all the other options are $12+/filter.
“I want a filter that’ll last me for years.”
- Buying the Corretto packs will serve you twice as long as other filters simply because you have more filters. Avoid the flimsy Able Fine.
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I hope this honest Aeropress metal filter roundup has given you some clarity on the options, their benefits, and their weaknesses. From here, the choice is yours.
I will say, however, that it’s not the filter that makes delicious coffee. It’s the beans!
Start with freshly roasted, specialty-grade coffee and you’ll be able to brew a stellar cup of coffee, no matter what filter you use.
Images Sources: one
