Reviewed and updated: November 13, 2026
The Hario Switch gives your coffee a little time to steep before you let it flow into your cup. We’d choose the glass Switch 03 when you want that unhurried option alongside ordinary pour-over brewing. The clear plastic V60 02 is our simpler alternative when pouring the water is part of the pleasure. The Switch buys you another way to brew, with a glass bowl and a few extra parts to care for.
The useful question is whether you want to control when the coffee drains, or enjoy guiding the brew with your kettle. Start there, and the different materials, filters and sizes become much easier to weigh up.
Give your coffee a moment to settle
The Switch has a small steel ball at the bottom that holds the water in the brewer. With the outlet closed, the grounds can steep together before you press the lever and let the coffee drain through the paper. That pause is the appealing part: you can give the coffee its time without keeping a stream of water moving throughout the brew.
It’s a lovely direction to consider when you enjoy choosing the beans but don’t always want a delicate pouring exercise before breakfast. You still measure the coffee and water and pay attention to the brew. The lever simply separates the steeping and draining stages, giving those jobs a clear beginning and end.
You can also use the Switch for a conventional V60 pour-over with the outlet open. That flexibility makes it more interesting than a brewer you might outgrow as your coffee interests change. Try a straightforward steep-and-release brew when that’s what you fancy, with the option to spend more time on a pour-over another day.
The V60 keeps the pour in your hands
The ordinary V60 has no closing valve. Water travels through the coffee as you pour, so your kettle work stays part of the experience. We’d choose it when making coffee is a welcome little break: a favorite bag open beside you, the filter ready, and a few minutes spent on the cup you’re about to enjoy.
The cone’s spiral ridges and open outlet leave room for you to influence the flow through your pouring. That gives the V60 a clear purpose if you like making small adjustments as you get to know a coffee. It also asks more sustained attention from you than filling a closed Switch and allowing a steep.
For an existing V60 owner who enjoys that involvement, the Switch isn’t an essential upgrade. We’d add it because you want the immersion option, rather than expect a new valve to improve every cup. Keeping a brewer you already enjoy leaves room to spend on the next bag of beans instead.
Match the brewer to your favorite cup
The glass Switch 03 here is the larger 360 mL version. Think of that as a personal coffee or a modest amount to share, rather than a family breakfast pot. Milk and the space you leave at the rim also change how comfortably a finished drink fits your mug. A generous-looking cone doesn’t automatically mean several generous mugs.
The plastic V60 02 is a one-to-four-cup dripper, but those cups aren’t four large takeaway coffees. It brews with water flowing through, so its cup designation isn’t a closed-vessel capacity you can compare directly with the Switch’s figure. Pick a recipe and serving amount that suit your coffee, along with a server that can safely hold the whole batch.
There’s also a smaller glass Switch 02. Our Switch size comparison is useful if the valve appeals to you and capacity is the remaining decision. Here, the choice is about how you want to brew, rather than buying the largest number simply because it’s available.
The materials change what you live with
The Switch pairs a heatproof glass bowl with a silicone base, a resin lever and the steel ball. Glass lets you see the brew, which can be part of the enjoyment of a small coffee setup. It also deserves a gentle place around the sink. We’d keep it for a settled kitchen spot where it won’t be knocked by other dishes.
Its glass bowl doesn’t make the whole brewer plastic-free: the resin trigger contacts brewed coffee. That’s worth knowing if avoiding plastic contact is central to your purchase. The clear V60 we’re comparing is the classic plastic version, with a handle and base in the same simple format. Neither recommendation is an all-glass brewing path.
The plain V60 has fewer pieces to keep together. That can be more appealing for a shared cupboard or a coffee kit you move between places. The Switch’s extra mechanism earns its place when you actually use the steeping option; otherwise, the simpler cone may be all the equipment you want beside the kettle.
Leave space for the whole coffee setup
Both need ground coffee, separate hot water and a suitable vessel underneath. Neither heats water or holds your finished drink warm. A kettle you can pour from comfortably belongs in the decision, particularly for the ordinary V60. Our pour-over kettle comparison can help if your current spout is the awkward part of making coffee.
Choose matching papers too: V60 03 filters for this Switch and V60 02 filters for the plastic dripper. The glass Switch includes an initial pack of 40 matching papers. Keep a supply with your brewer so the next coffee doesn’t begin with searching the cupboard for a filter that won’t sit properly.
Set the Switch securely on a suitable server or stand before adding hot water, and leave it there during brewing. Don’t carry it full or force the lever; pressing hard can tip the brewer. With either cone, a stable fit above the receiving vessel matters more than how neatly the setup looks in a photograph. Keep hot brewing equipment away from children.
Consider the last minute at the sink
Paper filters make lifting out the wet grounds straightforward once everything has cooled. The ordinary V60 then leaves a simple cone to wash. The Switch needs attention around its valve as well, and its removable parts must go back together correctly. Keep track of the steel ball: without it, the brewer won’t hold the water for a steep.
The Switch’s care instructions allow dishwasher cleaning, or gentle washing with a soft sponge and mild detergent; avoid abrasive cleaners that scratch the glass. The clear plastic V60 is also dishwasher safe. We wouldn’t make cleaning sound like a major project, but the fewer-piece cone is a worthwhile advantage when you prefer your coffee tools uncomplicated.
Our pick for your kind of morning
Choose the glass Switch 03 for the freedom to steep and release, with pour-over still available when you feel like it. Choose the clear plastic V60 02 when you enjoy the pour and want the simpler cone to wash and put away. The best addition is the one that makes brewing your next favorite coffee feel inviting.
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