Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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80 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, no carafe, October 28, 2006
My bride and I have owned probably a half-dozen or so coffeemakers during out 15-year marriage. We both love coffee in the morning, and we like to have it piping hot and ready when we rise. We've had some very good coffeemakers and owned a variety of brands and models. But all but two had one major Achilles' heel - a glass carafe. However hard we might try, those glass carafes always got broken. And when they got broken, the unanimous refrain from stores and manufacturers was: "Sorry, we don't offer that version anymore." So, it was a new coffeemaker or nothing.
We also owned one of those fancy units with an insulated carafe. Well, at least for the unit we bought, that cuts two ways. Yes, the coffee inside is insulated from the frigid winds of our kitchen. It is also effectively insulated from a warmer (which the unit did not have or, obviously, need). Now I can tell you that, with the possible exception of the most secret research bowels of NASA, there is no insulated carafe in the universe that is as effective as a warmer unless one consumes one's coffee very quickly.
Not only does this unit make great coffee, there is no carafe to break!! Or wash!! Thank you, thank you, thank you Hamilton Beach. We love it.
One caveat: when the user's manual tells you to regularly descale the unit, do so. Else the machine will get sulky and simply refuse to brew your coffee. It's probably unionized, who knows, but it does effectively sit down on the job. Now the manual has been fine tuned by an attorney and recommends descaling monthly. Given the levels of dissolved mineral in our water, we descale once every six months and all is fine.
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119 of 129 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Loose Screws In Tank & 2 INCORRECT PICS For THIS MODEL!, November 15, 2006
After reading all of the bad news about the rampant tank leakage problems of the Hamilton Beach Brewstation the next grade down (models 47224, 47114, 47214, 47221, 47111, & the like) - I looked at one locally, & I agreed the housing & overall feel felt & looked on the junky side. So I went with this one, the Hamilton Beach Brewstation Plus, which seems a much more solidly built, sturdier model.
But there are some things I really needed to know about it first, & you may too.
When the Brewstation Plus arrived from Amazon, I tested the water tank. And yes, it steadily leaked water all over the counter top in great quantities. What a mess...right off the bat. So I studied the way it was made, & decided the water may be coming out around the metal heating plate screwed to the bottom of the tank - vs. the dispenser seal. And so I got out my Phillips head screwdriver, & I tightened down all of the screws in the bottom of the tank. Being careful not to strip out the holes. And this has taken care of this problem tonight. No more leaks so far. There wasn't just one or two loose, none of the screws were put in very tight in my unit. This definitely could cause it to leak everywhere in all directions. If mine arrived this way, I wonder how many more were shipped out the same way. If yours leaks, you may want to try tightening down all the screws first in the bottom of the tank first, test it, & try again - before undergoing the hassle of shipping it back & waiting again for something else. At the same time, if you're thinking you shouldn't have to do this...you're right.
The next thing you need to know is - what you see in this ad - is NOT the coffee machine you will get. This is major. I cannot stress this enough. One picture in this ad shows a 6 button coffee machine - & one picture shows a 4 button coffee machine. I bought this model based on the 6 button image, started drooling over all the features, didn't catch the discrepancy between it & the 4 button image - & I ended up with a 4 button coffee machine in the mail. :|
The model I received has a green (not blue) clock with a programmable timer - but it DOES NOT have the "1-4 Cup" & "Flavor+" features you see in the 2nd mouse-over image in this ad. And after all of the trouble I went through to mail order the model I saw featured - that just sux. The model number 47665 on the box matches the ad - so I can only blame myself for not noticing that Amazon is showing you TWO DIFFERENT MODELS in the SAME AD - & for not researching & verifying it elsewhere. Though I shouldn't have to do this either... Instead, I trusted what I saw, & got so excited over "Flavor+" (I like to brew up a serious pot of 'mud'), & a scalable brew size, that I ordered away. Also, the LCD clock display will NOT be blue as seen above - it will be green.
In retrospect, I'd rather have paid $11 less & just got a Brewstation Plus locally featuring nothing but the On/Off button - sight seen - & enjoyed coffee all last week, vs. waiting on a mail order, & then being disappointed with the model I was actually sent. I bought this model because I really wanted the 1-4 Cup & Flavor+ features in picture #2, & don't care much about programming my coffee. I'll be calling Amazon to report this error.
Thirdly, to avoid the pervasive "plastic coffee" taste problem so many customers report - make sure you run a LOT of water through the machine first. The manual suggests running through at least 2 cycles - but you will need to run it through a LOT more water cycles than that, even if you wash the tank out well first, to get the oily film off the surface of the water that comes out. If you still see factory oil in your water, you'll probably still taste plastic.
