Kalita

Kalita Wave 185 Dripper

Ranked #2 in Pour-Over Coffee Makers

1096 LP on the category ladder what's LP?

Well-made stainless and an outlet favorite, but its proprietary wave filters are a permanent dependency and the known stalling quirk lives in the consumable, not the cup.

Consolidated from 14 cited sources across 13 outlets

Where the cited sources landed, as we read them

1 enthusiastic source
11 positive sources
2 mixed sources

See the sources

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Pros & cons

✓ Well-made stainless body with nothing to break
✓ Co-favorite in Serious Eats testing and best overall in Yahoo Shopping's testing
✓ The flat-bottom benchmark for even extraction
✓ Most consistent results of everything Wirecutter tested
✓ Flat-bottom style is the most forgiving of pouring technique

✗ Requires proprietary wave filters, a permanent consumable dependency
✗ Known stalling quirk with fresh or fine coffee
✗ Requires proprietary Wave filters, an ongoing running cost
✗ Small drain holes can clog if grounds are too fine
✗ Proprietary Wave filters cost meaningfully more than cone filters over time

The sources behind this ranking

We searched the web and YouTube for what has been published about this product, then read the articles, video transcripts and comments we found.

Evidence 11 articles, 2 video reviews and 1 community source

1 enthusiastic source

Home Grounds Julia Bobak · reviewer · Nov 2023

The Kalita Wave pour-over coffee maker gets its name from the horizontal ridges descending its walls like waves. It is a wide cone with a flat base and three small holes at the bottom. A baseplate encircles the cone so it can sit on a mug or carafe during brewing, and a curved plastic-coated handle arches from top to bottom.

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11 positive sources

WIRED Matthew Korfhage · reviewer · Aug 2026

WIRED consumer tech editor Michael Calore swears by the majesty of the flat-bottomed Kalita Wave 185 stainless steel coffee dripper for his morning pour-over. Just as I prefer a flat-bottomed brewing chamber for drip coffee courtesy of the Ratio Eight, the flat-bottomed Kalita Wave likewise leads to better-controlled and more even saturation of your coffee grounds. While a lot of pour-over drippers are plasticky, this one is not. And it still only costs $34. Just note that if you're getting into pour-over, you'll need a good gooseneck kettle like the rightfully ubiquitous Fellow Stagg EKG ($200) .

Read R Roasty Coffee Roasty Coffee · 25.7K subscribers · Dec 2024

For a durable dripper that brews with consistency, the Kalita Wave is a great choice. Just be sure to use the right equipment to get the most out of it.

Watch M Morning Brew Guide Morning Brew Guide · reviewer · Jan 2026

If you're a complete beginner, start with the Kalita Wave. It's more forgiving and you'll get great results faster. If you've already done some manual brewing and want maximum control and flavor clarity, go V60. Either way, you can't make a bad choice — both are excellent at their price point. The technique you develop on one transfers directly to the other.

Read B BT Shop BT Shop · 2K subscribers · Aug 2025

Great filters for a great pourover. There's a few great things about these filters. One, they leave no sludge whatsoever. Two, they're thinner, smaller than ChemX, so they consume less water and go far quicker. Three, since they're pleated waves, they don't sit against the coffee maker and drop the temperature as much. In my experience, with 850 ml of water over 40 gram of coffee, I only lose about 50 ml of water with these. Comparatively, with a ChemX, I lose close to 100 ml for the same amount of grounds because their filters are probably 3x as thick and more than twice as large unnecessarily.

Watch R

RoastRanker The RoastRanker Team · reviewer · Apr 2026

The Kalita Wave 185 ($42) is flat-bottomed with three small holes, which slows extraction even more and forgives a slightly off pour. Same coffee, three different ratio sweet spots.

Read C

Cookloom Article · Aug 2026

The best pour-over coffee makers, compared: the forgiving Kalita Wave 185, the control-first Hario V60, and the Chemex Classic for the cleanest cup.

Read C

Coffee Guide Coffee Guide Editorial · reviewer · Nov 2025

As your technique develops and your curiosity grows, the Wave dripper offers a more expressive next step.

Read D

Drip Roast Vignesh Selvasundar · reviewer · Aug 2026

It’s the only dripper here that survives a tile floor, which is a specification even if nobody prints it.

Read B

Balance Journal Balance Journal · reviewer · Jun 2026

The best for beginners is the Kalita Wave 185, the most forgiving brewer here by a clear margin.

Read B

Buzz Beans Coffee Article · Jan 2026

Kalita Wave 185 ($4): Forgiving flat-bottom design for consistent extraction ( Amazon )

Read H

Home Grounds Julia Bobak · reviewer · Sept 2019

All that and an affordable price tag puts the Kalita Wave at the top of my list.

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2 mixed sources

batchcoffee.co.uk tom.saxon.14 · reviewer · Nov 2025

The Kalita Wave does make a cracking brew (checkout this Kalita Wave recipe from Stumptown), however you do hit a bit of a ceiling when it comes to perfecting your pour over technique and may not be a great choice for those that want to tweek and tinker with their recipe and become a master at pour over coffee.

Read P r/pourover u/benee007 · owner

The wave is going to steer you towards clearer and brighter brews. The wave can be slightly temperamental with stalling but the V60 is more likely to go too thin or too bitter.

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Frequently asked questions

It ranks #2 of 15 on our pour-over coffee makers tier list, in S tier. That placement draws on 14 cited sources across 13 outlets.

None of the 14 sources with a clear view is critical of it. Requires proprietary wave filters, a permanent consumable dependency. Known stalling quirk with fresh or fine coffee. Requires proprietary Wave filters, an ongoing running cost. Small drain holes can clog if grounds are too fine. Proprietary Wave filters cost meaningfully more than cone filters over time.