2.0 out of 5 stars It's overpriced and of poor quality, but it makes coffee.
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2022
IN SHORT, It makes coffee, BUT these coffee makers are stupidly simple machines with no expensive parts. There is shockingly little to drip coffee makers and for what I paid this is a cheap piece of equipment, poorly made, and overpriced. I had always associated Hamilton Beach with quality in the past and thought this was a good deal, boy was I wrong. But don't get me wrong, it does make coffee, it works, you just aren't getting any value for your dollar in my opinion.WHAT I HAD BEFORE: I had a great Mr. Coffee that worked like a charm for the better part of a decade with the hardest water I have ever seen in my life. So bad that I am constantly buying vinegar to remove scale from my drinking glasses. The plastic was strong and thick(likely glass fiber reinforced), very sturdy, no slack in the hinges of the lid and drip head mechanisms, it felt very well made and lasted me a very long time under brutal conditions for this type of coffee maker. The Carafe was thick glass with a very sturdy, firmly attached handle, and I was very happy. Sadly, being in my last year of college and just needing something, anything, to make coffee I am stuck with a cheap coffee maker now until I graduate in a few months and can afford another proper, quality, coffee maker.THIS COFFEE MAKER:1.) This coffee maker feels like it is made of the thinnest, cheapest plastic they could get away with. The only mold marking was >PP< which is polypropylene, judging by the weight and avg. prices of raw material I'd guess there is a total of ~$3 worth of plastic in this coffee maker assuming 60 cents per pound cost(molds discusses further down). It flexes in your hands when you handle it and the components are just poorly made, it feel so incredibly cheap in your hands. See the photos showing how easily I can bend it with two fingers. While the plastic is cheap and too flimsy for my liking, I would guess that if the machine fell it would merely bounce and not crack as that is a benefit of using this type of plastic(One downside to this plastic is its sensitivity to mold and fungus). However, I am not sure that your carafe would survive, but if your coffee maker falls or gets dropped you are doing something wrong on your end.2.) A burn test, and lack of any other mold markings, show there is no glass fiber or other fill material that I could see to strengthen this plastic, hence the low rigidity and my disappointment. Polypropylene being a soft plastic they would not have a high cost associated with molds for making these plastic parts as there is no abrasive fill material to wear out molds faster. Thus no price increase for manufacture.3.)The carafe glass is very thin, the handle is made of the same cheap plastic as the body of the coffee maker and instills zero confidence it won't break when full of water a year down the road after repeated stress cycles. Lets assume $5 here for price to manufacture/acquire.4.) The heating plate element and "bubble tube", I am not sure of the name, are also cheap parts to purchase, depending on quality, between $0.50 and $4.00 so we will just round up and say $5 for all heating elements and associated parts, just to be safe, though I doubt it was anywhere near that much. So far these components are working just fine but I have only made 3 pots of coffee so we will see what happens.5.) There are a handful of inherently cheap electrical components. 2 LEDs, 5 push buttons, a small screen, likely a few thermometers, a crystal oscillator for the clock, likely a 555 or similar IC, all together there is maybe $2 worth of electronics in this coffee maker, though I would have to disassemble it to know for sure. As someone who designs and builds electronics for fun, let me tell you that most commercially used electrical components are stupidly cheap, even when purchased as one offs and not in bulk which gives further discount.6.) I am willing to bet the only metal parts of this machine are the hot plate, the actual heating element and the water heating tube(because that is all that is needed) These are all accounted for in the heating elements and hot plate. From what I see the rest is all plastic.7.) Note, in the photo you can see a little red ball valve. This prevents the heated water from pushing back into the reservoir when the water is heated and some flashes to steam propelling the hot water up into the drip head and into the coffee grounds basket. Watching it operate there is good clearance for water to flow when it is open. Likely because they must account for restricted flow when the optional carbon filter is installed. My only concern here is that if you have hard water this could clog up or get stuck either open or closed. THE GOOD THING IS, this