Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Krups seems to be hit-and-miss in terms of their design these days, however after years of my family swearing by the brand, it was the first one to come to mind when replacing my rinky-dink old Mr. Coffee machine...
First, the pros:
- Fantastic coffee comes out of this little bugger so long as you keep it clean... Rinse the basket and carafe after every use, and leave the water tank lid open to let it dry out between uses.
- The 1 to 3 cup feature is definitely nice when brewing smaller batches. Not quite sure how it works (I guess it regulates the percolation process to get the most out of the grinds), but it does make a noticeable difference in small batches.
- It has a built-in water filter.
- Not a bad looking device.
Now, the cons:
- The designers of the electronics must have had their fair share of recreational drug abuse, as it is by far the most counter-intuitive button arrangement and programming process I have *EVER* encountered (and I'm a Unix admin). At long last I know how to set the clock and the wake-up setting without referring to the manual... Unfortunately, each time the power goes out, I still have to refer to the manual to figure out how to turn off the obnoxious "I'm done!" beeping alert once the brewing process is complete. It's a friggin' coffee maker, Krups! There's a very consistent amount of time that must elapse for the brewing process to complete (hell, just look and listen for continued percolation). If you need to be alerted, well, I think you have more serious issues at hand.
- The water gauge was a cool idea, but poorly implemented. After brewing a dozen or so pots of coffee you'll eventually figure out how to pour the water in to prevent bubbles from showing up in the gauge (thus completely undermining its efficacy). My trick? Pour into the back-right corner of the tank at a medium pace.
- Replacement water filters are not cheap, nor able to be found locally. This raises further concerns regarding the continued availability of said filters in the future.
All in all, there's a good chance your money could be spent better elsewhere. These gripes aside, I'm overall quite happy with it as it does actually turn on and brew when you hit the power button (thereby negating the electronics complaint). I have yet to change my filter some 300+ pots of coffee in, and it's still running strong. No leaks, no BS.
Click Here to see more reviews about:
Krups 12 Cup Coffee Maker - Black
Click here for more information about Krups 12 Cup Coffee Maker - Black
