I studied the Keurig machines and others for over 2 months before deciding on this one. My main fear on the Keurig was the unbelievable amount of bad reviews for the water pumps failing. Their home systems (especially the platinum) seem to be plagued with this issue, yet this unit and most of the other commercial units appear immune. The downside to going with the commercial unit is they are not compatible with the "My K-cup". Do not despair.. there is a solution!My experience:
I purchased a B145 from the local Staples for $129.99!! I unwrapped my new beauty and filled it full of water per the instructions. My heart sank as the just out of the box unit would not prime. I figured I must be doing something wrong and called Keurig. They confirmed the unit was defective... right out of the box!! Not happy, but I thought I would give it one more go. I took it back to Staples, who happily exchanged the item. This time success. The unit works great and I have had no other issues in the month of ownership. Use of filtered or bottled water highly recommended to extend the unit service life. Unit has a 1 year warranty from Keurig so I am very happy with my purchase so far.
Those who complained about the noise surprised me a bit. It does hum and buzz a bit I admit... but it lasts what.. maybe 40 seconds while it fills with water. Really? .. seemed a bit silly to me.
Now, the big win here... I was willing to trade the inability to use the "My K-cup" for a reliable unit, but found the eKobrew reusable filter for Keurig here on Amazon. It works great with the B145 and I recommend it if you want to use your own blend of coffee.
For what it is worth... that''s my 2 cents.
The major complaint I read about this model was that it wasn''t exactly quiet. Those reviews are correct, to an extent. I don''t think it''s so loud as to be any more distracting than any other noise in the home. It''s certainly a lot quieter than my vacuum and my washer. I can''t hear it in the next room, and neighbors haven''t complained about the noise in the surrounding apartments.
I have read review after review of the home brewers with the quiet technology, and I noticed that the one common complaint with those was that the pump failed after a couple months. I''d rather deal with a bit of noise than with a dead coffee maker.
We are avid coffee drinkers, and we always use travel mugs in the morning. There isn''t a setting for a 16 ounce cup, but we get around that by brewing two 6 ounce cups with a singular k-cup. It give us the perfect amount and intensity of coffee, and leaves enough room for cream and sugar.
I love that everyone can have exactly whatever kind or flavor of coffee that they want. No more having to drink chocolate peppermint coffee in the morning because I wasn''t the first one up and I don''t want to waste a whole pot. I also love that it''s always a fresh cup of coffee. No more burnt, old coffee. Just a nice fresh cup.
I find that there is a nice variety of K-cups as well, and if you shop around you can usually get them at a great price. My local Bed, Bath and Beyond carries them and you can use a 20% off coupon on them. Impact Office Pro also carries them online, for even cheaper than Keurig''s site with their coffee club discount.
Speaking of prices, I got my Office Pro for a lot cheaper. Staples has them for $129.99 and you can use a coupon. My account rep at Impact Office Pro went a little lower than the Staples price, and then even took my $25 Staples coupon, bringing the price down even more. So shop around and see where you can get the best deal!
A word of warning, the my k cup reusable filter offered by Keurig does not work with this model. However, the solofill refillable k-cup does work so if you want to use your own coffee, buy the solofill k cup.
All in all, I highly recommend this brewer. It''s a great addition to our home.
Buy Keurig B145 OfficePRO Brewing System Now
So after having returned not one, but two, of the Cuisinart Keurig brewers due to broken water pumps, I''ve settled on this commercial grade Keurig OfficePro B145 brewer for home use. I bought the unit from my local Staples for one hundred thirty-nine dollars, tax included. This model comes highly rated by both office and home users, and I couldn''t find a single review online complaining of the broken water pump problem that seems to plague many Keurig models. The Cuisinart Keurigs were great, but neither of them lasted beyond the four month mark, which is terrible considering they cost around two hundred dollars a piece. They each just gradually stopped brewing full cups of coffee, and it seemed as though the pump just stopped doing its job of pushing water through the machine. Anyhow, the OfficePro B145 model is bulletproof and every component feels solid to the touch. It does not hold as much water as the Cuisinart Keurig, but I''ll get over it. It is also considerably louder than the Cuisinart model as it doesn''t have the QuietBrew technology, but I think the QuietBrew technology may be the "Achilles heel" of the Cuisinart Keurigs and other Keurig models as the pumps simply don''t last. There are just too many reviews online for many Keurig models complaining of broken pumps. I''ll update this review if I experience any problems, but, for now, I''m loving this bad boy!Read Best Reviews of Keurig B145 OfficePRO Brewing System Here
(sorry for the length of this....my first review but I thought my experience would help)The B145 is a commercial-grade model and not intended for home use, as clearly repeated on Keurig''s website and on the packaging. My purchase, and my remedy below, were done at my discretion.