valve is accessible from the top of the machine when the lid is open and likely could easily be unclogged if it does fill with scale, so to me this is a nice feature where the ball valve isn't hidden away deep inside the machine.CONCLUSION: In my opinion this machine is overpriced for what you get. I have found an overly generous approximate cost for this machine to be around $15 to manufacture, but with 3rd world manufacturing and discounts for buying in bulk and economies of scale I would imagine I am overshooting the actual costs. The fact that they are selling this machine around the ballpark of $50+, or around $40 if you catch a sale, I would steer clear of this machine unless you can get it on sale for $20 or less. I have no problem with manufacturers selling items for double their expense to make profit, but that clearly isn't the case here.We have a camper with a $10 coffee maker that we got at Wal-Mart that this one reminds me in so many ways, and they both make identical coffee. There simply isn't the quality here necessary to justify this price tag. This isn't even an issue of name brand markup because the quality is so low and so up front and blatant that the brand name is devalued by the materials when you first handle it. It is one thing to put a famous branding and make it look nice but have poor quality components hidden inside where no one sees but this machine doesn't care, they fully embraced it and cut costs anywhere they could without concern for their name and the reputation that may be associated.In my opinion this machine is a rip off and I am now seriously considering disassembling my old Mr. Coffee machine and seeing if I cant repair it and returning this machine. I feel like it is an utter rip off. Basically, them selling this machine for this price is them spitting in your face and laughing because they know the general public doesn't have the knowledge base to see that they are selling a clearly inferior product at a huge markup. Hamilton Beach is no longer a quality appliance company, they want you to buy this so it breaks in a year or two and you come back and pay for an overpriced plastic mess all over again, ever few years, like clockwork.I wouldn't buy this again...I was upset when I first got it and unboxed it, but sometimes you need something, anything, to make coffee in the morning so you aren't wasting time over a stove boiling water when you should be getting ready and leaving the house.
Reviews with images
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 17, 2022
Size: 12 CupColor: Stainless AccentsPattern Name: Coffee MakerVerified Purchase
IN SHORT, It makes coffee, BUT these coffee makers are stupidly simple machines with no expensive parts. There is shockingly little to drip coffee makers and for what I paid this is a cheap piece of equipment, poorly made, and overpriced. I had always associated Hamilton Beach with quality in the past and thought this was a good deal, boy was I wrong. But don't get me wrong, it does make coffee, it works, you just aren't getting any value for your dollar in my opinion.
WHAT I HAD BEFORE: I had a great Mr. Coffee that worked like a charm for the better part of a decade with the hardest water I have ever seen in my life. So bad that I am constantly buying vinegar to remove scale from my drinking glasses. The plastic was strong and thick(likely glass fiber reinforced), very sturdy, no slack in the hinges of the lid and drip head mechanisms, it felt very well made and lasted me a very long time under brutal conditions for this type of coffee maker. The Carafe was thick glass with a very sturdy, firmly attached handle, and I was very happy. Sadly, being in my last year of college and just needing something, anything, to make coffee I am stuck with a cheap coffee maker now until I graduate in a few months and can afford another proper, quality, coffee maker.
THIS COFFEE MAKER:
1.) This coffee maker feels like it is made of the thinnest, cheapest plastic they could get away with. The only mold marking was >PP<
which is polypropylene, judging by the weight and avg. prices of raw material I'd guess there is a total of ~$3 worth of plastic in this coffee maker assuming 60 cents per pound cost(molds discusses further down). It flexes in your hands when you handle it and the components are just poorly made, it feel so incredibly cheap in your hands. See the photos showing how easily I can bend it with two fingers. While the plastic is cheap and too flimsy for my liking, I would guess that if the machine
fell it would merely bounce and not crack as that is a benefit of using this type of plastic(One downside to this plastic is its sensitivity to mold and fungus). However, I am not sure that your carafe would survive, but if your coffee maker falls or gets dropped you are doing something wrong on your end.
