I have owned several Mr. Coffee 4 cup models, going back to the one that looks like it was made in the 1970's (with the floating orange water indicator) - This one is the best one to date.
The high points:
1) It's small and light
2) While the lid is up, the water will simply cycle through the resovoir ( a great way to preheat your water is to simply keep the lid up while the machine is running until it gets (quite) hot - then close the lid. )
3) It came with a re-usable basket filter (a nice feature considering the machine was only ~ 20$)
The negative
1) The carafe is just a tad difficult to pour from. Do not get me wrong, if you concentrate and proceed with caution, it does function without error. However, without due attention you might notice some drops spilling over the edge. That said, when pouring out the last few ounces at the end you will feel the steam/vapor rising up to your hand - it is HOT.
For $20, I would reccomend it to everyone I know as the perfect 4 cup maker.
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For anyone who can get by with only 4 cups of coffee Ive found this to be a great product. Before I was married I always used one every morning. Now, I have one that I take on trips with us. It makes a great cup of coffee without having to worry about all the gizmos that people criticize [as having various problems] in the reviews of most larger multi-function coffee pots.
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With my forced switch to decaf I needed a small coffee maker that would make two real cups (4 coffee maker cups). The Melitta take2me is a rather large machine, and was problematic in the consumer reviews. I couldn't find a Black & Decker Brew n' Go to look at. The TF4 is a small, very basic machine that brews as well as our larger coffee makers. The pause and pour feature works reasonably well. It uses the small basket filters. It's easy to clean. It does, however, require about five and a half minutes to brew a full pot. So far it is well worth the $15 invested.
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