It is easier to get a cat to brew coffee than to use this thing. Spend your money anywhere else.
Positive Product Points
The Thermal Carafe is probably the only positive point about this machine. And it works well to keep the coffee warm for a number of hours if need be.
Negative Product Points
This machine is a general pain to use. The thermal carafe does not pour well. The removable filter basket gets lodged in the wrong place and will leak coffee and grounds all over the counter. Brew temp is inconsistent at best and usually low.
Detailed Commentary
Today I am getting rid of my Black and Decker. I bought it because I really wanted a thermal carafe brewer, but I suppose in this case I got what I paid for. It was only $25 and I wouldn't pay that again. The 2 negative points made this brewer almost unuseable. I ended up with water and coffee on the counter about half the time, and everytime I got coffee on the counter while trying to pour it into my cup.
Unless you are very careful the filter basket would not seat right. This would cause the basket not to drain into the carafe and it would overflow. If one is careful that can be overcome but any guest I had would always end up with coffee all over the counter after the basket overflowed.
The brew temp was always low but not horribly. I thought the coffee was pretty good when I didn't have problems with making it. But I would almost always be shouting at the carafe in a vain attempt to get it to pour without it dripping down the front of the carafe and onto whatever happened to be below. Which was sometimes the cat.
Buying Experience
I don't know what to say, it was an impluse buy at Home Depot. They aren't really the coffee expert type.
