I am extremely pleased with my Waring Pro Coffeemaker. So pleased, I purchased one for my mother also...and she loves hers. I insist on a cone filter but found that most coffee makers have the flat kind. I wanted a viewable water level indicator. And I wanted a good hot cup of coffee. The waring does all this and more. I love that the basket holding the filter will not open unless you press the release button. That''s a wonderful improvement over my last coffeemaker which had a habit of the basket swinging open during brewing. The sleek look fits right in with my kitchen decor. I also like the blue backlight on the timer window.
The alarm that sounds when the coffee is ready is really not that loud, contrary to what some others have stated. I find it welcoming since I start my coffeemaker and then go about my schedule getting ready for work. The three beeps tells me I can come get my hot cup now. (The volume level of the beeps is about the same as a microwave) It''s also nice to know it will shut off after 2 hours though I usually pour my coffee into a thermos almost immediately after brewing and shut it off myself.
I looked at DOZENS of coffeemakers in seven stores and shopped online at Amazon, reading tons of descriptions before buying this coffeemaker. I am SO glad I chose this one.
I purchased this coffeemaker to replace our Mr. Coffee PRX23, ( vintage 1998 ) which had served us well over the years. When looking over the products currently available in stores, it seemed as if the art and science of coffeemaker design had gone backwards over the past ten years. Some of them looked to be three-handed affairs for loading the coffee, and others looked impossible to clean, like the water tanks on the current Cuisinarts. This Waring seems like it would be easy to clean, since you can lift the swing-out basket completely off the unit, and if your hands aren''t overly large you can reach down into the water reservoir.
The coffee tasted fine, although if I could add a feature, it would be an adjustable warmer for a little higher holding temp, since we usually add cream. Reviewer Ken mentions using the 1-4 cup feature to obtain a higher brewing temp, so I might try that with a full pot. The java connoisseurs all claim cone filters are superior to the basket type, but so far I haven''t noticed much difference in flavor. However, the cones are less prone to collapsing and letting grounds through, and they''re easier to lift out when it''s time to toss it. Just be prepared to pay about four times as much for cones over basket filters.
I don''t find the beep alarm at end of the brew cycle to be annoying. It only goes off once, and it''s helpful to know the coffee''s done if I''m across the house somewhere.
We like to keep a spare carafe on hand to rotate them for cleaning ( and in case we break one ), but so far I haven''t been able to locate where I could purchase one, even on Waring''s accessories web page. The Medalco 12-cup carafe looks like a candidate, although the inexpensive basic Mr. Coffee and GE carafes available at the local W**mart are about same height, so they might be worth trying first ( you can always return them ).
Had I not discovered this model, I probably would have gone with a Mr. Coffee CHX23.
Update: April 2012 After a year of daily use the warming plate has developed a pretty bad case of rust, which we never saw on any of our prior coffeemakers. Maybe the best materials weren''t chosen for the warming plate, ironic since so much stainless steel was used for the rest of the unit. Knocking off one star ( 4 to 3 ).
Update: September 2012 Well, my wife has expressed her disgust for the rust, and assigned me the task of researching a new coffee maker. So far Hamilton Beach 46201 looks interesting. This Waring CMS120 has disappeared from the Waring web site, like Waring is in denial they ever manufactured it. If you want an example of product support on the internet for small appliances done right, check out the Hamilton Beach web site.
Buy Waring CMS120 Professional 12 Cup Programmable Coffeemaker Now
PS: I wrote the review below over one year ago (12/23/10, today is 1/9/12). I still love the coffee maker overall (except for the 5 beeps). However, I just broke the glass carafe in the dishwasher about a week ago!! Not sure how it broke just sitting there, since it was broken before I removed it (maybe cheap or defective glass?), but it sure stinks. Anyway, the factory replacement carafe (CMS120CRF) made by Waring is "out of stock" everywhere on the internet. This is a problem...nnnnnneed.......coffffff....ffffeeeee!
I had planned to call Waring to confirm, and hopefully see if they could recommend a "universal" replacement carafe. Maybe not perfect but a similar size at least close enough to function. This is a major drawback for Waring customers who wants to buy a product that doesn''t have service parts available? The 10-cup Waring CMS100 carafe is available on Amazon but I cannot tell how large it is there are no measurements published anywhere. Even when measurements are given, they don''t make any sense. Just give us the overall diameter and height, the handle makes no difference. The Waring CMS120CRF carafe is exactly 6" round x 6" tall.
