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Best coffee maker that's not silly expensive

S

slackerinabox

Lifer
Wife loves her keurig but she drinks so much coffee that we're going back to brewing a pot at a time. I'm kinda making an effort to not buy dime store specials anymore so would like something quality, but not ridiculously expensive. I'd say under $200 is doable, the closer to $100 the better. We've seen decent to great reviews for bunn coffee makers, and that seems like a non-pretentious choice. any other options? We're not coffee snobs so something reliable, consistent, and easy to clean/use trumps fancy features. Grind and brew's not really our thing, unless the grinder really is zero maintenance.

**update**

After intense deliberations (and after reading some bad bunn experiences including leaks), I went with this unit: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/pro...rind-and-brew-automatic-coffeemaker-dgb-900bc


Brewing at the optimal temperature's nice, as is the attached burr grinder. A flaw seems to be that the carafe only seems to keep coffee hot for an hour, but since we'll mostly be pouring coffee into a thermos for our workday we should be fine. Thanks for all of the input, when the keurig eventually croaks I'm replacing it with a hamilton beach, as suggested.
 
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only ever used cheap percolators. Most times I just dump a spoonful of instant coffee in my mug.

Wish I could help ya.
 
I've been happy with stainless steel, thermal carafe types. No glass to worry about breaking, no external heating element and the coffee stays warm longer.
 
The Bunn is fast, but wastes energy. My favorite coffee maker is an electroperc from the thrift shop. I recently bought another one in case the one I'm currently using goes up. The newer Chinese makers aren't as good as the American ones from the reviews I've read.

I've used mine for about 15 years, and I don't know how old it was before I got it. No filters, no hassles. It Just Works™
 
My buddy has a Keurig at his cottage. Man, I had forgotten how awful those things are.

The cheap drip models by Black & Decker and Mr. Coffee always seem to rate consistently high. You don't need to spend a lot to get a good one.
 
mmntech said:
My buddy has a Keurig at his cottage. Man, I had forgotten how awful those things are.

The cheap drip models by Black & Decker and Mr. Coffee always seem to rate consistently high. You don't need to spend a lot to get a good one.
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Hamilton Beach gets decent reviews as well, but I'm kinda over having an appliances grave yard - I don't *want* to spend more, but I'd like something that'll last a few years or has an awesome warranty (say what you will about keurig but the one time our pump stopped working they had a replacement shipped for free to my door within 2 days, without me having to send anything back). I've had back luck with black and decker in general, any particular model to look for?
 
Keurig is so freaking nasty, tastes like plastic ass. Any drip machine will be oodles better, even the cheap one I used (was just a Braun).

KT
 
KeithTalent said:
Keurig is so freaking nasty, tastes like plastic ass. Any drip machine will be oodles better, even the cheap one I used (was just a Braun).

KT
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We actually use biodegradable, plastic free k-cups that taste pretty damn good. Or maybe we're just not snobs and just need a shot of caffeine every now and then 🙂 We're upping our budget because we want something that'll last, I've had so many drug store special die, stain, leak on us.
 
Our last Hamilton Beach lasted 15 years and I only replaced it because it was a base model. I got a slightly more expensive Hamilton Beach 2 years ago, I think it was on amazon for 60. I love it. It's simple but reliable and easy to use (swing out door with a removable basket, easy to fill water basin, etc.. )

I've bought a ton of Hamilton Beach stuff over the past 20 years, and I don't think I've ever had one break. Amazon usually has high ratings for their products too.
 
freedomsbeat212 said:
We actually use biodegradable, plastic free k-cups that taste pretty damn good. Or maybe we're just not snobs and just need a shot of caffeine every now and then 🙂 We're upping our budget because we want something that'll last, I've had so many drug store special die, stain, leak on us.
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Trust me, I drink coffee from wherever I can get it, so I'm not a snob (though I do enjoy a fancy cup of coffee too). I have just never had a Keurig cup that I could stomach, though I have not tried those plastic-free ones, maybe those would help.

KT
 
Wyndru said:
Our last Hamilton Beach lasted 15 years and I only replaced it because it was a base model. I got a slightly more expensive Hamilton Beach 2 years ago, I think it was on amazon for 60. I love it. It's simple but reliable and easy to use (swing out door with a removable basket, easy to fill water basin, etc.. )

I've bought a ton of Hamilton Beach stuff over the past 20 years, and I don't think I've ever had one break. Amazon usually has high ratings for their products too.
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Hamilton Beach products are made out of old nokia phones i think. But seriously, good company.
 
Could not live without our Bunn Thermal carafe. Makes a pot instantly, water is preheated in a storage tank, stays plenty hot for about 4 hours in the carafe.

I measured the output water temperature on half a dozen different coffee makers, and the Bunn in the 185F range was a good 10 degrees hotter than most, which is key to brewing..
 
Vietnamese-Coffee-With-BODY.jpg


$3-5
 
boil water
pour through filter with grounds into something
pour into drinking glass

thats almost free, all you need is the filters and the plastic filter holder thing
 
mikeford said:
Could not live without our Bunn Thermal carafe. Makes a pot instantly, water is preheated in a storage tank, stays plenty hot for about 4 hours in the carafe.

I measured the output water temperature on half a dozen different coffee makers, and the Bunn in the 185F range was a good 10 degrees hotter than most, which is key to brewing..
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People seem to feel that the thermal carafe doesn't hold the temp. very well.. Thoughts?

also interested in the cuisinart grind and brew (burr grinder model). a little fancy for our tastes but the price is right and good housekeeping said that it brewed at the optimal temp (and gave it an A review)
 
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We have a Bunn, and we love it because it makes a pot in 3 minutes and it's an indestructible beast. Landfills around the country are littered with the cheap Mr. Coffee style drip makers we wore out.
 
You can use the Keurig but then buy your own coffee grounds and use them instead of the K-cups.

Son/DIL use it at their place. The filter holder is about $5-10; I have seen them at WalMart and Bed Bath & Beyond plus online.
 
I have a melitta after owning a couple cuisinarts, and you really can't go wrong with those either, they make excellent coffee
 
Markbnj said:
We have a Bunn, and we love it because it makes a pot in 3 minutes and it's an indestructible beast. Landfills around the country are littered with the cheap Mr. Coffee style drip makers we wore out.
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Exactly! I've just been tired of buying disposable crap, I've had coffee makers melt on me, water leaks, and heating elements give out. Bunn looks to be the winner
 
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