Neither my wife nor I are big coffee drinkers. A relative is expressing need of a new coffee maker and we are considering one for her Christmas gift.
Target has Mr Coffee for $49.99 minus another $10.00 with coupon.
Is it a good brand?
Do you have to buy a certain type of coffee? I remember DRIP and PERCOLATER types when Mom would send me to the store for coffee.
Please pardon my ignorance on this subject and thanks for your help.

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Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

Bunn,still made America

I have many fire investigation photos of "Mr. Coffee" meltdowns.
A good coffee maker will heat and deliver the water over the coffee grounds quickly.Mr.Coffee makers are slow and make bitter coffee.Hamilton Beach are decent makers.Black and Decker are not unlike Mr. Coffee.

I have a Cuisinart I use every day. It does good. I'm not too big on Mr. Coffee either.

I have a Krups and truly enjoy it. Uses the Euro style cone filters, and with them I use less grounds to make just as much really good tasting coffee. Only give the Mr. Coffee if you don't like them very much.

+1 on the Cuisinart...


rags

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RIP Shipmate

I have to go with the Bunn. The model I have has the Stainless Steel pot which wont break which is a plus and it brews in just a couple minutes. I almost guarantee I bought it at Lowes. Costs a few bucks more than most but well worth it in my opinion.

If $100 isn't over budget, I highly recommend the Bunn. You can find them at WalMart or Lowes.

I use this carafe style Zojirushi....doesn't cook the coffee.....just keeps it nice and hot for hours....had this one since 2005 and it's still going strong...judging from the name, I don't think it's made in the USA. Around 70 bucks on line.....

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

The wife and I are coffeeholics, we have used about every brand of coffee makers over the years. The best and most durable has been a Cuisinart for us so far.

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Mike in SouthCentral Kentucky

My Wife and I are also Coffee addicts. We've tried many different systems over the years but our current one makes the best brew. It is the Hamilton Beach perk pot, available at Wally World or on-line, ($49.00). We have two of them. I set them up every night before I go to bed, three scoops in hers for "Girl Coffee" and four big ones in mine for "Hairy Chested Coffee". I prefer the perked Coffee over the drip ground. Sometimes the old ways are just best.

You can't beat perked....especially for espresso.....boy does this bring back memories at my Grandma's place...

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I've tossed out any number of failed drip and percolator style coffeemakers, most of which are now mostly plastic junk, and as has been said, suspiciously hazardous, in favor of a Boodum vacuum walled french press, a Krupp burr grinder, and an Oster electric kettle. For slightly more bother than the other alternatives, you can grind beans (fresh!), boil water, and brew, in four minutes, coffee vastly superior to the perked or dripped variety. I once had regarded these procedures as somewhat "snobbish", until I tried it, and now am given to carrying my own equipment, even in motel rooms, where, even if no microwave is available, a compact camp stove will boil enough water for coffee, without contributing dangerous quantities of CO to the interior atmosphere...

We're not big coffee drinkers, but have visiting family that are. We bought a stainless Cuisinart; it does a good job, and looks great on the counter... I forget how much it cost, around $60, or $70, I think...

If I knew that Bunn was still made in USA, I would have bought one of those. I really didn't think you could still buy a coffee maker that is made in the USA... ;(

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NRA Life Member

Grind your own beans and put them in a Krupps.

Don't like that a Bunn is heating water at all time it is plugged in.They also seem to get mineral clogged fairly quick and the fast brew cycle tends to need more coffee than a conventional drip machine.I base this opinion on seeing the life and death of many coffee makers at fire stations for many years.

Had a Cuisinart that ground the coffee and then brewed it.
Really liked the coffee that it made, but the grinder crapped out after about a year or so. At around $100.00 for another one, we decided that our old Mr. Coffee was good enough.
(It's been working for at least 10 years so far.

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

Forget drip .... get a french press and have some proper coffee

Both my wife and I are Coffee FANATICS and we have used a Cuisinart electric percolator for about 12 years now. It consistently makes great HOT coffee and it will keep it hot long after perking (forget the Mr. Coffee types - after a few months they only make luke warm wimpy coffee). You can buy them in the stores for about $120.00 or get the same exact model on Amazon for under $70.00.

