Customer Reviews

West Bend 56204 Single-Cup Personal Coffee Maker and Water Dispenser, Red

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

This was exactly what I was looking for. Don't hesitate buying it. It will fit a variety of sizes of mugs as long as they are not huge. Mugs can be rather tall and still be fine. It does shut off very quickly after brewing...made me feel safe about using it - I'm moving quickly in the morning and won't remember to turn it off. The red color is really cute, just as pictured. I reaaaaaaally like it alot. You can use the permanent filter OR take that out and use paper size 1 or 4 cup filters, like I do. I think it makes a stronger brew with paper because it holds the water on the coffee grounds longer...same with any coffee maker. Takes up no space at all, too.

When I first got it, after a bit, the button that turns it on did not work well and it took many attempts to turn it on. So, I took the bottom off and jiggled a bunch of stuff in there, screwed it back together, and it has worked perfect ever since. I bought it about three months ago. It doesn't brew the best coffee unless you use a coffee filter in it and grind your coffee to fine. But, if you do that, it is a great machine.

I found the original filter set up to be bulky and I didn't like the roundness, so I used the set up I that had come with a previous one cup coffee make I had, Black & Decker DCM7 Cup-At-A-Time (which I do not recommend for a few reasons). That way, I have a cone-shaped filter set up and can use cone filters.

What I like about this coffemaker is that it is red so you can see in it well to clean it (although I saw nothing to clean in the 3 months I had it) and also the outside is easy to clean because any food or dirt is easy to see. But, I recommend reading the reviews for the black model, because they are considerably more favorable for this machine and will give you a better overall review.

I love the fact it allows tall coffee mugs to go under it. That is a must for me because I have one mug that is taller. It has an overfill feature that drips water out of the back if you put too much in. However, I like to make taller cups of coffee which this maker can do just fine, so I took some JB Weld and filled that hole in. So now, I can use any size mug I want.

This coffee maker stays clean and has no mess. I have owned a black and decker brew and go and it was very messy, had issues of overflowing and getting grounds all over. The unit heats up very fast and brews coffee very fast. I do not recommend pods as many people say they don't work well in this. You can use the original filter set up it came with and just buy round filters. I prefer cone shaped filters so I use my old Black and Decker filter.

As with all elements in coffee makers, they fail eventually, but I just buy another. I have owned two over the years and hopefully they will always make them because they are so convenient! In my opinion, this red west bend single coffee maker is one of the best, if not the best on the market!

I have been using this for several days now. Overall, I am quite pleased.
However, If you are trying to brew a full 12 oz. of coffee, the included permanent filter causes the water to overflow back into the reservoir because the coffee grounds clog it too easily, and I use a Starbuck's Burr Grinder set on coarse. I'll have to try using it to brew loose tea sometime and see how it does.

Try this instead:

1. Purchase a supply of basket-style paper filters, 1-4 cup size(the purchase price amounts to 6/10ths of a cent per filter at Wal-mart).

2. Using two 8-oz. paper cups, re-size one of the paper filters by holding the filter over the bottom of one of the cups while inserting it into the mouth of the other cup. I know it sounds odd, but it works better than you would think.

3. insert the re-sized filter into the pod/filter holder WITHOUT the permanent filter, add enough ground coffee for 12 oz. of water, and proceed to brew per the instructions.

This works amazingly well. The paper filters in question are much easier to find than the specialized ones, and cheaper, too. And paper filters have a distinct advantage; they trap bitter oils that re-usable filters do not.

This is an excellent product for individuals who just need one cup of coffee or tea at a time. The liquid gets really hot, so do not expect a warm cup of coffee or tea. With the high cost of groceries this prevent waste.

This unit does a bang-up job whilst it's working. Heats water much quicker than a kettle, and no waste...
...unfortunately the switch mechanism is a plastic actuator (mechanical slide) which, through a series of springs and metal stampings switches on the unit. There are places for plastic - this is NOT one of them. Mechanical stress will eventually break the plastic actuator - then, without a good deal of Rube-Goldberg work the unit is useless.
I've had mine for about 18 months with only very occasional usage - then BOOM the plastic actuator on the switch inside the unit broke (I can still get the unit to function by opening it up (7 screws), setting the microswitch, closing it up again (7 screws), filling with water and plugging it in - NOT worth the effort).
A small change in design would remove this problem.

This product does not work. It should be simple, but it is not and here's why. There is a button on the bottom side of the pot that must be pushed down in order for coffee to start brewing. But the button cannot be pushed down!! I received a replacement coffee pot and the exact same thing happened again. THE BUTTON TO START BREWING DOES NOT GO DOWN!! Not worth the time and money. I will purchase my next single serve coffee pot from a local store where it can be easily be exchanged, if necessary.

I bought three...two for gifts and one for me. Two did not work on arrival as the switch would not stay down. One worked for less than a week and then the switch suddenly stopped working. Another reviewer for the same model in black said that there was a plastic taste to her coffee. I agree...my coffee had a chemical/petroleum taste which did not go away despite following all directions for cleaning. I am returning all three. One defective maker would be bad luck, but three---well there is something wrong with the manufacturing of this product! I cannot recommend.

In order to keep the coffee hot I usually heat the cup by running hot water into the cup before inserting under the coffeemaker. You definitley need to use a paper filter, besides the nylon filter that comes with it, which makes the water go through the coffee a little slower, otherwise it doesn't stay in the coffee grounds long enough. Other than that it works great.

Experimenting with more than one pod to make coffee stronger will not work. The result tastes awful. Very weak coffee (can't even call it coffee). I also tried less water. No difference. I bought it for myself and as a gift (I felt really bad about the gift), but returning both. Why did I even give it one star? The idea of a single cup maker is great. Don't waste your money. You will be disappointed.

I was attracted to this product's simple design, cute shape and red color, and expected to use it mostly to heat water to make tea. It actually did brew a cup of fresh coffee using ground beans...but only the first time I used it. After that, it heated up the water, but for some reason, retained it in the upper section. Frustrating! I've returned it.