2.) A burn test, and lack of any other mold markings, show there is no glass fiber or other fill material that I could see to strengthen this plastic, hence the low rigidity and my disappointment. Polypropylene being a soft plastic they would not have a high cost associated with molds for making these plastic parts as there is no abrasive fill material to wear out molds faster. Thus no price increase for manufacture.
3.)The carafe glass is very thin, the handle is made of the same cheap plastic as the body of the coffee maker and instills zero confidence it won't break when full of water a year down the road after repeated stress cycles. Lets assume $5 here for price to manufacture/acquire.
4.) The heating plate element and "bubble tube", I am not sure of the name, are also cheap parts to purchase, depending on quality, between $0.50 and $4.00 so we will just round up and say $5 for all heating elements and associated parts, just to be safe, though I doubt it was anywhere near that much. So far these components are working just fine but I have only made 3 pots of coffee so we will see what happens.
5.) There are a handful of inherently cheap electrical components. 2 LEDs, 5 push buttons, a small screen, likely a few thermometers, a crystal oscillator for the clock, likely a 555 or similar IC, all together there is maybe $2 worth of electronics in this coffee maker, though I would have to disassemble it to know for sure. As someone who designs and builds electronics for fun, let me tell you that most commercially used electrical components are stupidly cheap, even when purchased as one offs and not in bulk which gives further discount.
6.) I am willing to bet the only metal parts of this machine are the hot plate, the actual heating element and the water heating tube(because that is all that is needed) These are all accounted for in the heating elements and hot plate. From what I see the rest is all plastic.
7.) Note, in the photo you can see a little red ball valve. This prevents the heated water from pushing back into the reservoir when the water is heated and some flashes to steam propelling the hot water up into the drip head and into the coffee grounds basket. Watching it operate there is good clearance for water to flow when it is open. Likely because they must account for restricted flow when the optional carbon filter is installed. My only concern here is that if you have hard water this could clog up or get stuck either open or closed. THE GOOD THING IS, this valve is accessible from the top of the machine when the lid is open and likely could easily be unclogged if it does fill with scale, so to me this is a nice feature where the ball valve isn't hidden away deep inside the machine.
CONCLUSION: In my opinion this machine is overpriced for what you get. I have found an overly generous approximate cost for this machine to be around $15 to manufacture, but with 3rd world manufacturing and discounts for buying in bulk and economies of scale I would imagine I am overshooting the actual costs. The fact that they are selling this machine around the ballpark of $50+, or around $40 if you catch a sale, I would steer clear of this machine unless you can get it on sale for $20 or less. I have no problem with manufacturers selling items for double their expense to make profit, but that clearly isn't the case here.
We have a camper with a $10 coffee maker that we got at Wal-Mart that this one reminds me in so many ways, and they both make identical coffee. There simply isn't the quality here necessary to justify this price tag. This isn't even an issue of name brand markup because the quality is so low and so up front and blatant that the brand name is devalued by the materials when you first handle it. It is one thing to put a famous branding and make it look nice but have poor quality components hidden inside where no one sees but this machine doesn't care, they fully embraced it and cut costs anywhere they could without concern for their name and the reputation that may be associated.
In my opinion this machine is a rip off and I am now seriously considering disassembling my old Mr. Coffee machine and seeing if I cant repair it and returning this machine. I feel like it is an utter rip off. Basically, them selling this machine for this price is them spitting in your face and laughing because they know the general public doesn't have the knowledge base to see that they are selling a clearly inferior product at a huge markup. Hamilton Beach is no longer a quality appliance company, they want you to buy this so it breaks in a year or two and you come back and pay for an overpriced plastic mess all over again, ever few years, like clockwork.
I wouldn't buy this again...I was upset when I first got it and unboxed it, but sometimes you need something, anything, to make coffee in the morning so you aren't wasting time over a stove boiling water when you should be getting ready and leaving the house.
2.0 out of 5 stars It's overpriced and of poor quality, but it makes coffee.
