I've been using this Rival Thermoperk because my auto-drip coffee maker died.
It was brand new in the box, never been used from my folk's basement, so gave it a try. I must say it makes really good coffee.
I prefer ground coffee to whole bean, there doesn't seem to be enough of a difference in taste to warrant the extra step of grinding it myself. Plus it seemed like I had to use a lot more coffee in the pot when grinding myself.