Mr. Coffee 12 Cup Programmable Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe Option, Chrome

Our old reliable and inexpensive Mr. Coffee maker had served us well for almost 12 years, but finally the plastic started to show it's age and could no longer resist the daily abuse. The result was the carafe handle and the one of the filter pegs recently breaking. The coffee maker still worked great but clearly it was time for a new one... Let me preface this review by saying that I had two very important criteria when I was looking for a new coffeemaker: 1. Must have a thermal carafe. (wife wanted it) 2. Must use basket filters. (I still have several hundred of them, bought in bulk long ago, so I want to use them!) Price was also a criteria, of course, but I was open to spending over $100 if necessary to get a good one. I have a soft spot for Mr. Coffee based on the long and reliable life of our old one, but I looked at all the brands with models matching the above two criteria. Those two criteria really managed to limit the number of models I had to consider and I didn't see any real outstanding reviews on any of them, even the ones priced over $100. Then I stumbled upon this little gem. The reviews were good, it uses basket filters, and provides the option of buying a thermal carafe. The price is so low that even with the extra bucks to buy the thermal carafe it was still cheaper than pretty much all of the other models I had looked at. Plus it is Mr. Coffee, which has served us so well for so many years. Sold. So, with the story of how I came to purchase it out of the way I can get on to the heart of the review... First off the coffee maker looks great; sleek and compact. It actually takes up less space than the old Mr. Coffee model that it replaced. The instructions are very straightforward and it is very simple to operate. It doesn't have a lot of fancy settings or other complications. It includes a water filter but since we already filter our water I opted not to use it. Before using you are advised to run it through a brew cycle with just water to get rid of any manufacturing residues. You can definitely pick up some chemical smells right out of the box so I opted to run a couple of brew cycles just to be safe. After two cycles it was ready to make coffee. Making coffee is a snap. The filter basket lifts out easily - you just rotate the spray arm out of the way and lift out. This makes it easy to add the ground coffee and to clean up afterwards. After you have the filter basket loaded up with ground coffee you just put it back in and rotate the spray arm back into place. You add the water into the reservoir through the same opening in the top and there is plenty of room to pour. The cup markings are on the right side of the machine and may be a little difficult to see in low light, but I haven't had any trouble. If you measure your water before adding it then it won't matter in any case. Once you have added the water you just press one button to start brewing. If you want to change the brew strength you press one more. The machine will beep when it is done. Easy. The unit automatically senses whether you are using the glass or thermal carafe. The heating element turns on only for the glass carafe since the whole idea of the thermal carafe is to keep the coffee warm without continually heating it. We typically use the glass carafe when we are going to drink up the coffee quickly and the thermal when we have more time and want to drink coffee at our leisure. The thermal carafe easily keeps the coffee warm enough for us for a couple of hours. The instructions advise pre-heating the carafe with hot water to help maintain the temperature but we usually don't bother. This machine brews great tasting coffee quickly and easily. If that is what you want in a coffeemaker then I highly recommend it. If you want lots of fancy settings to fiddle around with then it isn't for you. The clock on the machine is not illuminated so you can't see it at night. If you really want/need an illuminated clock then you will want to find another model. This coffeemaker suits our needs perfectly and the price can't be beat. The optional thermal carafe is great for keeping coffee warm without cooking it - perfect for extended coffee drinking sessions.

