Customer Reviews

Mr. Coffee VB13 12-Cup Switch Coffeemaker, Black

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I've no idea what kind of water I have and I have never used vinegar on this or anything but I have had to take a turkey baster to blast out a blockage once.

It works and it is cheap, buy 2 and put one in the office. It is nice being able to drink hot coffee without running to the kitchen all the time.

I like everything about this simple, cheap coffee make except that once or twice a week we get coffee grounds in our coffee. We've used it every morning for over a year. About one in five times the paper filter falls over on itself, allowing copious coffee grounds to spill into the glass carafe. We've tried different filters. No luck. We've learned to be very careful when inserting the filter, and very precise about where and how to pile the coffee grounds prior to brewing. Still, at least once a week we get gritty coffee. My aunt has the same coffee maker and the same problem. Needless to say, we're in the market for a new one.

I love the turn on and off switch without the bells and whistles. I also have hard water, but we use distilled/purified or spring bottled water in the maker - so their is not the build up of lime in the structure. Easy to clean with vinegar. Simple model, we keep it unplugged after it's done to prevent it from overheating (if in case it ever did) - then it lasts a bit longer. Of course we find the 12 cup only equates to about 4 of our mug sizes - but then, it's good for it's size.

If you need 8 different settings and a timer to make black coffee, this isn't your machine. If you're too stupid to realize that your coffee filters fold over because they aren't the right shape for the basket, and the carafe spills because you pour it too fast, don't buy this.
BUT.... if you have a good dose of common sense and love a functional bargain, this could be the ideal coffeemaker.
It's quite handsome, and if you run plain water through it the first time, as recommended, it's ready to make one fine cup of coffee.
True, it doesn't feel hefty. The plastic is thin and it flexes a bit. The glass carafe is lighter than air. Of course, that also means it's still light when it's full of coffee.
So, it's a bit delicate. Ham fisted cretins need to look elsewhere.
But hey! It's 20 bucks at Amazon! Most drip coffee makers are 3 times that much, which is a lot of money for a timer and status.
And since for me, the coffee is the thing, this great little coffee maker works just fine.

Well, it is a cheap coffee machine...and was pretty much OK for about a year.

I didn't have the too-cool-coffee-, or uncontrolled-grounds-, or slop-coffee-on-counter-problems some others report. It does over-cook the coffee if left a couple hours, but I expect that is the nature of all cheap machines.

The heating element burned out after about a year of daily use. I'd like at least three years out of something like this...thus, the one star.

1. this is not a Black and Decker product and is a Sunbeam product with the Mr. Coffe label and is the equivalent of the Sunbeam TGX23 12-Cup except for the auto brew/clock features. Did you look at the user manual? mine clearly says "Sunbeam". Google Mr. Coffee VB13 and you will see. also see: [...]
2. pot has same design flaw and does make a mess if you try to poor too fast and when pot full. try lifting plastic top away from glass when you poor as well so you can see if you are exceeding the spout capacity...does not fix design flaw but cuts down on mess.
3. i have not experienced coffee grounds in my coffee, but i also use a basket and not paper filters.
4. not as noisy as some and noisier than others, but, come on, does that gurgling sound at the end of the brew cycle bother you as others have written...really...take another Xanax. Hate to think what the toilet flushing does to you.
5. my coffee brews hot and stays hot on the warming pad.
6. i have not challanged the brew interrupt mechanism because i would not want to drink any coffee until fully brewed.
7. easy to pour water in to reservoir.
8. if you want a $100 coffee maker, buy one and write a review, but don't expect an espresso/latte maker for $25. (now under $20)
9. cheap coffee to begin with will taste like cheap coffee when brewed - in any brewer.
10. one tablespoon of coffee will not brew a whole 12 cup pot of tasteful coffee unless you like tinted water.
11. i have not experienced any leaks or "flash fires" which, seems to me that more reports of such problems would result in consumer investigation with unit being pulled from market - there are always flukes to be sure.
12. this is an inexpensive coffee maker without any bells or whistles and is meant to be just that!
9/14/11 - where you see [...] on line one, i had tried to post a link to a site that clarifies Sunbeam vs. Black and Decker but Amazon obviously does not want it in the review; however, you can certainly research on your own.

Alarms went up when the check-out clerk pushed buying $5 insurance on this coffee pot, Black & Decker's Mr. Coffee, model VB13. I've never had anyone try and upsell me insurance on a $25 appliance. I was replacing a Mr. Coffee product I had for a couple of years (and it was messy too--I just accepted that is the way they were) and felt this new appliance should last a year or two--so I passed on the insurance.

Thinking back, what I should have done is heed the alarms, saved my $25, and purchased something else. Less than four months old and this VB13 model Black and Decker Mr. Coffee product did indeed die this morning. No warning, switch light is on, but no heat. Nothing. Gone.

I'm happy I didn't spend another $5 for the insurance because it would just be a cycle of failed products. Perhaps that is the marketing strategy, eh? Sell poor quality products (though the brand name has been credible for years), and you have to go into the store to deal with the problems. Maybe you'll buy more stuff? Apparently there was a history of problems with this model since the clerk was so keen to sell me the insurance at the check-out. Pushy.

As others mentioned, the coffee was tepid at best. System leaked on the counter. Poor design or poor manufacturing--I am disappointed. I expect better from Black & Decker. [...]

I agree wholeheartedly with the above review. It drips coffee all over the counter no matter how slowly you pour it. I thought maybe it was just the model I had so I threw it away. My daughter thought she was being kind and bought me a new one. This one does the same thing, no matter who is pouring the coffee. The heating element is so hot you get one good cup of coffee out of a pot, the rest turns to undrinkable mud. It's gotten to the point where I make a two-cup pot and then end up making several of those short pots so we can each have two cups of coffee.

Yes, it's cheap. It only gives credence to the fact that "you get what you pay for." Don't waste your money. Unless you like cleaning and drinking mud.

If you have the day off and decide to get up early and feel like cleaning your counter top, floor, and top silverware drawer--by ALL means get the MR COFFEE VB13. Keep your attorney and insurance company on speed-dial when you use this time bomb.

This coffee maker creates tepid coffee, with plenty of grounds left in your cup. I was waiting to replace my Cuisinart, and had to buy something nearby during the holidays. The Mr. Coffee was my only choice. When you add water to the number 6 line, only 4 1/2 cups of coffee come through. The grounds make it into the pot, creating a dirty swill. I'd rather spend my $25 on a couple of good pounds of whole bean coffee and wait for my Cuisinart.