I bought the Mr. Coffee 4-cup coffee maker a month and a half ago, and have no complaints thus far. I use the thing almost every day.
Time involvement:
I am a college student and part time employee who wakes up a different time each morning of the week, and I also like to drink tea sometimes instead of coffee. Mostly I brew coffee in the morning, but sometimes I like to see if I can go all day without a caffeine dependence, only to find I need to brew a cup late in the evening to finish my day''s responsibilities. So far, this coffee maker has fit very well into my irregular coffee drinking schedule. It brews all four cups in about 5 minutes, and it only takes a few minutes to place in a filter, add coffee grounds, brew, then rinse the carafe and removable coffee filter basket. On days when I''m racing out the door, taking the small amount of time to prepare my coffee doesn''t impede my rush.
Taste:
I buy gourmet coffee, and I find that the coffee comes out tasting great. Sometimes I take my gourmet coffee to the brewer at work--which is a 12-cup, 2-carafe brewer--and the coffee isn''t nearly as good. Since these are the only brewers I''ve used regularly, I''m not sure if there are any brewers that brew "cleaner," but since I don''t notice any unusual tastes in my coffee, I''d say this one is pretty clean. To enhance taste, I use cold water from my Brita faucet filter--I''ve found that impurities in tap water are sometimes amplified when heated in coffee brewers. I use paper filters now, just because there weren''t any 4-cup permanent filters at the store when I bought this, but I hear permanent filters provide even cleaner of a taste.
Speaking of the filter, I''ve read a few reviews complaints about the filter folding over and allowing grounds to drain into the carafe. If this is the only problem, a permanent filter will certainly take care of this. However, I have not once had this problem.
Size:
If you have more than one coffee drinker in the house, or you are someone who likes a lot of coffee to get going, you may need the 12 cup brewer. 4 cups are enough for me to put in my thermos and sip on all day at work or college, and if I ever need more, I prefer a fresh brew anyway. There''s just something about the taste of reheated coffee that turns me off.
Carafe:
The 4-cup carafe is well built and easy to pour. I saw reviews about how hard it is to pour without spilling--I haven''t had a single spill yet. Just make sure you keep the lid from flopping open. If you need to, place your thumb next to the hinge when holding it to keep it closed (if you own this, you should know what I mean). The one complaint I do have about it, though--and it''s minor--is the extreme tapered shape. The taper at the top creates a little "shelf" where the last few drops of coffee get caught when pouring, and you almost have to invert the carafe completely upside down to get it out. However, the amount caught on this shelf is very small and not worth inverting to get out. I always rinse my carafe out after finishing the coffee, and it''s no problem to invert the carafe over the sink.
Timer:
At first, I was upset that the "delay brew" feature needed set every night. I was hoping for a brewer that you turned on once, and it would automatically brew every morning. Now I know why they built this brewer this way. There are times I''m just too busy to remember changing the filter and coffee, or I forget to replace the carafe on the heated plate after rinsing it. I''d hate to wake up the next morning and see twice brewed coffee in my carafe, or worse, all over my counter and floor! This feature is a blessing for busy and scatterbrained people. And since you need to change the coffee and filter each night to have automatic brew the next morning anyway, turning the "delay brew" button on each night isn''t any more of an inconvenience.
My brewer sits between my microwave and stove, both of which have clocks. I haven''t noticed the time being off on my brewer in the time I''ve had it, like others have experienced.
Other:
It''s small, light, and the filter basket comes out so you can rinse it after each brew. I think that''s important to the freshness of your coffee. I''ve also torn open tea bags and poured the ground leaves into the coffee filter so I could brew large batches of tea. This seems to work great and really maximizes the flavor of the tea, but since tea stains easier than coffee, I have to pay more attention when I rinse my filter basket and carafe so the tea taste doesn''t linger when I''m going to brew coffee.
Now, this coffee maker seems pretty solid. However, any appliance can break early, and since I''ve only had this coffee maker over a month, I can''t say how long these things last. But I''ve had no problems so far, and I recommend this coffee maker.
02/25/2013 Hard to believe this little coffee maker has been with me for over five years now. It''s been through a move to my offsight office and back to my main office. The clock still keeps excellent time. The only thing to report is that the little tab inside that holds the lid down is starting to wear out. I just put my mug on the top while it''s brewing coffee (so the steam doesn''t escape) and keep on rolling. Best money I''ve ever spent on a coffee maker. I think it deserves six stars (the extra star for reliability and longevity).
09/02/2010 Two year follow-up and the DRX5 is still working great. The clock gains maybe a minute per year if that. This is the best small coffee maker I''ve ever owned and has led to several other people in my office purchasing like model.
