What is this community's opinon on the Melitta pour-over cone?

V60 can definitely be hard if you are pouring from a kettle that is not designed with pourover coffee in mind. I've only used used the Melitta style a few times, but if I recall correctly, the filters are the exact same ones you'd use in a cheap drip coffee maker, so you can pick them up at the supermarket for cheap. From what I remember, it drained pretty slowly, so there's more immersion than percolation. I imagine that as a student, you probably don't have a fancy accurate grinder, so immersion is probably a good thing, it's more forgiving.

Personally, I think the exact technique is probably the least important thing when it comes to the taste of coffee. In my mind, it goes beans>ratio>brewing method>water temp> grind size>technique. Grind size is gonna be more important for some types of brewing (e.g. espresso) than others (e.g. french press). I'd say just make sure you are using consistent ratios (get a scale if you don't have one, doesn't have to be a fancy coffee scale, either), and consistently hot water. Stirring should help.

If you are looking to make better coffee, I'd really just start by making sure you are using good beans.

It's fine. Grind a bit coarser than a v60 recipe and you should be good to go. I'd consider a good hand grinder as your next purchase (along with an aeropress for some variation maybe) and you should be set for some years.

Edit: I just remembered the Melitta I used for years in college, I bored out the holes slightly with a hand drill to get more flow though it because my terrible blade grinder produced too many fines. Consistent hand grinders weren't readily available at the time so that helped avoid over extraction.

I like them. They’re cheap and papers are readily available. If I have some fancy coffee I’ll do a v60 but the melitta is my daily one.

Funny, I get all the Melitta products all around me, EXCEPT the brewer itself! I found it online but it cost as much as a V60 so I have no incentive to try it.

The filters are good, I haven't had issues with them. I hear good things about the cones, the openings seem smaller than a v60 so the flow might take longer. In theory you can grind a tad bit coarser to compensate if you follow a V60 recipe. The cone itself is plastic so it retains heat well. You can pre-heat it with boiling or hot tap water to increase extraction.

So far I'm happy with the coffee I'm brewing with it

That's what matters. I can only give general advice. Play around with the grind settings to dial things a little if you want. Try things out with different water. Ultimately the coffee itself, pouring technique, temperature, grind size, filter, water quality all play a role. The cone is just a small part.

A fantastic and low cost way to get into pour over coffee. Tons of reasonably priced filters to choose from starting with the cheapest 200 pack generic at Walmart to really nice Abaca filters from Cafec with dozens of different choice in between.

Get a good entry level hand grinder like a Timemore C3, a cheap but decent kitchen scale that measures down to 0.1 grams, and goose neck kettle. If you are making coffee in a kitchen then a cheap but decent stainless steel goose neck for the stove top is perfect. If you are in a dorm room or office or something then there are some reasonably priced electric goose necks on Amazon.

Main things are getting good freshly roasted beans (preferably from a local roaster) and a decent grinder (Timemore C3 is a perfectly find starting point) to go with that filter holder.

I used one happily for ages, then something changed with the filters you could get at the grocery and it stopped draining properly. I took the opportunity to get a V60 and that's been my daily driver.

Totally fine. The 3 small holes rather than 1 large one (like on a v60) can make them draw down/drain a little slower, but they are still super functional.

Only advice would be that the flat sides can make it harder to swirl your slurry during the bloom, which a lot of recipes call for. So I'd just look for recipes that use pouring alone (or maybe a little stir) to agitate the grounds, like Matt Winton's 5-pour recipe/video.

It is my daily brew. Grind beans, heat the water in a stove-top kettle, pour, drink. I use the moka pot on weekends when I take more time with it.

There is a local coffee shop in my town that uses this to make their drinks. It makes wonderful coffee.