Once in a blue moon I get in a nostalgic mood and I break out my old Coleman 12 cup porcelain stove top percolator. It takes a bit longer then the Cuisinart, but it does make great coffee! That can be had to under $35.00.

regards,
chief38

Coffee is truly my last addiction. Quit drinking, quit smoking, never cheated on the Missus but I do bow down to that $15 a pound caffeinated fix from exotic African, Indian and South American locales.
I used a Bunn for years, wearing out 3 of them and the poster who complained about mineral build up is right - they took a lot of maintenance. After a few failed alternatives I settled on the Capresso MT600 ($120). The key is to have a thermal carafe instead of a heated plate. This keeps the coffee from slowly burning away.

I grind every pot fresh to the tune of a pound a week, and have wasted several grinders, including the Krupps. Over time the motor mounts crack allowing the grinding wheels to wander. The final answer was the Kitchenaid Pro KPCG100 at a whopping $200! Huge up front cost but I don't have to replace it every other year like I was the others.

Then again the stuff off of the Roach Coach warms the innards on a cold winter day just fine!

Pick a brand of coffee maker and do a review on it on the internet. Virtually everything has been reviewed. I bought a Black n Decker and did a review on it and it said the pot design makes it impossible to pour without spilling. First pot I made, I poured a cup and got a leak around the pot rim. Took it back and got a Mr. Coffee. I'm pretty anal about leaving electric appliances like coffee makers and toasters plugged in when I leave the house. Everything like that is plugged into a surge strip will a night light plugged into it. When I leave I always go out the back and if the night light's on I turn off the surge strip. Pretty weird huh?

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SOS USA

Agreed. And if you buy ground coffee, the French press may be LESS work than almost any other coffee maker. And certainly fast - four minutes after you pour boiling water into it. the water is boiling while you set it up.

It's really camp coffee with a strainer, if that makes anyone feel better.

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Formerly Model520Fan

[QUOTE=RonJ;135714387]A relative is expressing need of a new coffee maker and we are considering one for her Christmas gift.
Target has Mr Coffee for $49.99 minus another $10.00 with coupon.
Is it a good brand?/QUOTE]

If she is a coffee snob, nothing you get will please her, especially something as mundane as a Mr. Coffee. If she just wants a quick shot of caffeine in the morning, and doesn't treat a cup of coffee like a $300 bottle of wine, then the Mr. Coffee and a can of Maxwell House Regular Grind will suit her just fine.

As I type this, I am enjoying a cup made with exactly that combination. Seven heaping spoons of coffee grounds, about six-and-one-half cups of water, as measured by the pot supplied with the machine, a little powdered non-dairy creamer, and just a bit of artificial sweetener.

I am the only one who drinks coffee in my family. We are on about the fourth or fifth machine in about 31 years of marriage. At least three of them have been Mr. Coffee. Hey, if it was good enough for Joltin' Joe, it's good enough for me!

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Georgia On My Mind

Do not coffeemakers consider a cup to be 6 ozs. instead of eight? I'm paying $4.25 for eight o'clock standard and $5.25 for eight o'clock Hazelnut, both whole bean. Seems like a 12 oz. bag lasts a week, making one 11 cup pot a day. Can somebody with a mesuring cup put 16 ozs. of water in a Mr. Coffee pot and tell me how it compares to cup level markers on pot? Although it's petty, I got tired of running out and spending $3.50 a day at Dunkin Donuts.

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SOS USA

Get a french press. get the "6 cup size" or larger as their idea of a cup is 4 oz. I get two good mugs of morning coffee out of mine and it's perfect. Used to have a Mr. Coffee and would make a pot drink about half and throw the rest out. With the press, I make and drink my two mugs in the morning-it's GREAT coffee and no waste. These costs about $25-30 . You do need to invest in a tea kettle to heat up the water though.

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Forum consigliere

My wife and I ARE coffee drinkers. ( 4-5 brews a day) We've been through 6-7 machines of various brands easily in the last 15 years. Best we've found is the Hamilton Beach Brewstation Pro. It keeps coffee fresher much longer because it's a closed system. ( i.e Doesn't steam off, burn or get bitter.) People often comment on how good the coffee is. Has some nice (easy to use) features as well like wake up, adjustable auto off, 4 cup and flavor mode that slows brewing for enhanced flavor. No pot to break either.
About $40 for the basic Pro model which is the better of the two.

p.s. My experience with 2 MR. Coffee;s is that they get too hot and are prone to burn coffee faster than most.
hth

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Dave

Not even that much. They consider a "cup" as 5 ozs. It takes two cups of Mr. Coffee to equal one 10 oz. mug of coffee.

