Customer Reviews

Black & Decker ODC425 Spacemaker 10-Cup Thermal Carafe Coffeemaker

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(57)

 

 

I got this for Christmas because I needed some extra counter space, I really wanted a thermal carafe to keep the coffee hot, and I liked the way it looked. The only thing good about this peice of s*** is that it looks good on the counter.

CONS:
1- It doesn't keep your coffee hot
2- It steams up all over, more than most coffee makers I have had.
3- The worst part is that you cannot pour a cup of coffee without getting most of the coffee you have just made all over the place, (did they even test the damn thing before they put it on the market?)- really!
4- It pretty much sucks

PROS-
It just stopped working a couple weeks ago and I was able to return it and receive a refund with which I bought a great coffeemaker by Cuisenart.

If you have owned one of these, you should write a letter to Black and Decker to tell them how much they failed us on this one.

If I could return this coffee maker, I would. The problem is they wont take it back. I can't blame them, I don't want either.

Our previeus coffee maker was also a Black and Decker under cabinet model, but one of a more standard design (glass pot). The main change in this maker is that it has a stainless steal carafe that keeps the coffee warm. This means that once the coffee is finished brewing, the unit turns off and the only thing keeping the coffee warm is the insulation of the carafe. Fortunately this seams to work well. However, it bring a bunch of inconveniences with it.

In order to pour a cup of coffee, you have to unscrew the lid. This means using two hands or setting the pot down to unscrew the lid. The lid unscrews to the point that an arrow points to the spout. The problem is that the opening is so small that pouring a cup takes forever. If you rotate the top one more full turn to increase the opening, now the top is complete loose and will easily fall off as you pour. Did they test out this design? My guess is they are trying to keep the opening small to keep in the heat.

Another problem due to the small opening is taking a cup before all of the coffee is finished brewing. There is a standard lever to allow you to take a cup and stop the flow of coffee. The problem is that when you put the cup back, the flow of coffee is too much to go through the small opening in the lid of the carafe and coffee spills all over. This doesn't happen all the time, but definitely more times than not. Once again, didn't they see this?

But wait, there's more. The clock is a non-back lit LCD. It is very hard to see without strong lighting. Remember this is an under the counter unit where there is less light. There is no way you can see the time across the room like with (the old) LED display and you have to get right on top of it to see the "status" of the machine (if auto mode is on or if the unit is on) since the LCD is so hard to read.

While I'm on a role, the carafe is uncomfortably heavy, you can't see how much coffee is in it, the unit is taller than the old one (something you don't want in an under counter unit), the buttons are all the same size and right up front were you can easily reset the time on the clock without meaning to or turn the unit on or toggle the auto setting.

If they above items, don't bother you, buy it. Otherwise think twice ... and then think again.

Yes folks, here is another previously very satisfied customer of the B&D Undercounter Spacesaver Coffee maker who bought the new and improved model. I cannot tell you how DISSATISFIED we (EVERYONE who attempts to use it) are with this product. Suffice to say that money is not everything, but until you have your first cup of joe for the day, things just don't seem to go well for you. We usually end up with more coffee on the counter than in the cup - with the inconvient lid screwed on or off.

I purchased this coffeemaker so that I would be able to make coffee for all of my family when they came in for the holidays. Needless to say, we will be having Starbucks instead. First of all, the template for mounting is askew. Second, the screws are too long, so I had to cut those off. Next, when we tried to follow the cleaning instructions, we found, as others did, that it started steaming up the front of the cabinets, and the filter basket became very hot! Next, my husband spent 30 minutes on the phone with Black and Decker customer service (who by the way is not really B and D anymore) trying to explain to them why, because of design flaws, we could not get through the cleaning process. They just kept telling my husband we needed to clean the unit before we "percolated to grounds." They obviosly were not listening to a word he said. I thought he was going to start percolating. After much frustration, we returned the unit to the point of purchase. We had to go around and around with them because it "had been used."
BUYER BEWARE!!!

The carafe doesnt keep the coffee hot, it doesnt even START OUT hot enough. You cannot pour coffee without dribbling all over the counter unless you take the cover all the way off and then it is difficult to rethread correctly to put it back on. So pouring a cup of coffee is irritating and time consuming. This is te worst black and decker product I ever owned.

Hopefully someone will research the product before buying it. I didn't. I went with the notion of " I've bought B+D products before with no problem". This time it was different. I can't believe they would even put such a crummy product on the market. The lid leaks, coffee does not stay hot enough, hard to clean inside pot, hot steam ruins cabinet above maker,does not empty water after about 2 months, ( takes 3 pushes of start button to make a pot of coffee )coffee pours way to slow from carafe.
Another product from China that's not worth what you pay for it. Now I'll switch to another manufacturer for all my products. DON'T BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!!!!!

I have to wholeheartedly agree with all the negative reviews above. Nearly every single function of this machine is flawed, save for the actual brewing of the coffee. That part seems to work okay.

1) It is difficult to get the carafe lid screwed back on due to design.

2) When the carafe is inserted into the machine it must be pushed all the way against the back to activate the drip lever - else the basket will overflow with steaming hot water and coffee grounds.

3) It is easy for the carafe to catch the edge of the filter basket and pull it out if you're not careful. This becomes a real safety hazard given the design flaw in #2.

4) Pouring the coffee results in coffee being dribbled all over the counter 90% of the time.

5) Coffee is never really hot, and only stays warm for maybe on hour in the carafe.

6) It is hard to tell when the coffee maker is "on". There is a tiny "on" indicator on the small LCD screen, but no clearly visible light. The LCD panel is hard to read if the machine not mounted at eye level (ours sits on the counter).

I'm surprised Black & Decker would release such a product, it seriously degrades their brand. I will think twice before purchasing a power tool from Black & Decker, since a design flaw there can mean serious personal injury.

The carafe pours very slow and coffee drips all over the counter.

I have been using Black & Decker Spacemaker Coffemakers for 15 years, replacing one when needed. I believe I have purchased 6 for my home and motorhome. I have always been very happy with them until now. The changes that have been made do not improve the product. Amazon very kindly replaced the first one I received as I was not happy with the Thermal Carafe. It takes 5 minutes to pour one cup of coffee. The replacement is exactly the same. The water dispenser does not have a handle which makes it very awkward to carry and slipped from my hand once and dropped on the floor with water everywhere. I called Black & Decker and all they told me was to have it replaced by Amazon and gave me no satisfaction.

We had an earlier (perhaps the first) Black&Decker Spacesaver Coffeemaker and really loved it alot! a 12 cupper, too!

But after 15 years, well you know. There wasn't much on the market for spacesaver type coffee makers. So I ordered the new model from Black&Decker. Only a stainless steel pot available. I can't see how much coffee is left and this model actually turns off after the coffee is brewed and only 10 cups. I can use a glass pot, but it will get cold. The clock is so small that it probably shouldn't even be there. If I didn't need the counter space, I wouldn't have bought it. They should have stayed with the original design (nice sized visable clock).

However, my experience with Amazon.com was excellent!