For the past 4 years, we've used a Cuisinart DCC-1200 that has been okay, as long as I would dismantle it (twice) to adjust the contacts on the on/off switch. The unit would turn off during a brew cycle due to a faulty switch connection. We decided to pass on getting a replacement unit and settled on this Mr Coffee model, mostly based on the high rating in Consumers Reports. After reading some of the reviews here on Amazon, I wondered if it would be a wise decision, as no one wants their coffee leaking from the decanter onto the floor or counter top or smelling like burnt plastic. Those who complained about the leaking problem are either putting out a scam review, or they have a different model than the one we received. I tested the glass decanter, and there was NO WAY I could get it to drip over the side. It poured directly into the cup with no dribbling. I tried pouring it very slowly and could not get it to run down the side of the decanter. One reviewer said she had to 'lift the cheap plastic lid' in order to pour the coffee. Well, I don't know where that bit of info came from, but the lid is not cheap plastic, and you don't have to lift it at all.....hmmmm. We ordered the optional thermal decanter and it is very solid. It has an 8 cup capacity and has no pouring issues either. The coffee quality is as good as your water and coffee can provide. It brews quickly and gives you a hot cup of coffee, at the right temperature. I did not detect any off-tastes due to plastic. I did smell a bit of plastic during the first brewing, but this is normal for new appliances that are heated. The plastic is 'off-gassing' some of the volatiles and this should subside after a few uses. The unit is very well-designed and looks great on our counter. It is actually shorter than the Cuisinart model and that is a plus for us. The controls are great and easy to use. Setting the clock is intuitive, and programming it for a delayed brew is very easy. It is also a 'smart' unit, in that it senses when you are using the thermal decanter, and automatically turns off the hot plate under the decanter. It also has a button that lets you see how long it has been since the coffee was brewed. As far as I can tell, it will heat the glass decanter for 2 hours, before it beeps 3 times, then shuts off. With the metal decanter, the unit shuts off immediately after brewing (no lights are on). The LCD showing the time is easy to read, but you need to bend over to see it. The instruction manual says there is a red light that will light when it's time to clean the unit, but I can't find this light anywhere. The unit is easy to fill and the water level can be seen easily in the gauge on the right rear. If you need a cup of coffee before it is finished brewing, you can pull the decanter away, and it gives you 30 seconds to pour a cup, then replace the decanter. I detected no leakage of coffee when I did this (contrary to what some other reviewers have claimed). Make sure you have some basket-type coffee filters (not cones), or have ordered the optional permanent filter basket, since these are not provided with the unit. The unit also has a water filter and holder that fits over the basket and under the water 'shower head'. I'm not sure this is a good design for the filter, since it is another item you need to install before every pot, then clean afterwards. The Cuisinart had a drop-in water filter, that worked before the water entered the brewer. I like this better. We don't use any filters since we use filtered water from the fridge. All-in-all, this is a great coffee maker at a very decent price. The option to get a thermal decanter for it is a big plus for us, as we will be pouring less coffee down the drain in the future. I expect to get many good pots of coffee from this coffeemaker. If I find otherwise, I will update this review.

Cumple perfectamente con el alcance que se conoce en la descripción, hasta ahora la he usado full y me ha dado muy buen rendimiento, tiene muy buena relación precio/beneficio, lo único que le integraría a la cafetera sería un filtro permanente.

Been over a year now since ordering my Mr. Coffee and I am as happy today with it as I was the day I opened it. Super easy to program, operate and clean, and most importantly it brews the best hot coffee - I emphasize 'hot' because many other units do not get the water hot enough to maximize flavor. Works perfectly whether brewing a small or big pot. Can't say enough. 5 stars

Great coffee maker. Operation is quick and quiet, parts are easy to clean off. The water filter is a welcome addition and it does make a difference in taste, only downside is that it has to be replaced monthly. Overall, highly recommended product.

We had a problem with the basket overflowing the first time we used it. Don't know if it was the spring in the basket or we did something wrong. I cleaned it up, rotated the spring, and it works great ever since. I called the company and they sent a replacement basket just in case. We have had Mr. Coffees for years and always found them excellent - good hot coffee that stayed hot on the burner [heat surface]. That's why we ordered this from you on line [not available anymore in Canada for some strange reason]. We are very satisfied. Thank you.

We love this coffee maker. Works great and makes a superb pot of coffee. Programming is easy to use and great for waking us up in the morning. We only use the strong brew selection, as we prefer a stronger tasting coffee. Highly recommended and very satisfied with this purchase.