I have read about the seemingly involved "Nel Drip" preparation method, and I'm wondering how Nel Pot preparation differs from regular pour-over or drip methods.

I've looked at stuff like this beautiful guide from Blue Bottle and an interview from the same outfit, another preparation guide, some forum posts like this one from CoffeeGeek and others. I also see some other questions tagged pour-over like this one discussing general methods focused on paper filters, and some over at Seasoned Advice but none about Nel.

Nel Drip preparation differs (from other pour-over/drip) in its apparatus ("Nel Pot"), which itself consists of a cotton / flannel filter loosely hanging or suspended over a glass carafe. It also seems to be called "woodneck" (but this is not the Chemex, which also has a wooden bit). "Nel" seems to be stylised as proper noun, but also seems to be short for flan-nel, and is of Japanese origin, though I can't find any proper references.

As with other brewing methods, there seems to be some kind of romantic fascination or magical mystique about it, and perhaps a "cult-like following" of sorts. I've seen widely varying comments, from the preparation method being fragile or finicky, to "easy, cheap ... incredible" (both from links above).

It looks like Nel Drip preparation takes more gear, more preparation, more grounds, coarser grounds, and more maintenance. There's talk of pre-boiling the filter, bamboo paddles, storing the filter in the fridge or freezer, ...?

My Questions:

How does it differ (in taste/outcome) from conventional paper filter pour-over/drip?

Preparation tips that are different from regular pour-over/drip?

Cleaning, maintenance, storage of the filters?

I hope that some with experience can talk me into (or out of!) getting more coffee gear... :)