Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So far no complaints! A terrific maker for the price, May 14, 2008
It's difficult trying to research coffee makers to purchase, I realized, after looking at various ones throughout Amazon. A few products had agreement in the quality, but for a lot, the reviews seemed to be all over the place. And the ones that seemed to have really decent reviews were a bit out of the range I wanted to spend on an office coffee pot. Then I discovered this Black & Decker one that had absolutely no reviews, was in the price range I was looking for and had all the extra features (like a thermal carafe) and decided, why not? It's been a good purchase so far.
Reviewing appliances like coffeemakers is a bit outside of my normal purview and most of what I'd write about (the features) are listed above, so I'm going to make this short and sweet. The thermal carafe works wonderfully and we typically brew a pot, bring the carafe into our section and it keeps hot for the morning. The last cup feels as warm as the first, which is nice. It's only an 8 cup carafe, which could be problematic for those looking for a big pot, but it's the perfect fit for us.
One feature not listed is that it uses a charcoal filtration system. This is good and bad. The good is the filtration is a nice feature and it comes with one little charcoal patch, but after reading through the manual, it looks like the only way to order more is to go directly to Black & Decker. I noticed that Amazon has the Black & Decker TWF50 Water Filter Basket & Replacement Filter for sale via some other vendors. It's not the same model number, but the picture looks exactly like the one used in this coffeemaker (minus the color) and the replacement filters will probably fit. Unfortunately, it could become a hassle for those who want to keep up with their filter (which needs to be replaced every 60 brews/2 months).
Looking at the other features, there's a digital clock, with a screen that indicates the coffee is fresh and ready, a mechanism to choose your coffee strength that definitely works as advertised, the ability to "sneak a cup," and the carafe (unlike others we've used) pours perfectly without making a mess. All of this comes in a stylish package complete with blue lights along the side where the water level is read.
This makes for an attractive package that works perfectly and has a lot of additional features. I'd definitely recommend checking it out.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
B&D Coffe Maker, July 22, 2008
We bought this to replace our previous B&D Thermal Carafe coffee maker, which, after several years of heavy use, gave up the ghost.
The CDM 3500 is working out great. The blue LEDs are a little odd, but helpful when filling the tank. Programmable feature is accurate and allows for fresh-brewed coffee when we wake up. The only drawback is the way the cap of the carafe was designed: when turned to the "pour" mark, it pours very slowly. If you open it much beyond that, it'll come off. So, get used to a slow pour!
Overall, a great machine
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
If you like cleaning up wet messes, buy this coffee maker, November 17, 2008
This coffee maker makes a good cup of coffee and if all you want is a good cup of coffee then this might be the machine for you. Unfortunately, half the time you will be mopping that coffee off of your counter tops or worse yet, your floor.
I bought this machine in June and had such high hopes for it. The design is nice and programming is a snap and oh you just have to love that thermal carafe. I was able to overlook the fact that when pouring there was a slow but steady drip coming from the joint where the stainless meets the plastic. I reasoned with myself that this was a small price to pay for a good cup of coffee. I kept a towel over the pot when pouring. A small inconvenience I told myself. By the end of July I was a commited Black and Decker coffee drinker and called the company to order a two year supply of the silly filter system.
Have I mentioned the silly filter system? The filters are near impossible to find, even when going to Black and Decker's own website. Again, I told myself this was simply another small inconvenience on the road to good coffee. Besides, I am sure some happy black and decker owner will counter my review here by providing copious links to the filters and their holster.
It was about three months into my relationship with this coffee maker that I awoke one morning to the wonderful smell of fresh perked coffee that I'd grown accustomed to. My taste buds were poised at the ready for that first heavenly sip as I entered the kitchen to find fresh brewed coffee had taken over the countertops and the floor. Snapped from my reverie, I had to admit that perhaps something was wrong. Still I tried to be cheerful as I mopped up the brew and made a fresh pot without incident.
All was good again for about 2 weeks until the same coffee flood occured again. I spoke with other drip coffee maker friends and got the same advice all around... DON'T USE PAPER FILTERS. I was relieved to hear there was a solution to my problem. I invested in a gold filter basket and brewed coffee without incident for about a month. But my joy was short lived.
By the end of September, coffee floods became a routine occurance around here. I begged and pleaded with my silly little machine to come to its senses and just brew coffee, but it was useless. No amount of cleaning, begging, cajoling, handholding or pot watching was able to make this system work for more than a day without flooding. The balloon of my denial was finally punctured and I had to admit that this just is NOT a good coffee maker. Sadly, I retired it in early october and purchased a Keurig Machine instead.
Sorry Black and Decker... I normally sing your praises but not in this case.
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