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A Waste of money
This coffee maker is a big waste of money. It lasted less than 6 months, doesn't keep the coffee hot in the thermal carafe, and often over flows all over my counter with grounds and coffee going everywhere. I'm going out to get another coffee pot today and it won't be a Mr. Coffee.
[Friday, November 07, 2008]
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Meets my expectations...
It will not burn coffee, as there is no heating element to keep the coffee cooking...so the coffee remains drinkable for several hours. The stainless steel carafe must be a vacuum thermos, as the exterior remains at room temperature. I sometimes will pour boiling water into the thing to heat the interior prior to brewing a pot and the exterior stays at room temperature then also.
It is attractive, if you like stainless and black plastic. It is easy to clean and stays new-looking. The controls and settings are easy to learn and the delay brew function is a definite plus; I use that often for the first pot of the day.
[Sunday, September 28, 2008]
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Excellent Value for the Cost
After researching out thermal carafe coffee makers for several weeks, I'll just put it bluntly: this product is an excellent deal for your money - particularly when you start looking at your other options in the marketplace and their costs.
PROS:
* Programmable (nothing like waking up in the morning to just made coffee)
* Easy (come on - it's Mr. Coffee)
* Simple maintenance (really, just a once a month run through with a mix of vinegar and water is about the most you've got to do)
* Choose your brew strength - strong or average (I'm not sure what average is like since I put mine on "strong" since the day I set it up)
* The timer indicating how long since the coffee has been made is great
* The carafe is not glass (need I say more on that?)
* The display of water - how much you've put in, how much it's already brewed, etc. - could not be any easier to figure out
* A replaceable filter (frankly, you can likely toss it if you already use filtered water)
* Looks great with with other kitchen appliances or style that includes black, aluminum or brushed steel
* Less than $100
CONS:
- It only measures up to 10 of those 6 oz. cups (don't even get me started on the 6 oz. "cup") - so anything up to 12 it can make, but it's guesswork if you've put in 11 or 12 "cups" of water
- For the first month or so, the button to open the pour spout is a bit awkward (on the other hand, for you crackberries out there - good thumb muscle development)
- The carafe has a tough time fitting into most water dispensers on refrigerators with built-in water dispensers (you'll need to use something else and then pour into the machine)
Finally, there was a comment by one of the reviewers about the thermal carafe not keeping the coffee piping hot after a while. I won't argue with this, but since I'm not one of the folks who order "extra hot" coffee at Starbucks, I think the coffee warmth is just fine even after several hours.
Long-term, there are two items for Mr. Coffee to improve on this product (but, admittedly, they are both "nice-to-have's"):
1. Increase the thermal strength of the carafe so it can keep the coffee at almost the exact temperature over 4 hours; and
2. Change the button you press to open the pour spout to a simple toggle or lever switch that you just pop to open/close (rather than having to hold down the button while you pour).
If you do buy this, one recommendation. At least once a month, open the lid overnight (with no coffee or water in it) and just give it a chance to dry itself out thoroughly. I do this after running the vinegar/water cleaning run (followed by another run with just plain water). And I've not had a problem in 6 months yet (knock on wood).
[Friday, September 12, 2008]
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