I''ve postponed my search for a more expensive maker because this little dream machine is already meeting my needs! Thank you Black and Decker for making a simple and functional coffee maker!!!
UPDATE: 4 months later. I STILL love it! After a daily pot of coffee for 4 months straight, this coffee maker is still working perfectly. Just as new! Buy this and you won''t be disappointed.My old coffee maker broke and I went looking for a new one, I had a $60 limit. I was reading reviews of coffee makers and one reviewer said something like, "hot water poured over grounds, why spend a fortune"? I realized the reviewer was right; that really is all there is to drip coffee makers. This pot serves HOT coffee but no scalded taste and keeps the coffee hot on the warmer. I did notice the coffee was not as hot after the first cup but it''s still on the hot side of warm. Read the instructions to set up the auto maker function, it''s not intuitive. The water pours in easily on either side of the grounds basket. For me if there is one negative thing it''s that when you poor the water in you must pull the unit out from under the overhead cabinets, the water reservoir lid in the up position won''t fit under the cabinet. It''s cheaper at Wal-Mart.
Buy Black & Decker CM1050B 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker Now
After having 2 expensive Cuisinart DCC-1200 coffee makers die, I needed a replacement. I found this one locally for an amazingly low price. The unit is smaller than the Cuisinart, and easier to use. It is easy to fill with water and coffee. Even though it is not shown as a feature, it does have an automatic shut off after 2 hours. It does have a clock and programmable timer so you can wake to brewed coffee. There is no audible alert to tell you the coffee is brewed, or shutting off, but that really seemed unnecessary anyway. It''s pretty easy to tell when it stops brewing.As for the quality of the brewed coffee, so far so good. I do think that the Cuisinart was a little better, but it may be too soon to really say, it has only been used for 2 pots of coffee so far.
Others seem to complain about the pot dripping when pouring, this is NOT true, this thing doesn''t spill a drop. It is actually better in this regard than the Cuisinart that it replaced. So unless you are a gorilla, I can''t see how you will have a problem. Really, it has maybe half a drop at most left on the spout. You can tap it into the cup if you like, or just leave it, it is not even enough to drip. There are many reviews on Amazon for this and the essentially identical similar models complaining about how horrible it drips, and how their whole counter if filled with coffee. Either they are gorillas, or they are simply writing negative reviews for some reason. It absolutely lives up to the drip free claims, it works, and works well.
I can''t speak for the long term reliability of the product as I just got it last night and made coffee with it the first time this morning. However, while it would be a major inconvenience if it died, I could buy 8 or 9 of them for the cost of the Cuisinart! It cost less than the "free" warranty replacement from Cuisinart would have.
The nearly identical DLX1050B was rated a best buy by a major consumer ratings magazine.
Some of the few negatives:
1. It didn''t come with a permanent "gold" filter. This was pretty minor and I picked up one at the store the same time I bought the coffee maker for less than $5. There are several available on Amazon. Just choose the basket type, not the cone/Mellita style.
2. No back up power for the clock at all. If the lights blink, even briefly the clock will reset. The Cuisinart would withstand outages of at least a few seconds which covered the occasional light blink during a storm. The best was my old Braun that would work for almost half an hour without power, but sadly Braun doesn''t have coffee makers anymore it seems otherwise I would buy it instantly.
3. No adjustments for brew strength, pot warmer temperature, or option for 4 cups or less, or turn off time. None of these seem a big problem, on coffee makers that had these features I left them at the nominal setting anyway. The small pot brew option I did use a few times, but I also expect that it will brew a small pot just fine without that option.
4. No water filter. For me this was of no value as I use filtered water to fill the coffee maker anyway. If you use only tap water this could be a bigger deal though. Keep in mind though that the coffee makers that do have filters have fairly small, expensive filters that will need to be replaced. An external filter is probably cheaper in the long run, and you can use if for more than just coffee. The filter is also a source of failure as well. The Cuisinart had a filter, and even though I filled the coffee maker with water from an Reverse Osmosis filter, the filter ended up getting clogged with coffee grounds from the times that it overflowed from the brew basket into the water compartment and needed replacement. I will note too that there is much more space between the brew compartment and the water reservoir so even if the brew compartment did overflow it is less likely to fill the reservoir with coffee grounds.
5. After only 2 pots it is soon to tell, but I do think that the Cuisinart coffee tasted a little better.
6. The appearance is fine to myself and my wife. This unit is a glossy black plastic with a some shiny silver trim. It is also available in white. To us, this looks just fine, certainly not something to be ashamed of in any way. However the Cuisinart was available in a Stainless look and a Black Chrome look. I actually had one of each color. When clean they were attractive, but both, especially the Black Chrome showed every finger print, even spot of water, anything, so in real use it didn''t look good all the time. I expect that the glossy plastic will show finger prints and smudges as well, but nothing like the Black Chrome of the Cuisinart. While it may not look nearly as attractive, textured plastic solves all of these issues, but most coffee makers tend to be shiny.
Also be aware that there are several near identical models. You may prefer them, have better availability, or at least be able to read more reviews. It would be nice if Amazon would let you link reviews for similar products. Anyway here are links to help:
* The same device in White color: Black & Decker CM1050W 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, White
* A nearly identical model: Black & Decker DLX1050B 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker with Glass Carafe, Black
Again, this appears to be a great value. It''s not necessarily the best coffee maker, but for the price that I was able to get it for locally it is an amazing value. Even if you just need a coffee maker to replace a failed one while considering what else to buy this could fill the bill. A few trips to Starbucks saved would easily pay this off.
UPDATE January 21, 2013: This is just an update to say that this coffee maker is still going strong. It basically still works like new. The carafe has some discoloration/stuff around the metal band from repeated dishwasher washes, but otherwise mostly still looks OK too. As for dripping, still not a problem. Once or twice over the year a few drops, literally a few drops fell from the brew section onto the carafe heater when removing the carafe. Really this is far less of a problem than on the Cuisinart it replaced, meaning it simply isn''t a problem.
This coffee maker has been in service now for about 13 months. Most days it makes at least one pot of coffee, and on weekends occasionally 2 or more pots a day. It has outlasted the second Cuisinart by something around 5 months, and near what the first Cuisinart lasted. As I said it is still going strong with no signs of problems. Again, it only cost a fraction of what the Cuisinart cost, so if it died today it would have been a tremendous value. After over a year of use my wife and I are still happy, still comment on how it outlasted the very expensive Cuisinart, and would likely buy it all over again. I can still continue to recommend it without any reservation. While it perhaps may not be the absolute best coffee maker, it is absolutely a tremendous value.
Read Best Reviews of Black & Decker CM1050B 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker Here
I got this last month to replace my old coffee maker. Between a vacation and me being the only coffee drinker in the house, it had been used less than half a dozen times. When I poured water in it this morning, it all came gushing out the bottom of the base (all over the counter, the floor, and my robe!). I had to quickly unplug it and let it drain over the sink. Obviously, it was still under warranty, so I called the customer service line. It turns out I have to pay about half of its value just to have a new one shipped to me. I''m not happy at all!Want Black & Decker CM1050B 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker Discount?
Excellent coffee maker. It''s simple to use and it makes fresh, delicious coffee every time. It is also designed so that it is as drip free as possible. This coffee maker stays cleans for a very long time before you have to wipe it down. 2 Thumbs up.....a great machine, and great for the price as well.
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