Customer Reviews

Black & Decker TCM700 8-Cup Thermal Carafe Coffeemaker

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

We bought the B&D TCM700 in August and other than some minor adjustments to use it (compared to our old B&D press and brew)it worked satisfactorly. A week before Xmas the brew cycle began to act up. It was using only 2/3 of the available water. Went to B&D website and to my surprise this model does not exist. Seems they have replaced it with a different design. Still trying to reach a live person at B&D regarding the problem. Recommend something similar, but different manufacturer.

I used to have a Black & Decker TCM508 Thermal Select Plus Thermal Carafe Coffeemaker. I liked it so well that when it wore out, I got another. When that one wore out, this was the only one I could find, but I figured "same brand, ought to be fine, right?"

Wrong.

I hate this coffee maker. The design is poorly thought out.

First, you have to press the "on" button twice for it to make the coffee. That sounds like a nothing, but wait until, for the fifth time that week, you go to get your coffee and find it's on "program" because for whatever reason it didn't register the second press of the button. If you're going to use the same button for starting the coffee and programming, doesn't it make sense to have the single push to actually *make* the coffee?

The Sneak-A-Cup feature is a huge source of problems as well.

"Sneak-A-Cup" works via a small, spring-loaded switch on the basket that opens and closes. When it's open, the coffee can drip through to the carafe below. The switch is held open via a spring-loaded button on top of the carafe itself, which is about the same diameter as a dime. When you remove the carafe, the switch closes and thus doesn't drip while you pour. You put it back, and it opens again and finishes brewing.

Problem is that button is so small that the carafe must be lined up perfectly for it to work as intended. If you have put the carafe in and it's a few millimeters off-center, what happens is the basket fills up with water, dribbles out of the overflow and you get a pot full of grounds and mess plus a basket full of water and grounds.

Same thing happens if for whatever reason the button on the carafe sticks in the "down" position.

First few times it happened, I thought it was me getting used to the new design. Then it happened to my roommate a few times. It still happens on occasion despite my now making a point of putting the carafe in carefully. The tolerance for error is *that* small, that two millimeters off makes a complete mess.

That's ridiculous, in my opinion. If the button was the same diamater as a quarter, it would probably be fine, the carafe could be less-than-precisely-aligned and it would still work properly.

I'm stuck with this for the moment, we're in the middle of trying to do a long-distance move, but as soon as we're settled, I'm replacing it with something else--I'm tired of the waste and the mess.

Because I was very happy with the Black and Decker Kitchen Tools 8-cup coffeemaker I used for more than ten years, the world's most perfect coffeemaker until it just stopped working one Monday morning, all I wanted was a machine to take its place, with an 8-cup stainless steel thermal carafe and digital timer. After using this one for a few days, I recognize that most of my adjustment "issues" (i.e., placement of the buttons, LCD screen which can't be seen in a dark kitchen) just are differences I'll get used to, but what's puzzling is this: to make "four cups" (half a pot) in my old machine, I measured out 22 ounces of water. The TCM700 carafe, according to the box, only holds 36 ounces, for a "full" pot. So it isn't just store packages (i.e., the bags and cans of supermarket coffee which mimic the old pounds, but are only twelve ounces, at most) which are shrinking.
The complaints in some of the other reviews seem groundless: it is clear when the button is pressed and the machine is "on", and there is no requirement that the carafe be seated perfectly in order for the coffee to flow into it. It is necessary to have the lid in the "locked" position, but I assume that means that there's less opportunity for heat to escape between servings.
If I were shopping again for a coffeemaker--and I hope I'm not for another few years--I would pay attention to what the number of "cups" means in actual ounces.

I've never been motivated to write a product review before, but I have never hated a product as much before. There is absolutely no way to get this coffee pot to make coffee without having a mess to clean up. You can't pour the water into the maker without it spilling (the lift-up hatch doesn't leave enough space for the carafe), and the carafe itself is a carefully engineered dribble pot, only the very slowest of pours will result in a dry countertop. Now I just grab a sponge before I pour a cup. I'll be buying another brand soon.

This Machine worked for only 4 months before it leaked all the water. Even when it was working the coffee always tasted like plastic. Don't waste your money and choose something else.

Had only 3 months, bought at the B&D outlet. Would not take back. Do not buy, a waste of money. Should have read the reviews first. Does not brew a complete pot. Auto shut off, shuts it off after about the pot is half done. Decided that sending it back would cost more than buying a new one. In the trash it goes. Never again.

I got this coffee pot for Christmas. I was excited because I loved the thermal pot and the timer. I now hate it. It started off by turning off automatically after the coffee was half brewed. I lived with it, and just hit the button again. Now it turns off after about 30 seconds. I have to turn it back on about 6 times to finish a pot of coffee. I might as well squeeze the beans under hot water.

The recall applies to the TCM800 and the TCM850, not this coffeemaker.

1. The opening of the decanter is too small to clean with just your hand and a sponge. I wonder if B&D has a special "decanter cleaner" you must buy.

2. The design of the decanter does not easily allow you to fill the back of the maker with water on one try. You have to fill it twice.

3. The top of the decanter does not make it clear which position is optimal to get a clean pour. I always have to pour over the kitchen sink so that the spilled coffee does not go on the counter. And one time, the top fell off and I burned myself.

4. The permanent filter allows an excess of grounds sediment into the decanter, which is already difficult enough to clean.

There is nothing about this coffee maker that is well thought out. I have a few other B&D small kitchen appliances that are wonderful. I want to throw this coffee maker out the window.

Have had this B&D model for 5+ years now and I have not had any problems such as those cited in other reviews. I use it on a "as needed" basis so I never use the programing, or clock for that matter. The Thermal Carafe is great in keeping the coffee semi-hot for a long period. I say "semi-hot" because one of the only 2 cons I have on this product is:
1. It does not get the water hot enough for proper brewing, thus the finished product is not hot enough either. However, I have yet to find an electric drip coffeemaker, be it $400 or $40, that heats the water to the proper brewing temperature.
2. Pouring in the water is a bit "tight & awkward", but not a BIG deal!
Overall, it's a decent little coffeemaker for a decent little price.