By Amazon Customer on November 16, 2022
IN SHORT, It makes coffee, BUT these coffee makers are stupidly simple machines with no expensive parts. There is shockingly little to drip coffee makers and for what I paid this is a cheap piece of equipment, poorly made, and overpriced. I had always associated Hamilton Beach with quality in the past and thought this was a good deal, boy was I wrong. But don't get me wrong, it does make coffee, it works, you just aren't getting any value for your dollar in my opinion.
WHAT I HAD BEFORE: I had a great Mr. Coffee that worked like a charm for the better part of a decade with the hardest water I have ever seen in my life. So bad that I am constantly buying vinegar to remove scale from my drinking glasses. The plastic was strong and thick(likely glass fiber reinforced), very sturdy, no slack in the hinges of the lid and drip head mechanisms, it felt very well made and lasted me a very long time under brutal conditions for this type of coffee maker. The Carafe was thick glass with a very sturdy, firmly attached handle, and I was very happy. Sadly, being in my last year of college and just needing something, anything, to make coffee I am stuck with a cheap coffee maker now until I graduate in a few months and can afford another proper, quality, coffee maker.
THIS COFFEE MAKER:
1.) This coffee maker feels like it is made of the thinnest, cheapest plastic they could get away with. The only mold marking was >PP< which is polypropylene, judging by the weight and avg. prices of raw material I'd guess there is a total of ~$3 worth of plastic in this coffee maker assuming 60 cents per pound cost(molds discusses further down). It
flexes in your hands when you handle it and the components are just poorly made, it feel so incredibly cheap in your hands. See the photos showing how easily I can bend it with two fingers. While the plastic is cheap and too flimsy for my liking, I would guess that if the machine fell it would merely bounce and not crack as that is a benefit of using this type of plastic(One downside to this plastic is its sensitivity to mold and fungus). However, I am not sure that your carafe would survive,
but if your coffee maker falls or gets dropped you are doing something wrong on your end.
2.) A burn test, and lack of any other mold markings, show there is no glass fiber or other fill material that I could see to strengthen this plastic, hence the low rigidity and my disappointment. Polypropylene being a soft plastic they would not have a high cost associated with molds for making these plastic parts as there is no abrasive fill material to wear out molds faster. Thus no price increase for manufacture.
3.)The carafe glass is very thin, the handle is made of the same cheap plastic as the body of the coffee maker and instills zero confidence it won't break when full of water a year down the road after repeated stress cycles. Lets assume $5 here for price to manufacture/acquire.
4.) The heating plate element and "bubble tube", I am not sure of the name, are also cheap parts to purchase, depending on quality, between $0.50 and $4.00 so we will just round up and say $5 for all heating elements and associated parts, just to be safe, though I doubt it was anywhere near that much. So far these components are working just fine but I have only made 3 pots of coffee so we will see what happens.
5.) There are a handful of inherently cheap electrical components. 2 LEDs, 5 push buttons, a small screen, likely a few thermometers, a crystal oscillator for the clock, likely a 555 or similar IC, all together there is maybe $2 worth of electronics in this coffee maker, though I would have to disassemble it to know for sure. As someone who designs and builds electronics for fun, let me tell you that most commercially used electrical components are stupidly cheap, even when purchased as one offs and not in bulk which gives further discount.
6.) I am willing to bet the only metal parts of this machine are the hot plate, the actual heating element and the water heating tube(because that is all that is needed) These are all accounted for in the heating elements and hot plate. From what I see the rest is all plastic.
7.) Note, in the photo you can see a little red ball valve. This prevents the heated water from pushing back into the reservoir when the water is heated and some flashes to steam propelling the hot water up into the drip head and into the coffee grounds basket. Watching it operate there is good clearance for water to flow when it is open. Likely because they must account for restricted flow when the optional carbon filter is installed. My only concern here is that if you have hard water this could clog up or get stuck either open or closed. THE GOOD THING IS, this valve is accessible from the top of the machine when the lid is open and likely could easily be unclogged if it does fill with scale, so to me this is a nice feature where the ball valve isn't hidden away deep inside the machine.
