At first sight, all coffee making devices serve the same purpose (more or less). The brewing processes very much resemble one another. But the truth is that the slightest difference in the brewing process means a big difference in the coffee taste.
For example, let's take the drip coffee maker, which is the most commonly used device in kitchens worldwide. This appliance actually drips hot water over the ground coffee. The drip method is appreciated as providing strong and fairly flavored coffee. This device needs to fulfill a few conditions: the water temperature, the grounds size and the brewing time. You change one of these variables and the coffee's spoilt.
A medium drip coffee maker can brew 4-6 cups of coffee at a time. This may be enough for family use, and, if well-maintained, you can enjoy nice cups of coffee every day. If the drip also includes a thermal pot, you can keep the coffee warm for a longer time, without destroying its flavor.
However, if you need to brew only 1-2 cups, that's usually a problem for most drip coffee makers. The water doesn't reach the adequate temperature before the brewing process begins, and the coffee comes out too watery.
The vacuum coffee maker is the Cinderella among coffee makers. It can probably brew the most faithfully version to what the majority of us calls "a good cup of coffee". It has strength, it has flavor and rich taste. If not for anything else, you can use your "vac pot" to impress friends, as it can be easily mistaken for a chemistry-lab equipment. It had its glory days between 1920 - 1950.
The percolator is unfortunately considered the "frog", the "ugly duckling" that'll never turn into a beautiful swan. The reason? It doesn't respect the "ground rules" for brewing coffee. To be more exact, coffee is boiled, and the water passed several times through the grounds! The coffee can come out flavorless, bitter-tasting. Percolators used to be "en vogue" in the 1920's.