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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific product!, December 12, 2007
This review is from: Hamilton Beach 42115 3-in-1 Hot-Beverage Center, Black (Kitchen)
This is replacing a 4 cup Melitta coffeemaker (couldn't find a replacement carafe that would fit the brewer, which sat atop the pot).
This appealed to me in that this product has the following good features:
1) no pot/carafe to crack or clean
2) no waste (since you didn't have to brew 1-3 cups to get 1 decent sized mug + waste)
3) no hot plate/pot to turn off - nothing to worry about if you started a brew and then were unexpectedly called away or forgot about it
4) no paper filters required (but see below)
5) looks interesting - doesn't look like a coffee maker, takes up less space on counter, easier to keep clean.
I read some reviews - good and bad- and decided to get it anyway. AM SO GLAD I DID- I REALLY LIKE THIS THING!
Reasons: 1)-4) above, plus:
5) water resevoir + filter assembly is dishwasher safe (top rack)
6) capability of using pods (I wasn't about to buy an expensive 'pod-processor', so this is a very nice 'perk' - pun intended! ;o)
Very easy- load it up, walk away, come back to beverage. Lovely!
Some tips to head off any/all problems-
1) Read the manual. Hey, things happen, but really - use COLD WATER ONLY.
2) If brewing multiple cups- WAIT AT LEAST 30 SECS after light goes off before starting another brew. To be safe, I wait a full minute- have not had any problems.
3) I could see the potential for 'filter fouling', so I buy generic #4 Melitta filters (huge pack can be bought for <$2/pk) (& since #1s are almost impossible to find/expensive). I cut them down to fit the little filter basket, and I can go back n forth from tea to coffee to hot cocoa to soup without carryover effects (dump out coffee & rinse assembly after coffee).
4) Be careful with pushing down on plastic parts- again- read the manual. You might have to double-check to be sure that the water resevoir is pushed in all the way some times (it happened to me once). Use the handle/flap assembly to open/close the filter assembly - this is covered in the manual.
I agree- it would be nice if this were made more robustly (less plastic), and I do worry about the ability to get a replacement brew basket if need be. But I paid less than $20 for this (at Meijer), so can't complain.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What? You don't need 10 cups of coffee when you get up?, July 24, 2008
This review is from: Hamilton Beach 42115 3-in-1 Hot-Beverage Center, Black (Kitchen)
I have owned and used this product on a daily basis for almost 6 months now.
If you're anything like me, you enjoy a cup of coffee to help wake up in the morning. Notice I didn't say 12, or 10, or 8, or 4, or even 2 cups. Is it really that crazy of an idea to have a cheap coffee maker that can make only the ONE cup you want to drink? I was writhing over reviews of the 2-cup/2-travel mug coffee makers and their problems when I found this one. My thoughts: Looks cheap. Price IS cheap. Must be cheap. But there's little else, so... I guess I'll try it. Needless to say, I have accepted this little guy into my family.
Pros:
-One cup, no waste. You can make a cup with 8 to 14 oz. of water measured in the creatively graduated water reservoir. You pour water in until you see the water touch the inverted steps for each size cup. This is very helpful in filling either a traditional coffee mug or a larger travel mug. You also use much less coffee (a tablespoon or two) per day, so your coffee will last longer.
-Speaking of travel mugs... the slide-out pedestal for a mug can be removed or pushed in to allow more clearance for a travel mug. Otherwise the pedestal helps keep a mug close to eliminate any splashing.
-Everything is washable. I simply dump out my grinds and rinse the basket and pour spout in the sink. Once every month or so I stick them in the dishwasher (with the pedestal, too).
-Robust. Yeah, it's plastic, but it's no slouch. I use mine daily and haven't once felt like I was going to break anything. I keep mine next to the stove so it catches some splatter, and it wipes clean very easily.
Cons
-No timer. Not that I really need one, since it makes a cup in 2-3 minutes, but I guess some people really don't want to wait when they get up. All you do is push the button down, let it work, then it automatically shuts off. If you need to shut it off in the middle, though... be prepared to unplug it. That's your only option (even the manual says so).
-Questionable permanent metal filter. My first couple weeks I felt like there was too much sediment in my coffee (you know, that texture that you get in the bottom of a big pot sometimes). I was pretty turned off by it, leaving the last few sips. The solution? Since they don't make paper filters that small, I just bought a pack of the traditional basket filters and cut out circles to fit. A pair of kitchen shears can do at least 20 at a time. Now I make my coffee with a paper filter inside the metal basket and voila--no more sediment!
Hope that information helps. I don't review often, but I've recommended it to friends and felt like this would help the next person take the plunge.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Great idea - bad engineering, June 4, 2008
This review is from: Hamilton Beach 42115 3-in-1 Hot-Beverage Center, Black (Kitchen)
The first one of these we had was great! My wife made her tea and I made my coffee with it, and it produced excellent results. That lasted for about 5 months. Then it started to just pop and steam without pumping any water. Thinking it needed descaling, I tried that - - several times to no avail. So I finally called Hamilton Beach customer support, and at their direction sent in the cut off plug of my broken unit and $6.95 s/h. After several weeks, I received the replacement unit. It worked exactly one time before the spitting and steaming took over. I called H-B again, and this time they shipped a replacement unit immediately at no cost. It worked for exactly 2 cups before the exact same problem. Obviously there is a major flaw in the design of the water heating/pumping. Wish it worked!!!
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