Customer Reviews

Black & Decker DCM1350 VersaBrew Plus 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker, White

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I wanted a coffee making gizmo, and this model came with a few extras that I thought valuable. Of course, at this price, the VersaBrew Plus does not grind coffee beans, filter water, remove CO2 from the air, or slice bagels. So here is what I like about this particular coffee maker.

First, I like being able to lift the basket with the filter free and clear without having to contort my wrist at unnatural angles or pry the whole thing loose. This feature makes it easier both to add fresh grounds and to remove the sodden used grounds.

I like having the easy-to-use timer so that, oh joyous moment, the coffee is already brewing or brewed when I stagger into the kitchen.

The carafe pours easily and does not drip, and the heating element gets the coffee plenty hot so it's not necessary to do an auxiliary burn in the microwave (as I had been doing with my previous, dying coffee maker).

Another plus is that the carafe has stairstep hash marks to show how much extra water is needed to yield how many cups. (Rumors that the extra water rematerializes in the same dimesion where all socks that vanish in dryers go cannot be substantiated at this time.)

Also, the sneak-a-cup feature allows the first person to reach the coffee maker to steal a cup of coffee during the brewing process, thereby ensuring he or she gets the stronger stuff, which, after all, is the main reason for getting up first.

There are a couple of vices to note with the VersaBrew Plus.

Early on, for two mornings in a row, I fought my way past the cats only to find that there was no coffee in the carafe, only clear, warm water. The problem was that I had failed to pour any water into the heating reservoir the night before! Perhaps future models will either mock you with shrill bursts of laughter or feature a robotic siphoning device that handles the task should you put coffee in the basket, set the timer, and still forget to pour water into reservoir.

Second, as the last dregs of water are being sucked into the innards where the heating elements dwell, this thing sounds like an old steam locomotive with vicious intentions. It's rare to hear this much noise without some sort of accompanying motion to justify the sound. I've wondered if it might be possible to attach wheels and at least get the kitchen counter wiped off during these final wheezing paroxysms.

Finally, you can only move the time on the clock forward, so if you want to set the autobrew to start an hour earlier, you have to advance the time 23 hours instead of turning it back for one. That's pretty pathetic engineering.

But hey, I've got hot, fresh coffee every morning, and that is a good thing. Maybe the others reviewers have an earlier model or perhaps the coffee gods are displaying their wrath for reasons we cannot know. (But I do know that filling the coffee maker over the maximum water level might not be a good idea.)

PS: In constrast to the experiences of others, our Black & Decker DCM1350 VersaBrew Plus 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker is still on the job after three years of nearly daily use. Maybe it's because we throw a couple of scoops of decaf in with the mix.

We have the basic Versabrew at work and it just boggles the mind that the engineering on this carafe made it through whatever Quality Assurance program B&D has. Maybe none based on this dribble cup carafe. There is no way to pour liquids out of this thing without it dribbling/leaking/spooshing down the side and bottom of it and all over the counter/floor/dog/shoes.

Maybe this was their gag line of coffee makers?

I give this two stars based on the fact that it does indeed make coffee. It gets an F- in engineering.

When our old percolator died, we bought this for one reason--to make coffee. We liked the programmable timer. However, after two weeks of fiddling with the strength adjustment, changing coffee brands, changing the mix, etc., we are resigned to the fact that this thing just makes lousy, bitter-tasting coffee. Never mind that it is impossible to pour from the top half of the carafe without spilling and that the timer erratically changes it's setting. I could live with that if it weren't for the bad coffee. Buy something else. I'm shopping now.

I have tried soaking, cleaning, vinegar, scrubbing, dishwasher, running it with just water etc. etc. and I can't get rid of the pungent smell and aftertaste of the plastic. It reeks and is impossible to get rid of.

Lousy design, drag it out to the edge of the counter in order to pour water in it which you will no doubt spill because of the lousy carafe.

Waste of money.