CONCLUSION: In my opinion this machine is overpriced for what you get. I have found an overly generous approximate cost for this machine to be around $15 to manufacture, but with 3rd world manufacturing and discounts for buying in bulk and economies of scale I would imagine I am overshooting the actual costs. The fact that they are selling this machine around the ballpark of $50+, or around $40 if you catch a sale, I would steer clear of this machine unless you can get it on sale for $20 or less. I have no problem with manufacturers selling items for double their expense to make profit, but that clearly isn't the case here.
We have a camper with a $10 coffee maker that we got at Wal-Mart that this one reminds me in so many ways, and they both make identical coffee. There simply isn't the quality here necessary to justify this price tag. This isn't even an issue of name brand markup because the quality is so low and so up front and blatant that the brand name is devalued by the materials when you first handle it. It is one thing to put a famous branding and make it look nice but have poor quality components hidden inside where no one sees but this machine doesn't care, they fully embraced it and cut costs anywhere they could without concern for their name and the reputation that may be associated.
In my opinion this machine is a rip off and I am now seriously considering disassembling my old Mr. Coffee machine and seeing if I cant repair it and returning this machine. I feel like it is an utter rip off. Basically, them selling this machine for this price is them spitting in your face and laughing because they know the general public doesn't have the knowledge base to see that they are selling a clearly inferior product at a huge markup. Hamilton Beach is no longer a quality appliance company, they want you to buy this so it breaks in a year or two and you come back and pay for an overpriced plastic mess all over again, ever few years, like clockwork.
I wouldn't buy this again...I was upset when I first got it and unboxed it, but sometimes you need something, anything, to make coffee in the morning so you aren't wasting time over a stove boiling water when you should be getting ready and leaving the house.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 27, 2022
Size: 12 CupColor: Stainless AccentsPattern Name: Coffee MakerVerified Purchase
After much research I was feeling hopeless to find a basic coffee maker. This one does not disappoint! Nothing fancy - it does the job. I like it even better than my last Oster, as the clock works! Bonus!!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 27, 2022
Size: 12 CupColor: Stainless AccentsPattern Name: Coffee MakerVerified Purchase
Easy to use. Makes the coffee with out making a mess. Decent price.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 19, 2022
Size: 12 CupColor: Black StainlessPattern Name: Coffee MakerVerified Purchase
We like it strong. So I use a paper filter and a screen filter. Comes out great.
Nice and hot. The black stainless looks good in our kitchen. So far so good.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 3, 2022
Size: 12 CupColor: Stainless AccentsPattern Name: Coffee MakerVerified Purchase
This is a great coffee maker and one of the only ones that has a Bold brew setting, I think it’s auto setting is handy.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 11, 2022
Size: 12 CupColor: Stainless AccentsPattern Name: Coffee MakerVerified Purchase
First cup was hot and flavorful. The only improvement I would make is the clock doesn't light up so I can't see if it is in bold setting in the wee hours
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 31, 2022
Size: 12 CupColor: Black StainlessPattern Name: Coffee MakerVerified Purchase
I bought this item after being frustrated with higher priced models, specifically Cuisinart. This also had very
good pro reviews.
Have it now for 2 months and I am quite satisfied. It makes a very good cup of coffee and is very easy to use with simple controls. In particular the water reservoir is very wide and easy to fill. So far the hot plate has stayed perfect and not showing the wear that the Cuisinart did almost immediately. The brew time is pretty standard and it is quiet. It doesn’t have a beep to tell you it’s ready, but, that is a budget friendly thing.
Only 2 negatives
1-uses a basket
type filter and cone shaped supposedly make a tastier cup
2-not a big fan of the carafe. The lid remains attached and it is more difficult to clean. Plus I have complete faith that this lid will quickly find a way to break off either by user error or typical cheap manufacture.
But I paid $40 for it and overall this is a very good buy
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 20, 2022
Size: 12 CupColor: Black StainlessPattern Name: Coffee MakerVerified Purchase
To this point, no complaints, works great! And for the price, more than worth it.
