Customer Reviews

12 Cup Coffee Maker

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

 

 

There are several problems with the design that make it too frustrating for the money:

1. It has an "auto-pause" that's supposed to let you pour coffee while it's brewing. When the carafe is on the hotplate, the raised bump in the middle of the carafe lid pushes up a switch that hangs down from the top of the overhang. It doesn't hang down very far, and the carafe lid flares up on the sides, so it's impossible to remove the carafe while brewing without bumping the switch, causing coffee to dribble down onto the hotplate.

2. The lid on the top of the coffee maker actually seals *too* tightly, so if you don't leave it open or wipe it out after every use, the inside will stay damp. Not a huge problem, but hey.

3. The Killer! The carafe dribbles like crazy! You have to tilt it up really steep, and then you're still even odds to caffeinate your floors and counters.

It's really the carafe that kills it, but for forty dollars they could've fixed this, or included a training video for dummies like me.

That's all we wanted it to do. None of the fancy things other coffee makers can do. Just coffee-in the morning. Our last coffee maker, a Proctor Silex, finally died and I decided to go back to Mr. Coffee brand because they always made good coffee. They're always a decent price and readily available. We'd been using Mr. Coffee brand around 15 years or so, getting a new one every about every 4-5 years. I like the dual water gauges on each side of the tank-makes it makes it much easier to see when filling. The basket area is big, making that easier to fill also. If all you need is a coffee maker that makes good coffee and has it ready for you when you stumble out of bed in the morning, this is it. Check your local discount stores-you can probably get it for $25 like I did.

I previously had a Mr. Coffee model that lasted 6+ years. It was great. I was disappointed with the new design that Mr. Coffee has gone with. Like a previous customer pointed out, when you remove the carafe the majority of the time will leave coffee on the hotplate. I have to poor my cup with a paper towel in my hand to wipe up the mess. With the new carafe you will also drip coffee on your counter if you try to pour 1-2 inches above the cup. I can tell you this almost never happened with my old model. It also seems to brew much slower. Took 20 minutes to brew 6 servers this morning. Last night I ran hot water & vinegar to clean it, so I know it's not from build up. Nothing about this new design works for me. I've decided to switch since it looks like every carafe now has the same design for Mr. Coffee.

The only slight down side is the "auto pause," so you can sneak a cup. Sometimes it dribbles coffee onto the hot plate. Outside of that, it's fantastic. I went through several other coffee makers, all nightmares. What I like is it's easy to fill with water, easy to get the coffee filter basket in and out without worrying if it's not set in exactly right. Even the lid is designed nicely, if you forget to position the nozzle that pours the hot water on the coffee; when you close the lid it pushes it into position. The carafe is nice, I don't end up with half the coffee on the kitchen counter. It makes a great cup of coffee without giving you a headache. It has the usual features, programmable, 2 hour shut off.

I bought this on a whim at a local bath and kitchen store at 30% off. I just wanted something that makes coffee, so I had no expectations.

I like that I can delay the brew for up to 24 hours. It's nice to be able to set it up while I'm awake at night and have it already done when I get up in the morning (and am not awake yet). I also like the auto-shutoff feature--I'm not awake enough in the morning to remember to turn it off, so the hot plate would probably be on all day if it didn't automatically shut off after two hours (not a safe situation!).

I haven't had any problems with the coffee spilling out of the carafe that other reviewers have had. I haven't tried taking a cup while it's brewing to see if the pause feature works, since I set it to be finished brewing when I wake up. I figure I can wait for it to finish brewing to get a cup, anyway, as I would with any other coffee maker.

I have had issues with the coffee filter collaping and spilling coffee grounds inside the machine, but that's easily remedied by carefully placing the grounds in the center of the filter. I wish I could give the coffee maker 4.5 stars because of that, but like I said, it's easily remedied.

All in all, a decent coffee maker at a decent price.

I bought this to replace my old Mr. Coffee which started leaking from the bottom. What a mistake! Using the brew pause to get a cup of coffee before the entire pot is done gets coffee all over the heater element. Those windows can be difficult to read. And the thing is impossible to clean. My previous model had black lines and numbers inside the water reservoir. The reservoir was a little wider so I could get my hand in there to wipe it out. The brew basket holder used to be removable. I could take it out for cleaning. And the pause system worked with a small lever on the back that opened and closed when the pot was put on and off the burner. I gave it 2 stars because it does make good coffee, but I can't wait to replace it with something more user friendly. I can't believe the design folks tampered with something that worked fine.

I've enjoyed this exact model for over a month now, and I have no complaints. It was simple to learn how to program and use. It shuts off automatically. If you accidentally unplug it, and then plug it back in within a few seconds, the time reappears without needing to reset clock.

Unlike another reviewer, I did not have a problem with the carafe dribbling/ spilling.

I like the metal filter, and as long as I don't grind my grounds to espresso level, it works perfectly at keeping grounds out.

Has a pocket in back to tuck in/ store excess cord.

Hey, for 35 bucks...I couldn't be happier. The coffee tastes good. Highly recommend.