So yesterday I went to a dept store for some other things, so I took a measuring tape and while there I looked at & measured their coffee makers. Turns out that Mr Coffee makes a replacement carafe (#132451) used on many of their coffee maker models, they were on the shelf so I bought one and it fits this machine ALMOST perfectly! The measurements given for it on Amazon (8.8 x 8.1 x 9.1) don''t make sense...the glass portion is 6" dia and the height is 6" to the highest part of the lid (button).
The Mr Coffee replacement fits slightly loose (the dia of the surface that contacts the hot plate is smaller, allowing more movement side-to-side), but I used it today and it is practically as good as the original. The button on the lid is a little more rounded, but not enough to allow the button on the basket to extend down and stop the dripping. I''d give it an Afor fit and function, which is pretty darn good for something improvised. Not to mention it only costs $12 vs. $30 for the Waring factory replacement price (if you can find one in stock).
Review from a year ago (12/23/10):
I just received this coffeemaker, the Free Super Saver shipping only took 3 days, so it is nice to get it so fast before X-mas. I''ve only made one pot of coffee so far, and it was quite good. I enabled the 1-4 cup brew feature (you can leave it off if desired), which I never had on my old unit, and it''s nice since it heats the coffee up much more (the manual says that smaller batches of this size are not as hot since the brewing time is so short). I really noticed a big difference vs. my old unit, it''s practically as hot as McDonald''s.
But I also wanted to pass on some info that does not seem easy to find:
1) This unit uses No. 4 Cone filters (better than basket type). It came with a "permanent filter basket", but it''s seems to be made from plastic and not metal like you''d expect. I just use the brown paper filters, which are easy to find. The premanent filter will allow some fine sediment through into the coffee.
2) It uses 5 annoying loud beeps to signal that the brewing cycle is complete.
I was looking for a unit that did not use these silly beeps, since I use it in the early morning and the rest of house is still sleeping. They are quite loud and cannot be disabled as far as I can tell. But so far they haven''t awakened anyone!
It seems that most, almost all electronic coffemakers (i.e. non-manual) have this feature, so finding one without it is a challenge. Who wants this feature? I don''t see the appeal of it. Seems like more of a nuisance to me. I have read reviews for other coffee makers and many others also dislike this feature. But this is my only complaint so far, so I still give it 5 stars.
Read Best Reviews of Waring CMS120 Professional 12 Cup Programmable Coffeemaker Here
Finally found a coffee maker that makes hot coffee. Last year''s coffee maker was done (was brewing cooler coffee by the day and the warming plate was rusted) and so I went to a local store to try to find a different brand to try. It was awful, made two pots of lukewarm coffee and took it back. So I turned to Amazon, checked to see which coffee maker had the highest ratings and what other shoppers had to say about each one. I didn''t want or need one that kept water hot at all times. I decided against a thermal carafe. This pot seemed the obvious choice. It came quickly, arrived in perfect shape and it makes great coffee. It actually heats the water to a hot temperature before the water hits the grounds, doesn''t rely on the warming plate to provide the heat. I''ve owned coffee makers where the second cup was quite a bit hotter than the first.
As for concerns that other people have mentioned, the bright blue light is really a silly feature. Don''t know why it is so bright, but it is only on when the pot is on (this includes when you set it to come on at a future time). I find the beep much more annoying. The blue light might be silly but the sound it makes when it is done brewing is ridiculous. The only caveat I would offer against buying this machine is if someone is sleeping in a bedroom next to the kitchen the beeping WILL wake them up.
As I''ve only owned and used the Waring for two weeks, I can''t speak to its durability but so far it is the best coffee maker I have owned. A small pot of coffee (one large mug) turns out as good as a full pot.
Want Waring CMS120 Professional 12 Cup Programmable Coffeemaker Discount?
We''ve only had this coffee maker one week and I can''t say enough about it. It makes an excellent, hot, flavorful pot of coffee. The products seems to be of very good quality. The basket is easily removed for cleaning (we use #4 filters instead of the supplied mesh filter). The pot pours well with no mess or drip. Measuring your coffee/water ratio is no longer a challenge; they recommend 1 scoop (supplied) of coffee per cup rather than the standard 2 tablespoons per 6oz of water which has never made sense to me. The beeping others have complained about does not bother us. We actually like being able to walk away and attend to other tasks knowing it will let us know when our coffee is ready! We''ve owned Keurigs, Chemex and other mainstream coffee brand pots and this is by far the best! If you''re looking for a value-priced, well-made, easy to use coffee maker that makes an excellent and hot pot of coffee, look no further. You will not be disappointed!
Save 75% Off
First of all, the reason we bought this is because, in general, percolators make great tasting coffee. They can turn even the worst quality beans into a good cup of coffee. Initially, the Presto lived up to our expectations. And after doing the following, it is once again making great cups of coffee.
