Customer Reviews

KitchenAid KCM511ER 10-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Empire Red

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

I got this coffeemaker (in black) as a replacement for a recalled Kitchenaid 12-cup (cobalt blue) that I absolutely loved and that made a fantastic cup of coffee.

It's sleek and modern and looks good on the counter, and it even has easy to use controls, but this coffeemaker is junk. I've had this unit for about 2 months and brew coffee in it every morning. I usually brew a full 10 cups and as often as not, even though I am careful to scoop the coffee into the filter, large amounts of coffee grounds overflow the filter and wind up in the caraffe and then into my coffee cup. It's as if the water boiler is forcing water out too strongly, overfilling the brew basket and then coffee grounds go everywhere.

Similarly, on a fairly regular basis, the coffeemaker leaks brewed coffee. What usually happens is the unit alarms/signals that brewing is complete but then continues to gurgle and spurt for about 5 minutes. If I remove the caraffe during the 5-minute gurgling period, even for just a second to pour myself a ground-filled cup of coffee, coffee still in the maker somehow runs down the inside of the unit and pools on the counter under the maker; when I replace the carafee, coffee runs down the unit's caraffe chamber and pools under the caraffe on the hot plate. Then I get to smell burning coffee as I savor the ground-filled java in my cup, all the while worrying that I don't electrocute myself.

I never once had an issue with the 12-cup model which was recalled because it could overheat and was a fire hazard. Ironically, I feel much less safe and satisfied using this 10-cup model Kitchenaid sent as a replacement. I'm with the other reviewer - just reattach my the cord to my old unit and I promise I'll keep a fire extinguisher handy!

This is an excellent coffee maker in almost every way. The design is so well thought out from the wrap around design to protect and keep the carafe warm to the reservoir trough that runs from the front of the unit to the back for easy filling. It heats the water to the optimal temperature for a great cup of coffee and has all of the "bells and whistles" such as pause and brew and a timer for making coffee to wake up to.
There are two reasons that I took away a star; one miner and one major.
The minor is that you can't set the amount of time that the warmer keeps the coffee warm. It only works for 90 minutes. My former coffee maker allowed me to set the warmer for up to 4 hours.
The major one is that Kitchen Aid no longer makes the water filter cartridges for this model!!! When you call them, they inform you that not using the filter option doesn't affect the operation of the coffee maker and they offer no apologies. Part of the reason I purchased this machine is because of the filter and now I can't use this feature. I was VERY unhappy about having paid for a feature I can't use. What makes me even angrier is that they STILL mention the water filter in their advertising!
In summary, great coffee maker if you don't need water filter and don't mind paying for the feature you won't be able to use.

I'm glad I bought it before I read these reviews - mine has NO problems with spills, no grounds in the coffee, no error messages (if you see an error message, I suggest you exchange it for another of the same model - it's probably a quality control issue). It definitely gets 5 stars - just read the instructions, don't use both filters at once, and watch where you pour the water. What I like: 1. The water filter really works - it makes a superb tasting cup of coffee - the difference is noticeable. 2. The coffee is really HOT and stays hot, unlike the Black & Decker I had with the insulated carafe (kept it warm for hours but hot for only a few minutes). 3. The 1-4 cup brew option takes the guesswork out of brewing a partial pot. 4. The split lid! A real advantage since all my counter space has standard height overhead cabinets. Not only can I open the top while it's under the cabinet, I can remove and replace the basket and even pour the water in, although I can't use the carafe for this - I use a 2-quart juice jar on which I've drawn a line to mark the correct water level (much easier than moving the whole thing around every time I use it). 4. The controls - intuitive, well placed, spill proof, and the clock has a red LED so you can actually read it. And overall, the design is elegant and compact.

This is an excellent coffee maker in almost every way. The design is so well thought out from the wrap around design to protect and keep the carafe warm to the reservoir trough that runs from the front of the unit to the back for easy filling. It heats the water to the optimal temperature for a great cup of coffee and has all of the "bells and whistles" such as pause and brew and a timer for making coffee to wake up to.
There are two reasons that I took away a star; one miner and one major.
The minor is that you can't set the amount of time that the warmer keeps the coffee warm. It only works for 90 minutes. My former coffee maker allowed me to set the warmer for up to 4 hours.
The major one is that Kitchen Aid no longer makes the water filter cartridges for this model!!! When you call them, they inform you that not using the filter option doesn't affect the operation of the coffee maker and they offer no apologies. Part of the reason I purchased this machine is because of the filter and now I can't use this feature. I was VERY unhappy about having paid for a feature I can't use. What makes me even angrier is that they STILL mention the water filter in their advertising!
In summary, great coffee maker if you don't need water filter and don't mind paying for the feature you won't be able to use.

Like many others, we received this coffee maker as a warrantee item. It makes good coffee, but the basket overflows then leaks the coffee out of the maker and all over the counter!
Don't buy it!!

Received my first one - DOA. It never brewed one pot of coffee, but consistently produced an error code "2" which requires an authorized service center work. I returned it to Kitchenaid for another unit. It worked about two weeks, then back to the hard electronic failure, error code "2". Kitchenaid wants to keep replacing the units, but enough is enough! Making coffee shouldn't be this hard.

I received this unit in exchange for an older model that had been recalled. It's a sleak, modern looking unit with great features. One of them being that it signals you when the brewing process is complete. My only complaint is that their is no measure line for 2 cups of coffee and the measure line is on the filter not in the insides of the housing, nor is it on the carafe. I liked that feature on the older unit. Other than that it makes a good and surprisingly piping hot cup of coffee.

We got this as a gift and love it. After reading the reviews retroactively I wasn't sure what to expect, but I suspect user error is to blame for some of the problems mentioned. The manual is very explicit about what to do to avoid overflow, like don't use both the basket and a filter together and don't take more than 20 seconds on the auto-stop to pour a mid-cup. We've made at least a pot a day for the last couple of weeks and have had no problems. The one drawback is that the coffee isn't piping hot, even on the small batch function. I do like the reusable filter basket (one less thing to buy, throw out, and run out of), the ability to pour into the front and auto-program, and the fact that in the end, it makes a good cup of coffee.

Got this coffee maker after the recall and am sorry to say will never come close to the quality of the coffee maker they recalled (KCM200). Coffee can run all over if carafe is not postioned just right! For a programmable coffee maker, if you set it to start in the morning, instead of waking up to hot coffee, you get to clean up the mess... Also, another flaw I have experienced is that it can easily overflow grinds into your brew. After waiting forever for this replacement, it was not worth the wait.

If everything is just right, it can brew a nice cup.

This new coffee maker we received from Kitchen Aid is the worst coffee maker I have ever owned. It will leak if the pot is not exactly in a certain spot in the coffee maker. If it is 1/8 " off it will plug up the drip hole from the coffee grounds basket and then it will overflow into the casing causing hot coffee to run all over the counter. It also has a water filter that I have not been able to find anywhere even on the Kitchen Aid web site. This filter has a stick on it to tell you how much water you have put in the coffee maker and it keeps popping out of its socket. The old one that was recalled worked much better than this new "improved" model and this one holds only 10 cups where the old one held 12. If this was the only one I had experienced that was like this I would think I was the problem. I know of two other people with the same coffee maker and they both have experienced the same problem with it leaking. This is just a very bad design.