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Dick

As a P.S. to Mr. Coffee. I use the basic one, $14.00 at Walmart. However, I only drink coffee in the morning and consume 24-32 oz. in a hour. No more after that. I would not recommend any cheapo coffee maker that keeps coffee warm for more than 2 hrs..

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SOS USA

I would buy anything before a Black & Decker. They are doing good to last 90 days. I've had two ........ never again

What a piece of junk..

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Regards,
Windjammer

+1 A piece of junk.

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Dick

We use a Hamilton Beach which pours the cofee directly into the cup by pressing the cup to a pad like the ice/water dispenser on a fridge makes good coffe too.
Steve

We drink coffee so infrequently, that we boil the water on the stove like we do for tea, and then put coffee in a filter in a strainer above another pot and make it that way. At least then, I know the water has boiled and hot enough to kill anything in the coffee.

I don't trust those cheapo plastic coffee makers at all. We once had a gas powered coffee urn/percolator that father used in the restaurant with the little glass viewer in the front that must have held 2 gallons- that thing made great coffee! Haven't had a cup that good since.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

My wife and I have just about purchased about a half dozen or more coffee makers in the last six years. They last about 6 months to a year. You get what you pay for. We broke down two months ago and purchased a Cuisinart. We have coffee in the morning every day and sometimes in the evening after dinner. It is the best maker we have ever purchased. You can get them on sale for about $100.00. Prices vary and the best deal we found was Kohl's. Happy shopping.
Nick

Just yesterday we received our Cuisinart DCC 1200 from amazon, free shipping and a $ 10.00 rebate to boot for a total cost of $ 55.00. It makes the absolute best home brewed coffee I have ever drank. Even has a 3 year warranty.

We have used 4 different Bunn's for over 20 years wish I had known about the Cuisinart sooner.

I've had a slew of different brands of coffee makers. When my last one died, the wife and I went out looking for a new one. We found this one at Meijer for $50 and decided to give something different a try.
We both love it. Only had it for about 4 months so I can't speak on longevity but I give it two thumbs up. Occasionally, when I'm still in a morning fog, I'll set my cup down and reach for the pot. Old habits are hard to break.

Hamilton Beach: BrewStation Summit 12 Cup Coffeemaker (48463)

My wife and I have opposite tastes in coffee. She likes flavored stuff and I like strong stuff. For us, the Kuerig is the way to go.

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Lots of feedback. Keep us posted on what you decide to go with and how it works out.

We have two coffee makers, his & hers. She likes the flavored stuff, I like it strong & straight. I drink two pots a day all by myself (software developer - it's part of the job), and I go through cheap coffee makers like a democrat does tax money.

BUNN is the way to go. They work great and last the longest, and I've tried them all.

We have spare everything here, because 100 miles to too far to go cause you have to.

We have a Krups with a insulated carafe that made great coffee. Well after 5 years we thought we better buy another to keep as a spare. It seems like the Krups was a little pricey, and we wanted a stainless steel carafe. So we bought a Cuisinart, used it once to make sure it works. The Krugs is out in the barn now as a spare.

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My Mother likes me.

Those are nice but at .50 a cup, I'd probably opt for 2 smaller coffee makers. We drink too much coffee in this house. I'd be out between $6 & $10 a day in coffee. I can buy a whole can for that price and drink off it for weeks.

Thanks to everyone. I'll go shopping tomorrow. Now I know what to look for.

For those who suggested French Press, I appreciate the thought but this is a gift for someone who said she needed a new coffee maker.
Don't want to be throwing any curves.

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Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

Agreed. I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but when I do have a cup it comes from a french press. That caustic liquid that comes from coffee makers can't compare.

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- The Federalist #46 -

I agree. Our house is different. Wife makes one cup for the drive to work. Some days I don't make one in the morning if I go to the local diner. If I am home, working in my office, I may drink two cups. Daughter uses it to make quick hot water for hot chocolate and there are nearly infinite varieties of single serve cups to suit your mood. For us it really works. I would do something different if I were drinking a pot a day, for sure.

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