I just bought this model this week. So far, so good. I agree with the reviewers who noted the tendency of the carafe to pour like a dribble glass. Apart from this design flaw, the machine works well. I will hang on to my old Hamilton Beach model just in case. BTW, this B&D model has a very small footprint, one of the major reasons I bought it.

Introduction:
I have owned this coffee maker for about five years and use it several times a week. I felt I have a lot of experience with this product and should share my thoughts on the matter.

Pros:
Cheap
Reliable
Relatively good coffee, provided the unit is shut off immediately after brewing so that the coffee does not become acidic (I recommend a separate Thermos)
Only has three pieces and they all are happy going into the dishwasher for clean-up
No built in grinder (just one more thing to clean and prone to breakage)
Clock and Start timer are nice

Cons:
Poor construction, a plasitc pin holding the basket in snapped off one day
Carafe is poorly designed so that the user must pour out several cups of coffee before the carafe is full, otherwise, more coffee ends up on the counter than in the cup or thermos
Uses annoying paper coffee filters - I wish it had a reuseable one
The hash marks on the side of the carafe have long since washed off
When brewing 12 cups, user must add more water to the device, since I have noticed almost a full cup of "evaporation", maybe the coffee elves ran off with it...
Somewhat of an odd foot-print eats up more counter space than it should

Summary:
If you want a budget coffee maker that will be reliable, but of otherwise inferior quality, this is your item. After five years, it is finally starting to die from the hard water (vinegar helps quite a bit). Honestly though, you get what you pay for and I would recommend another brand than B&D, such as Krupps, etc. Do yourself a favor, spend an extra $50 on something that will last longer than other reviewers have noted and that has useful features instead of this bare-bones aggravation fest.

Verdict:
Reliable, but mediocre at best

Although the price on this item was fantastic after receiving it my husband and I were greatly dismayed to find that you cannot pour from the decanter without spilling the contents all over the counter top. You cannot pour water into the brewing receptical nor can you pour coffee into your cup without it spilling everywhere. We have had to resort to using the decanter from our old coffe maker on this machine. Either we received a lemon or the pour spout is poorly designed. Please pass our complaints along to the manufacturer.

I do not purport to be a coffee aficionado, ok? I don't grind my own beans, I don't use agua dulce mountain spring water with a specific pH, and Kirkland Colombian in a can suits me just fine, thank you.

That said, I do appreciate a reliable, simple-to-use coffee maker that's easy on the frilly bells/whistles and easy to clean (yeah, like that happens very often). Thank ____ (you fill in the blank) for inventing easily-disposed paper filters so that I am not tasked with a daily cleaning of a yuppie-gold filter -- what a PITA that must be, huh? -- and the coffee maker manufacturers that are common sense-oriented enough to use them. And did I mention value-priced?? Ok, cheap.

So in my view, this little B&D fills all the bills and works quite well. I have almost never encountered a spillage problem (see below) and I can't imagine why anyone would say, "Ewww, it makes yucky tasting coffee". No, it doesn't! It tastes fine -- what's your problem??

It has a nice little clock/timer that I don't have to ask my child how to operate, the pour interrupt works well, the basket swivel hasn't fallen off so far, and yes, it IS easy to clean!

What really grinds my cookies, though, is that I can't seem to find a replacement carafe (did I spell that right, Buffy?) or "pot" since my ham-handed attempt in proper "carafe replacement technique" resulted in a miss which resulted in a crack which now results in a leak. Durn.

So I hope to buy yet another of these poor, maligned little machines cause I think they're just swell. If I can find one, that is.

Hey, anybody want to sell me theirs??

I have owned this coffee maker for almost one year and cant wait for it to die. The coffee tastes okay but it is impossible to pour a cup of coffee without spilling it. I'm glad it didn't cost much because it is a poorly designed product.

This has all the bells and whistles I wanted, made decent coffee, just broke after less than a year ~ and it DOES drip when pouring unless you pour v-e-rrrrr-y slowly ~ I won't get another B&D coffeemaker :-(