On sale now for Mr. Coffee VB13 12-Cup Switch Coffeemaker, Black is now alive. This cool item is currently on the market, you may purchase it now for just
Item Info
This coffee maker lets you make up to 12 cups of hot, fresh coffee. Use the handy Pause 'n Serve feature to pour a cup of coffee while the rest of the pot is still brewing.
Pros
- On/off indicator light lets you know when your coffeemaker is on or off
- Removable filter basket lifts out for fast and easy filling and cleaning
- Brewing pause 'n serve lets you pour a cup of coffee while the coffeemaker is still brewing
- Dual water window shows the amount of water in the reservoir for accurate filling
- Cord storage safely stores excesscord to keep your counter neat
User Opinions
Lab Rat
If there were awards for horrible design this coffee maker would be at the top of the list. After getting this as a replacement for an older Mr. Coffee brewer that finally died, I was horrified by the list of "things they shouldn't have done."1) The design of the plunger mechanism that allows you to remove the carafe before brewing is completed has, as its main element, a ball that hangs down from the basket and is connected to the plunger inside said basket. The ball is pushed up by a hemispherical lump in the coffee pot's lid, and when the carafe is removed the ball drops and the plunger seals the basket. Sounds good, huh? NOPE! The ball can be bumped any time you're removing or inserting the pot, so if you don't pay very careful attention you end up with coffee streaming down the sides of the pot and onto the burner, and let's face it, before my first cup of coffee I'm not paying careful attention to ANYTHING! Even if you put the pot in straight, if you have it slightly angled in respect to the horizontal you'll hit this damn valve. The old design, consisting of a lever that activated as the pot hit the back wall of the maker was fool-proof, whereas this one is fool-designed.2) The lid that covers the water reservoir has been joined with the lid that covers the brew basket, and this leads to issues as well. There is now a swing arm that rotates over the basket (which is removable for cleaning, the only positive design element they kept), and this thing delivers the heated water in jets that splashes the coffee grounds up onto the lid. That's no big deal, since the lid is cleanable, but the grounds also end up on the portion of the lid that's over the reservoir, and they eventually get washed down into the reservoir itself by the refluxing water. Thus, you end up having to swab out nearly the entire apparatus, something I've given up on in the hopes that the damn thing will clog with coffee grounds and I'll be forced to replace it. The lid itself is of a poor design, and if you lift it slowly while there's condensation on the inside water runs down the inside, overruns the channels they built to control its flow, and all over the counter. Nice. Opening the lid swiftly tends to minimize this, but also maximizes how much of the lid-bound coffee grounds are subsequently washed into the tank.3) The lid to the carafe itself is another source of annoyance, as the lip of the lid that covers the pot rim also channels water condensation (and it's a pot of hot coffee, when isn't there going to be condensate?) onto the outside of the pot every time you pour a cup. At least it's clean water, but it still makes a mess and you better pour your cup over an area that can get wet without issues.These issues cover pretty much all of the elements of the coffee maker, unfortunately, and there are few things about this maker that are positive (in its defense it does actually brew coffee). Pay a few extra bucks and buy one that won't make you approach your morning cuppa with trepidation rather than anticipation. The design guys at Mr. Coffee should have their chairs taken away until they can come up with something better!
Rarian
I've no idea what kind of water I have and I have never used vinegar on this or anything but I have had to take a turkey baster to blast out a blockage once.It works and it is cheap, buy 2 and put one in the office. It is nice being able to drink hot coffee without running to the kitchen all the time.
R. Schaffer
I love the turn on and off switch without the bells and whistles. I also have hard water, but we use distilled/purified or spring bottled water in the maker - so their is not the build up of lime in the structure. Easy to clean with vinegar. Simple model, we keep it unplugged after it's done to prevent it from overheating (if in case it ever did) - then it lasts a bit longer. Of course we find the 12 cup only equates to about 4 of our mug sizes - but then, it's good for it's size.
Lookup: Mr. Coffee 12-Cup, Mr. Coffee VB13
