Customer Reviews

Mr. Coffee FTX41 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Stainless Steel

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(35)

 

 

This model (FTX41) is functionally equivalent to the FTX49, the only difference being that the FTX49 has a dark red trim whereas this one has a brushed stainless steel look. The FTX49 is less prone to noticeable fingerprints on that portion of the unit. That's where the differences end.

I purchased this coffee maker at the recommendation of a friend and I'm really happy with it. It has a selectable brew strength, a defeatable audio alarm that beeps when brewing is complete, a clock, and a delayed brew timer.

The delayed brew timer is nice to have if you want to wake up in the morning with a pot of coffee waiting for you. I've used the feature a few times, and I like having it, although most of the time I grind my own beans, so I don't like to let the grounds sit in the coffee machine overnight because they can get stale. Of course, that's unavoidable unless you spend the extra money on a machine that also grinds beans before brewing.

This coffee machine comes with a permanent, washable coffee filter that is sturdy, well-made, and washes out in the sink in a matter of seconds. It also comes with a charcoal water filter that is placed above the brew basket. The manual states that these should be changed every month (I wouldn't be surprised if they last longer than that, though). The replacement filters are inexpensive, but if you already have filtered water, you can leave it out.

Another feature that I really appreciate is the Fresh Brew timer, which allows you to see exactly how long that pot of coffee has been sitting there. If you're in a hurry, you can also pull the carafe out while the coffee is brewing to pour a cup. Once you put the carafe back in its spot, it continues normally. I've tried it a few times, and not a single drop has ever hit the hot plate. Oh, and the temperature of the hot plate is adjustable -- I got mine set at the perfect temperature so it doesn't burn the coffee if it's sitting there for a while.

My only complaints (and believe me, I'm trying pretty hard to come up with them): the display, while attractive, is a little on the bright side -- a switch to adjust the brightness would be nice, even if it was just a High/Low 2-way switch. An internal battery to keep the clock accurate in case of a power outage would have been a bonus too. Finally, even though it looks great and feels pretty strong, it's almost entirely plastic, so it doesn't have that solid "I'm going to outlast your children" feel to it that it might have if it had more metal in the construction.

All in all, I feel like I'm cheating it by giving it only four stars, but it's not quite 5 stars either. It would be a 4.5 for me if I could do that. :)

You would think by now the Mr. Coffee folks would know how to make a coffee maker, but this one was apparently designed by people who have never brewed a cup of coffee in their lives.

If the carafe isn't in just the right position, you wake up to a puddle of coffee on yourr counter and floor. Unfortunately, I cannot tell what the right position is--it just overflows randomly.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the clock display is right above the carafe. As the coffee brews, the steam infiltrates the clock and fills it full of condensation, making it very difficult to read. After a few months of this, the clock quits working altogether and you cannot set a delayed brew. You read correctly: this coffeemaker kills it's own clock!

I will NEVER buy a Mr. Coffee product again.

We've had this coffee maker for about 6-7 months now.
1) Where does all the water go?
a) It all steams out the back. Therefore, you have to put in more water than what you want to end up with in your finished pot.
b) It leaks out the hole in the back of the coffee maker leaving a constant (but small) puddle of water contstantly on the counter. The puddle of water is not large enough to drip over the counter edge, but it is irritating.
2) Why does the coffee taste not only bitter but also with plastic overtones?
a) Ok, I don't do the vinegar clean every 2 weeks, but I do it at least once a month. That should be enough for only having 1 pot of coffee a day, right?
b) The filter basket and lid on the pot are both plastic and I sense that I can taste them in my coffee!

Good features:
1) The 5 bell alarm letting you know when the coffee is done.
2) I like the looks of the coffee maker.
3) Not a 3 minute pot of coffee, but brews in a reasonable amount of time.

We purchased this coffee pot to upgrade our old Mr. Coffee coffee maker which is still working after 20 years. Well, needless to say, this machine is now kaput (after 11 months) and we will be returning to our old 20-year-old Made in the USA machine.

We noticed that this machine was slowly put out drips of coffee at a time, so we cleaned the machine with a proper de-liming product as directed in the troubleshooting guide. After completing this process, this machine would no longer put out any drips of water. Tried two more times and finally stopped when the machine started spewing water everywhere.

