Customer Reviews

Hamilton Beach Eclectrics 40111 All-Metal 12-Cup Coffeemaker, Sugar

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

To say that am I picky when it comes to coffee makers is an understatement. I finally settled on this one after looking at them all!!

Pros:

Dripless. Unbelievable! No matter how fast you pour it won't spill. It makes it very easy to fill the resevior in the back with no mess (and we have limited counter space).

Cone filters - Prefer the taste over basket shaped ones.

User interface - Very intuitive!!! If you want to change the time, just press hour. So many others require you to hold down a combination of buttons, etc. This is the easiest system I have ever seen.

Material - Solid! Metal machine is very sturdy.


Cons:

No variable heat - We thought this would be a minor inconvenience, but the pad keeps the coffee perfect for us so it is not an issue.

No variable flavor - Again, we thought it might be an issue, but this makes great deep rich coffee (adjust strength by quantity of grounds.)

Residual liquid in carafe - Yes, the design keeps about 1-2 tbsps of coffee/water after you pour everything out. We just hold it over the sink and turn it upside down. Very minor inconvenience.

Overall a great coffee machine!

The style and durability of this coffemaker meets the expectations of this retro-coffeemaker. Remember that it is mostly all-metal and you can tell when you lift it out of the same-color-as-the-coffeemaker box. I was not disappointed with its durability, color and style. I enjoy keeping abreast of the different style of makers that come out and this has not disappointed me yet. The metal housing is extremely well made and nice looking.
However, there are things that I will be watching out for and you should also. The plastic top of the carafe may be the type where it discolors from coffee drippings remaining on it after the brew process. I will be rinsing this off each day to slow or prevent this discoloration -- it has not happened yet. I bought the apple color...the bannana color may show this more.
There is a rubber gasket that prevents brew drippings from splashing out and this may wear out over time.
The claim on the no-scorch hot plate. Well, this is where Hamilton Beach may be behind the times as most coffee makers have this now. The hot plate is in fact pretty hot, so don't misinterpret this. But it is as you expect...easy to wipe clean like most coffee makers today. An advertising boasting probably.
Hamilton Beach has "American-ized" the cup markings. Each cup marking is actually two demitasse cups instead of the common Braun and Krups one demitasse quantity. So expect a close to full "cups" of coffee. I actually like this.
In terms of speed, I did not witness any faster brewing as it claims in the advertisement, but it is not slow at all, so you won't be disappointed. The water temperature and taste of the coffee is as you would want and expect.
The carafe top is not removable, so cleaning is only a bit challenging. The seal for the top of the carafe works o.k., but water does collect in the seam a bit. But again, rinsing this daily will prevent any problems of staining.
All in all, if you maintain this unit, by wiping/rinsing it down daily, it looks like it will hold up and keep its excellent look and functionality for a long time and I recommend it if you are interested in this new retro look.

UPDATE ADDED 2009...I have only had this coffee maker a few days and I like how it works. It really does not drip when pouring. It has the three-prong plug in, auto shut off, and I have had no problems so far. The only thing I would like to point out is the color. I looked at several different web pictures of the Intrigue Blue color and none of them was a very good representation of the real color. I can best describe it as the "country blue from the 1980's." I know this color well because I had it in my kitchen back then. So I was disappointed in the color. I thought it looked like a brighter bolder shade of blue in the pictures than it really is. This looks to be a really well made coffeemaker and the warranty is for 3 years!!........ I am adding this in 2009........... My coffee maker died one month after the 3 year warrenty was up. I made 2 pots or more of coffee almost everyday of those 3 years. Some of the plastic on the inside of the lid had bubbled in the last year. The paint was wearing off the warming plate from use. Good pot, trying to decide if I want another one, but in some other color.

I was really influenced by the other reviews on this product, so I asked for it for Christmas. It is well built, but keeps the coffee only lukewarm, at best. And, this morning, I found coffee leaking from large horizontal crack in the carafe. After a half-hour searching the Internet, including the Hamilton Beach website, I cannot find a replacement carafe.

Just a few notes on how this item looks. Others have described the coffee pretty well so I'm just covering the appearance.

What Hamilton Beach calls "Moroccan Red" I would call Magenta. It has a pinkish/purplish cast to it. I had hoped it would match some Kitchen Aid appliances we have in Empire Red, but it does not.

Secondly, the name All-Metal is not exactly true. The lower half of the coffeemaker is metal and quite heavy. Ideally you would place it somewhere other than underneath a cabinet...it's a pain to move since you can't drag it very well, you need to lift it up and it is not ergonomically designed to be lifted regularly. Anyway, the upper half of the coffeemaker (the reservior, basket, and top half of the base) is plastic. The carafe is glass and the carafe lid is plastic.

Speaking of the carafe, it is difficult to clean because there is a fair bit of room underneath the carafe lip, that is pretty unreachable with a sponge or scrubber. This is also why it is so difficult to empty out the carafe, whether it's the last of the coffee or the water you've used to rinse it out. According to HB the carafe is not dishwasher safe.

This is a terrific coffee maker. The color is slightly pinkish, not a fire-engine red, serendipity here: our new home has pink glazed tiles, and it looks fine! I based my decision to purchase on other reviews, and I am so glad I did. The carafe is absolutely no-drip; it is necessary to tip it upside down to completely empty it, but that is a small price to pay to avoid coffee stains on the tile grout. The coffee tastes great, and a full pot is ready in about 10 minutes.

This is a GREAT coffee maker! The coffee does brew a little faster than our old one & the timer works great...although another reviewer said that the timer clears out after each brew but we haven't found that to be true. It saves the time you programmed last as long as you keep it plugged in, which we do since it gets used everyday. The coffee tastes great, it looks good on my counter and the water fill lines are easy to read. The carafe is large with a great easy-to-grip handle. The only drawback is that the way the carafe is designed, it's hard to get the last bit of coffee out (just a couple tablespoons), although, if you turn the carafe upside down all the way, it does come out...it's just not convenient. Other than that (which I am willing to overlook for all the other "pluses"), I love this coffeemaker! It's also really easy to clean!

I wanted an all metal coffee maker, not one with plastic in all the areas that contact the water. I really feel it is unfair advertising to have this allowed to call itself all metal.
I am concerned, as many others, with heated water contacting plastic surfaces as heat causes leaching of many chemicals.
I replaced a Cuisinart which is much quieter. This pot is very noisy.The Cuisinart chimes when it is finished brewing. On this, when the noise finally stops, it is done. It is awkward to fill. I did not keep the box or I would have returned it.
It is nice looking,especially in the blue.

This coffeemaker is made well, with metal housing instead of plastic. The filter cone holder is large enough to prevent spillovers when brewing, and the coffee stays hot without tasting burned for over an hour. The only drawback that I see in using this machine is that the timer clears itself after every use, requiring you to reset the time and timer for each automatic brewing cycle. For regular brewing without a timer, this is a great machine!

Overall this is a great coffee maker! First, the color is rich and very true to the color I perceived online (apple green); it is a superb accent for kitchen decorating.
Since I like to wash mine every day and avoid staining, I "broke" one of the small notches on the lid which allows it to be easily removed and cleaned but the lid still stays put when pouring. It was not designed to do this but it works!
The temperature is great, nice and hot.
The metal housing is durable and very easy to wipe clean.
The only drawback to this appliance is that it is a noisy brewer. No gentle dripping and splashing of the coffee, you hear the sucking and whooshing of water in the mechanism until brewing is complete.
Still, it is a sexy coffee pot I wouldn't trade for anything!