Top reviews from other countries
1.0 out of 5 stars Café aguado , pésima cafetera
Reviewed in Mexico 🇲🇽 on July 21, 2019
Size: 12 CupColor: Stainless AccentsPattern Name: Coffee MakerVerified Purchase
El café sale aguado , si se pone mucho café molido se desparrama ! Cae el agua sobre el café molido en el centro del filtro hace un hoyo en el café y pasa sin tocar el café molido . Me arrepiento de la compra , es una pésima cafetera ! Siempre estoy muy satisfecha de mis compras por Amazon , pero esta me decepciono , es dinero perdido .
4.0 out of 5 stars Muy práctica pero con sus detalles
Reviewed in Mexico 🇲🇽 on November 24, 2019
Size: 12 CupColor: Stainless AccentsPattern Name: Coffee MakerVerified Purchase
Para ser una cafetera básica, está excelente, la función de programación para iniciar lanoreoatacuon a cierta hora es muy práctica aunque no encuentro diferencia entre sus distintos modos de preparación. Además no existe congruencia entre la cantidad que marca el depósito con relación a la jarra, es decir, puedes llenar la jarra hasta las "6 tazas" y al vaciarla al depósito solo llega poco más de 4 tazas.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente relación calidad-precio
Reviewed in Mexico 🇲🇽 on August 5, 2019
Size: 12 CupColor: Stainless AccentsPattern Name: Coffee MakerVerified Purchase
Tengo algunas semanas probándola y ha sido muy fácil de usar. Tiene tres modos para preparar café, pero el único que me ha convencido es Bold. A mi parecer es el que conserva mejor el sabor, aunque también es el que más tiempo toma para tener todas las tazas. Me llegó antes de tiempo y definitivamente la recomiendo para quien busca una cafetera barata y sencilla de usar.
1.0 out of 5 stars Price Too Good To Be True
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on October 28, 2022
Size: 12 CupColor: Stainless AccentsPattern Name: Coffee MakerVerified Purchase
This coffee maker was used. I decided to buy it because I felt that the looks of it probably didn't suit the buyer's kitchen. Wrong. When it arrived, I could tell that it had been used for a considerable time, even though it was advertised to be in "good condition." The machine itself was filthy and was not cleaned properly for resale. I ran the 12-cup carafe through it. It took 60.5 mins, that's right 60.5 mins. for the water to run through. This is absolutely unacceptable for a coffee machine of any kind. So, it is one issue to have to clean it to my specifications, but then the item was completely defective and took an inordinate amount of time to make coffee. This item is being returned. Buy new, not used.
1.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Coffee Maker for Your Dystopian Hellscape
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on June 17, 2021
Size: 12 CupColor: Stainless AccentsPattern Name: Coffee MakerVerified Purchase
There are two possible futures. In the first, people are free to seek flexibility in their schedules and can drink hot coffee when they see fit. Their family can have different schedules, and still enjoy hot coffee at their convenience. The second is a dystopian hellscape where lives are mercilessly controlled by time, where free will vanishes as adherence to a rigid timeline forces people into unnatural behaviors. Think Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis'
or Charlie Chaplin's 'Modern Times.' This is the perfect coffee maker for future #2.
The 2-hour automatic shutoff sounds like a handy safety feature, until you realize that unless your life and coffee drinking habits fit neatly into a two-hour window, you will forever be setting a timer to remind you to turn the darn machine back on so your can have hot coffee. You will become a slave to a day measured in two-hour intervals. The dog walk, a trip to the post office or the toilet - all are
timed so that you are ready to turn the machine back on to preserve your hot coffee. Don't @me about stewed coffee, or why didn't I get the thermal carafe - I like my coffee as I like my coffee, and only this glass carafe was available. And since there is no way to disable the 2-hour shut-off, I face fealty to two-hour time chunks for the life of this coffee maker, which I'm sure, just out of spite, will last longer than any appliance I've ever owned.
On the plus side, it's compact, not
entirely unpleasant to look at, and makes good coffee. I'm sure the people at Goodwill will enjoy it, as that where it's headed.