Lastly, the well-maligned Hamilton Beach reusable metal mesh coffee filter actually MAY work with the Brewstation Plus. People are saying that it fits too loose & will not work with the regular Brewstation (see models listed in first paragraph), but it may fit more snug in the Brewstation Plus models, due to differences in filter basket design. I bought a reusable mesh filter locally, & it measured way too high to use in this machine, so that I couldn't close the lid down all the way. So I may try the Hamilton Beach filter instead...unless this machine completely malfunctions & goes off the deep end...we'll see.
I hope this helps to keep someone from making the same mistake I did & ordering this item based on the 6 button picture. Or from shipping their Brewstation back too soon in place of a possible quick fix.
UPDATE:
I called Amazon to let them know about the picture error in the ad mentioned above - & instead of fixing the error - Amazon has now added TWO wrong pictures... Buyers need to know the Hamilton Beach BrewStation Model 47665 has ONLY 4 BUTTONS - NOT 6 BUTTONS, as pictured above now in not 1 but TWO incorrect images for this model. If you order Model 47665, expecting a machine to arrive with the 6 buttons features you see pictured above - you may be as disappointed as I was by only receiving a 4 BUTTON machine, with no "1-4 Cup" or "Flavor+" settings, because that's what model 47665 really is. (Hello! Amazon...??)
Neither I, nor Amazon CS over the phone, could locate a 6 BUTTON model Hamilton Beach Brewstation for purchase anywhere in Amazon's website. If they had one for sale, I would have bought one - & Amazon told me they don't have any 6 button models for sale. So, buyer beware.
In the first Brewsation received, I discovered a 2" long crack in the main housing of the coffee machine iself in a critical place where water could leak down into the machinery, & I had to send it back & wait on a replacement.
The coffee tank in the replacement I received leaked as well, but not as much as the first one I was sent. Again, gently tightening the screws to the hot plate in the bottom of the coffee tank permanently resolved this issue. After tightening, the second one no longer leaks now either.
The method I find that works best to flush the "plastic coffee" taste & oily factory smell out of the machine is flushing with several tanks of water, & then brewing several 4 cup cycles white vinegar, & then brewing several tanks of water again to flush the vinegar out. The vinegar seems to get the smell out of the machine faster than just water, & it's a cheap, organic fix compared to flushing with descaling chemicals.
I have a Hamilton Beach Model 80675 Permanent Gold Tone Filter on order, & will post again to let people know whether it actually fits THIS model, Brewstation 47665. It's been pointed out in several reviews that the Hamilton Beach Permanent Filter does not fit other Brewstations the next grade down (those models listed in the first paragraph). And, I found that the permanent filter made by Mr. Coffee stands too high to use in this model to close the lid down for brewing, & had to return it. It will not work with this machine. So, we shall see.
Some people with various Hamilton Beach Brewstation models have complained that the coffee is weak when made as per the manual's instruction. I AGREE. And here is how I resolved this issue...
The instruction manual says not to put more than 1 scoop of coffee into the filter per cup brewed. BUT - if the Brewstation is made to brew 12 cups of coffee, with 12 scoops in the filter - it will also brew 8 cups of coffee, with 12 scoops in the filter. No matter how much or how little water you put in up to 12 cups, so long as you don't go over 12 scoops of coffee, the machine won't overflow. So I brew 8 cups of water - with 12 scoops of coffee in the filter - & I get nice, strong, tasty coffee. And since you WILL NOT get the "Flavor+" feature you see pictured above - if you like strong coffee too - you might want to give this method a try.
Misleading & incorrect advertisements, & do-it-yourself coffee tank leak fixes aside - I think model 47665 does brew nice coffee. And it brews it the way I like to prepare my coffee, which is the primary reason I went with this design. I like being able to pour in a large amount of water, mix together all of my special sugared up cappuchino vanilla latte fixings in my 52oz. thermal Bubba Mug while it brews (why just have a cup of coffee, when you can have an entire JUG?? : D ) - & then gradually stir the coffee into the mug straight from the Brewsation. After that, I turn the machine off, because my coffee stays hot enough for me in the jumbo thermal mug. And with 12 scoops of Foglifter making 8 cups of coffee - I am "Starbucks Rogers" whizzing past Mars & sailing for Jupiter.......!! : D
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
No more expensive replacements!, October 1, 2006
First Hamilton Beach we have purchased. We have used it 3 times, so far so good. No drips, no leaks, coffe is hot and steaming but not burning your mouth. No glassware to break! (By the way that's why we purchased a new coffee maker) Timer, automatic shut off, easy to use........So far we love it. Nice upgrade.
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