09/07/2008 I''ve been using my Mr. Coffee DRX5 coffee maker for eight months now and I really like it. I wanted a small coffee maker for my desk at work and this one has really fit the bill. It has a very small footprint so it works great on my desk, it has not leaked a drop which is also good, and it makes pretty good coffee. (I use a heaping 2 tablespoon scoop for four cups.) I chose the black color so it doesn''t show the stains. The unit has a removable filter basket so I don''t spill grounds when emptying and the water level sight "glass" (which is plastic) is really handy since I fill it out of a water bottle rather than using the carafe. The clock is a great feature as I don''t have one at my desk. (I notice that others have mentioned having problems with the clock but mine works just fine.) The output when I make a full pot fills my coffee cup about twice which I find is about the right amount of coffee for me.
I only have minor complains. You have to pour slowly so the carafe doesn''t spill and one hour shut off doesn''t give me enough time. (Some mornings I make coffee at 6:30 and don''t have a chance to touch it until after 8:00.) You can hit start again and it will warm up the carafe.
Overall, this is a great little unit and it has inspired others in my office to purchase this model as well. Making my own coffee is much cheaper than paying a $1.00 for a 16 oz. cup in the cafeteria and I love the smell when the coffee is brewing. Having this unit allows me to drink the specialized coffee I prefer. The small size means making a second pot isn''t so much of a chore on those days when one pot isn''t going to cut it. I recommend the Mr. Coffee DRX5 to people who like fresh coffee with a minimum of fuss, either at home or at work.
Buy Mr. Coffee Programmable Coffeemakers Now
We all know that too much coffee is terrible for the body in several ways. So, instead of using the 12-cup coffee maker, we decided to go with a smaller one to force me to drink less coffee. I love this product for a number of reasons.
Pros:
Perfect size for a single coffee drinker.
Timer is great. Every other 4-cup maker that I found were switch based without a timer setting. Timer settings are really helpful when you want to just get your coffee and go.
Easy to clean. This product has a removeable filter cup for easy cleaning. Also, the auto-pause in brewing is helpful to both allow for quick removal and less spilling.
Cons:
It takes a little longer to brew 4 cups with this maker as it does in a larger maker. This may simply be due to the size of the product.
Summary:
I really like this product. It makes coffee perfectly. It is compact and takes up very little space. It is perfect for my coffee needs.
Read Best Reviews of Mr. Coffee Programmable Coffeemakers Here
If you are an infrequent coffee drinker, this coffee maker is a real bargain. At 20 bucks a pop, this is a cheap appliance that looks nice and makes great hot coffee.
Even if you are not a coffee drinker, this is smart choice for those who host an occassional guest or two. It takes up little space on the counter and looks nice considering how inexpensive it is. I''ve noticed no problems with the clock keeping accurate time.
Cons:
1. Seems to take almost as long to brew as most larger capacity coffee makers. About 4 minutes.
2. The filters are hard to come by but are available on the Internet. Suggestion: purchase 1 or 2 permanent filters and your set.
3. This "4 cup" maker will produce 2.5 fluid cups of coffee. This equates to about 3-4 "small" coffee cupsor 1.5 jumbo coffee cups.
4. You may get addicted to coffee once you try itand then you will long for a larger capacity maker!
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My large coffee maker started to go bad (I thought) & being single, I thought a 4 cup machine would be perfect. After I ordered it I saw reviews saying it was "not a 4 cup", coffee "tasted like plastic", & filters were hard to find. I tried to cancel but it was too late--& I''m glad I couldn''t! Yes, it''s not what most of us would call 4 cups, unless you consider 5 oz. to be a cup. It makes 2 large cups or 3 more average size cups.
I don''t know how people say the coffee has a plastic taste. Maybe they did not follow instructions to run it through a few brew cycles before using. I did like I normally do to clean a pot & ran it with some vinegar the 1st cycle--then clear water for a few more cycles. I get no hint at all of any plastic taste.
Filters that fit perfectly are easy to find & cheap. I buy "Brew Rite" filters that are made for 1-4 cup machines at a local chain drug store; 200 filters for $1.59. I''m sure they''d be even cheaper at larger discount stores. Just google "brew rite" to check them out.
I only have a couple issues with the machine. 1)I have to hold the lid up, it just won''t seem to stay up on its own. Makes it a little hard to fill. 2) it''s a little hard to find the correct angle to fill it, using the carafe. The reservoir is just so little.
Summing up, I think it''s a very good choice for someone who wants just a couple of cups of good hot coffee. I dropped it to 4 stars because, IMO, Mr Coffee should NOT label & advertise it as a 4 cup machine.
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This filter is just plain awesome.