FYI, after carefully researching, I will next be upgrading to a Bunn BX-B or Melitta coffee makers as they are made in the USA. For now, it will be a relief to return to my 20-yr.-old Mr. Coffee which is still going strong.

I purchased this model after my old Mr Coffee coffee maker died after _12_years_ of service, and I was satisfied with this coffee maker while it worked. The unit never leaked, but the carafe occasionally did drip on the counter while pouring.

After 18 months it just quit brewing (clock/timer still worked) and the hot plate wouldn't heat. The machine was disassembled and I noticed two blown (leaking) capacitors on the control board. Replacing the bad caps didn't help so it must be the heating element/thermostat/thermal fuse that is bad, but I'm not attempting any more repairs.

The 18 month life-cycle is simply unacceptable. I'll _never_ buy another Mr Coffee product again.

After past experiences with Mr. Coffee products, I told myself I would never purchase another. I should have "stuck to my guns". After using this coffeemaker for just over one month, it now leaks from the bottom each time it's used...sitting in a pool of water. Checking out Mr Coffee's FAQ...it seems that my only option is "send it in for service". After only one month of use??? BEWARE!!!

I had similar bad experiences with the coffee maker, FTX41,
- The coffee is cold after it is first brewed
- No longer brews the full pot, only 4 of the 12 cups will brew.
- The lid of the carafe always comes off.
- Small leak around the base.

So I thought that I would voice my displeasure via the Mr. Coffee website. That also wasn't a pleasant experience, apparently ";" is a special character and the system wouldn't take my comments. So I called in the 800 number. After listening to my issues, the customer service rep was oblivious to my concerns. She said that they would send me a return for the product and after they received the old one she would send me a new coffee maker. When I told her that I didn't want a replacement, she said thank you and hung up. With this kind of quality and service, I will not only buy another Mr. Coffee product, but I won't buy a SunBeam product.

To be fair this is only the 4th coffee maker I have ever owned but this is definitely a slow poke. I bought the red model for the look. Aside from the adjustable warmer this machine is worthless. The water must be filled very slowly or it will spill out all over. The coffee filters will fold over on themselves and coffee grounds will flow out into the pot. This also causes the auto stop to clog and coffee will continue to pour out after the pot is removed.
Most importantly of all, this coffee maker is unbelievably slooooow. People are not exaggerating when they say this thing is slow. It takes about 20 minutes to brew 12 cups on mine. More than once I have poured a cup and left for work with the thing still brewing.

I read all the reviews and I have to say, my husband and I must've gotten lucky. We've had no problems, at all. It doesn't leak, the clock does not get wet from steam (as I've read), the clock hasn't quit working and we are really satisfied. I give this maker 5 stars. However, in the interest of fairness, I have to say, we have only had this machine a few months now. But, SO FAR, all is well.

I understand the frustration thuogh, with the coffee maker. My husband and I actually went through two others (DeLonghi) and I forgot the othr brand, but both of them went on the blink within weeks after getting them. Neither one was worth a darn! It's frustrating, ESPECIALLY when you go to turn the coffee maker on (and of course you are looking SO FORWARD to that cup of coffee) and then, nothing happens! That is basically what happened with the other two coffee makers we had. Needless to say, we were really irritated and plain pissed, when they quit working, since we were looking forward to that cup of coffee! LOL!

But, so far, this coffee maker has been just wonderful. I'm sorry so many others have had a bad experience, but I totally understand. Maybe, like I said, we just got lucky with this paticular machine.

:-)

Beth
Raleigh, NC

In search of a new coffee maker, one day at Target, this gleaming, pretty red one stood out to me. Now, usually, I read reviews on *everything* before I buy it and then make an informed decision based on reviews. This one time, I did not read reviews and bought this coffee maker because it was so pretty and would look nice in my kitchen. I figured a coffee maker is a coffee maker and how bad could it be? Right? I mean, especially a shiny red one from Mr. Coffee! WRONG!

First of all, every morning, my coffee is not hot. It is luke warm, at best. Very annoying. I end up having to microwave my coffee every morning, after it's brewed to heat it up.

Second of all, the timer on it does not work, and it far more complicated than it needs to be. It hasn't worked once for me. (I've had this maker for about 3 months now).

I could go on about how it's hard to clean and it has a mind of it's own and spews water all over the place, but I'll save the rest of my breath, because I'm going to need it when I run outside to throw this thing as far as I can away from my house.

BIG MISTAKE PURCHASE!