I researched Keurigs for several months before pulling the trigger. We have an original (older) B40 at our office that pumps out 20-25 cups per day and still runs like a champ after years of use. Since this is a consumer-grade unit, I was optimistic on the projected longevity. It has the older pump and yes, it makes a fair share of noise which would probably get old running early in the morning. I read tons of reviews on Amazon and was interested in the quieter B60 or B70 before reading all the stories about pump issues. After reading reviews and watching Youtube videos on the sound comparisons between old & new pumps, I decided to try the B145. I ordered it from a popular local office store (with online coupon code...check those out) for a great price. I knew it would be the noisier pump but wanted the reliability without having to fuss with the pump to keep it primed. When you want coffee in the morning, you really aren''t in the mood to plead with the machine, right? It arrived the next day and I set it up. I read a couple of reviews about the B145 not priming for the first time...unfortunately mine was one of those. I didn''t feel like hauling it back to the store and being inquisitive, I figured I couldn''t make it any worse by tinkering (my own choice, I''m not suggesting anyone do the same). Since this model has the drain feature, I managed to get it primed after about 15 minutes of tinkering by doing the following:
The unit tried to pull in water but there appeared to have been an air-lock in the line so I held the return nozzle closed while it tried to pull in water. *** Please note, this machine DOES make substantial noise when it is dry...this is normal with ANY pump that is run dry. After about 30 seconds of little-to-no water being pulled from the tank, I shut it off, set it for drain and initially held the return nozzle for a second or two while attempting to drain. It spit some air and a little water into the tank before running empty. I then reset for an initial prime and watching the water level in the tank, it pulled in a little more water this time. I had to repeat this sequence about 3-4 times and each time it pulled in more water (and drained when the valve was reversed). I knew the boiler was full as it was now pulling in the same amount of water during each drain & prime. I put an empty cup under the spout (no K-cup in the holder) and pressed Brew. Voila...a full cup of hot water! *** Please note, once the pump is primed, this machine makes MUCH less noise than when empty. In fact, it makes alot less noise than our older B40 at the office. One tip I found was to place a suitable-sized pot holder or rubber mouse pad underneath and the machine does not vibrate anything on the counter. I''ve operated both the older and newer models and was pleased to learn that once primed, this model only makes a low hum when running (comparable to the newer style pumps).
My opinion is the possible air-lock problem probably affects several models of Keurig brewers, thus the frustrations by owners. These small bladder-style pumps do not like air bubbles in the supply line, whether it''s during initial prime or after months/years of use. Clearing the air-lock seems to fix every one of the pump-plagued units that have been repaired from what I''ve reviewed. My feeling is that if Keurig can implement a fix to keep this condition from occuring on both consumer and commercial-grade models, they would have much happier customers. The partial-cup complaint can also be due to a clog in the K-cup needle(s), fixed with a straightened paper clip. Obviously, if you''re under warranty, you should consider that route before attempting repairs yourself.
I love this machine and have coupled it with an Ekobrew refillable so I can use any coffee variety. My machine heats up in the morning from cold in about 1 minute, so a timer is not needed. It has an auto-shutoff option, a descale indicator and three cup sizes to choose from so nothing else is needed. Even with my initial problem, I wouldn''t have made a different choice. I only gave 4 stars due to the out-of-the-box experience, but now this machine works perfectly!
Keurig B145 OfficePRO Brewing System
ekobrew Cup, Refillable K-Cup For Keurig K-Cup Brewers, Brown, 1-Count
Want Keurig B145 OfficePRO Brewing System Discount?
I was first exposed to Keurig-made coffee at a luxury hotel and ran out (to Amazon) and bought a B70. I have since purchased about a dozen Keurigs for friends and family. Here is what has tempered my enthusiasm; they don''t hold up over time. I don''t expect things to last forever but most of the people that I have given the Keurig to only get about two years of use out of them before their pumps fail. I replaced my B70 with a Breville and it just recently passed away.Before I let myself calculate just how much money that I have spent on an "easy" way to make a cup of coffee I purchased this unit. Overall I am very pleased with it. It doesn''t have all of the bells and whistles of my other K-cup coffee makers, but it''s got enough of the features that I need (however, I do miss the clock.). One thing that is really nice is that it has a drain feature, something missing from my other Keurigs. This allows one to drain the unit of the water that is deep inside the machine, preparing it for transport or storage.
The one real feature that caused me to buy this model over the others will take a while to prove itself, and that is DURABILITY. Being designed for office use the B145 is supposed to have a more durable pump. I have to admit that I am skeptical, but we will see and I will update this review periodically.
Update: 4/16/12 I have used this machine several times a day, every day, since I wrote this review and it is still performing fine. So far, so good.
Update: 1/16-13 This is the best K-cup machine that I have owned, not the fanciest, but the best. I like it so much that I upgraded my review from 4 stars to 5 and purchased another one for work. This is a very well made and dependable machine.
0 comments:
Post a Comment