I recommend this unit. It makes consistengly hot, good coffe. One negative: cone can overflow.
Positive Product Points
I LIKE THIS MACHINE VERY MUCH. i bought it b/c of claims that it made a consistently hot, good quality pot of drip coffee.
Negative Product Points
After a year of using this coffeemaker, my only serious complaint is that THE CONE OVERFLOWS IF YOU MAKE A FULL 10 CUP POT.
Detailed Commentary
I like this $150 machine much more than the $120 starbucks machine it replaced. it makes good, hot coffee, and has been fault free in operation except for the overflow problem. as to its claims for hot coffee, if i pre-warm the pot (filling it with boiling water), i get the four hours of hot coffee claimed by the maker. a fix to the problem with the cone would be welcome in the next iteration of this machine. it is reasonably sturdy, easy to clean, and has been dependable.
The overflow problem is irritating, but not a show stopper. I rarely make a full pot, but if I do, the machine overflows. This is a design flaw: when filled up with 10 standard sized scoops of finely ground coffee, the cone is nearly full, so as water pours in, it will overflow. this is also the case when using the 3-5 cup brew setting, which slows down the rate of water(and is otherwise a nice feature). the only way to get 10 cups, i've found is to let the water reservoir run down to about half -- 5 cups -- then turn off the machine and let the accumulated water in the cone run through, and turn the machine on to finish.
Buying Experience
Recommended, especially if you get it on sale. The MSRP is a bit high given that other machines have caught up with this quality. I bought on ebay from someone who got this as a wedding present, but didn't want it.
Three Month Followup
Fine so far.
One Year Followup
The Capresso MT 500 is still going strong, and is great for day to day use, making 6 cups or so at a time. On the rare occasion that I make a full 10-cup pot, i'm still annoyed by the overflow problem detailed in the "negative points" box. In the interim my sister and I gave my dad a $129, 12-cup Brew Central Thermal Programmable Coffeemaker sold by Starbucks Click Here (www.starbucksstore.com) made by Cuisinart. The insulation quality on this model is far better than on my Capresso MT500. Coffee in the Starbucks/Cuisinart stays hot for four hours and, amazingly, warm for up to 12 hours. The Capresso keeps java hot about a third as long. Other pluses for the Cuisinart: it is able to make a true full pot, 12 cups, without any mess; also, the controls are above the coffee making area, which keeps things tidier compared with the Capresso where the controls on the base are often wet, get dirty, and so on. If you catch Starbucks' end-of-year sale, the Cuisinart can be picked up for around $100. I'd opt for this, these days.
