Customer Reviews

Hamilton Beach HDC500B 4 Cup Coffee Brewer

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My old 4-cup Mr. Coffee was a decent little coffeemaker and it lasted for about three years before it started to give me trouble. Technically it still works but the coffee it brews is only warm, not hot. So I decided it was time for a new machine.

I did a lot of research, and the fact of the matter is that there just aren't many good quality 4-cup coffeemakers on the market. I researched the models from Mr. Coffee, Cuisinart, and Black & Decker, and none of them got particularly good reviews. I went to local stores and played with the display models and all of them felt very light, flimsy, and cheap. Even the $40 Cuisinart was featherweight and felt like it would fall apart at any moment.

I've always had good luck with Hamilton Beach products, so when I found this one online, I had a good feeling about it. I did some more research and found that this particular model is used in hotels all over the country. That seemed like a good sign. Commercial grade products are usually built to a higher standard than consumer grade stuff.

So I ordered it, and sure enough, it's a major step above the 4-cup machines made by the other manufacturers. Even though it's made mostly of plastic, it is heavy and stable and definitely won't tip over easily. The power cord is heavy grade and has a 3-prong plug. The on/off switch has a nice spring action and seems durable.

Due to the fact that these are made for hotel rooms, there are picture-based instructions in white ink on top of the coffeemaker. If you are very concerned about appearances, this might bother you. It doesn't bother me. The #1 thing I'm concerned about is how the coffee tastes... and with that in mind...

It tastes great! It's very hot, much hotter than my old Mr. Coffee. But the water isn't TOO hot, so you don't need to worry about it making the coffee bitter and over-extracted.

I only have two complaints, and they are relatively minor: when you're finished brewing coffee and you open the basket holder to remove the grounds and filter, a small amount of water falls out and splashes onto the warming plate and onto the counter. It's not a huge amount of water -- maybe a teaspoon -- but it does do this every time I brew coffee. Just something to be aware of; have a paper towel handy and it's not a problem. My other complaint is that there is no way of knowing how much water is in the reservoir. Usually they have a little window or some other indicator, but this unit doesn't have either. Mildly annoying, but not a huge issue and obviously doesn't affect the coffee itself.

All in all, I'm very pleased with this coffeemaker and would recommend it to anyone who is searching for a good quality 4-cup machine.

This 4 cup coffeemaker by Hamilton Beach has really come in handy here in my hotel room! I am on vacation; but yesterday I started to come down with a bug and today I used this to make myself several piping hot cups of herbal tea. It couldn't be any easier to use--the visual instructions on the top of the reservoir are very, very easy to understand although as one reviewer notes the instructions do give the coffeemaker that "hotel look" which may turn some people off.

If I want to make myself some coffee instead of tea, this little machine doss the job every bit as well. Fill the carafe up to the amount of hot water you want (there are markings on the carafe to indicate how many cups you'll get from filling it up to different levels) and just pour the water into the reservoir. Add the coffee filter and ground coffee into the basket in the middle of the coffeemaker; and you're ready to go. After you're finished you can remove the coffee filter and any remaining grounds by simply sliding the basket to one side and that's that! Although another reviewer writes that some water comes out when they do this, I haven't experienced any water spilling onto the counter when I use this. In addition, the auto-turn off feature is quite good. It should prevent this from being a fire hazard.

All in all, this is a fine little coffeemaker that lets you prepare a great cup of tea as well. I highly recommend it.

I first used the Hamilton Beach 4-cup model in a hotel room. It was small, simple, fast, and made piping hot and delicious coffee. For years, I have used a French press for my coffee at home, because I am the only coffee drinker in my house. Even with a double-walled French press, the coffee is cold before I am finshed. (I have a full-size drip machine with a thermal carafe for parties, but it is too big one person.)

So, I decided I would buy something like this for myself, and was delighted to find the exact model from my hotel room, because I already knew I would like it. I am very pleased with this machine. One commenter mentioned a drip when swinging out the basket to remove the grounds. Yes, this happens, but I am usually cleaning up when I do that and have a dish cloth with me anyway.

If you order this machine, you may also want to order the junior (4-cup) coffee filters, because that size isn't commonly stocked in supermarkets.

I had this machine four about oh.. 3 years i would say.
still purking !
Just a simple well built machine - no bells or whistles here.
I bought it from sams club- it think it was less than $20 back then.
since this is a review I feel obligated to point out a negative -My biggest complaint would have to be the on/off toggle switch -because the machine is such a light weight -you have to physically hold down the machine to toggle the switch- otherwise you end up pushing the entire machine across the counter and the switch will still not budge. so be prepared to use two hands every time you want to turn off or turn on the machine. other than that- not a bad machine for the price.
I would agree with some of the other posts about the swing filter holder being a bitch to put back on. definetly needs a little manipulation to put back on. but..it will last you forever.

Makes excellent coffee fast and hot. Warmer keeps the coffee hot, then shuts off after 1/2 an hour. Easy to clean, has cord storage. Only concerns, switch is a little hard to push and filters don't squeeze in the basket to well.

If you like the older model Mr Coffee 4 cup models ( which you can't find anylonger ) then you should really like this one. It has the swing away filter holder with A BASKET THAT hold's a paper filter ( that just lifts out ). No mess making the coffee. In fact i use my old Mr Coffee carafe ( that has the wide opening ) and removed the little rubber stop inside the basket holder since i don't use the pause & serve feature ) and for my personal use I now have the almost perfect coffee maker. Build quality is very good with a SOLID feeling. The only complaint i have is that it comes in BLACK only. I found the seller ( Green Tree ) service to be excellent.

I own two of these-the one at work I have had for (3) years. I make two or three pots a day so that is about (2000) cycles-has worked perfectly every time. Best coffee maker I have ever owned and I have had quite a few in my 64 years. Recently bought a Capresso for when we have guests-really cheap, Chinese junk

Does what it's supposed to do. Takes 6 minutes to make a 4-cup batch. The carafe pours really well; better than any other I've used. It would be nice if a perforated gold mesh basket -- that fits -- were offered as an option along with it. I like it better than a similar Mr. Coffee we have in our RV, particularly the pouring aspect I mentioned. I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

To start off, let me say we loved this coffee pot. The downfall was it only lasted 16 months. It wasn't even used everyday. It just stopped working. Now searching for another 4 cup brewer. I think I'll look for something other than Hamilton Beach.

We have this product almost 2 years. It runs almost 24 hours nearly every day, because of the shifts we all work. Still going strong. Heats well, and thermostat keeps it always hot. Love it.