Black & Decker DCM2500B SmartBrew Coffeemaker
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List Price: Our Price: $30.52 You Save: $9.47 (24%) Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Black & Decker DCM2500B SmartBrew Coffeemaker
Customer Review: Great Coffeemaker, but get a better filter basket for it
Summary: 2 Stars
First, I want to clarify a few things. This coffeemaker does not "self-clean" that I can tell, at least it doesn't have any fancy doohickeys with such a label to do so. Secondly, it just makes coffee and I think it's quiet but then I am hard of hearing and might not notice. Third, the measurements, accurately labelled are approximately as follows: 12.75" high x 7.75" wide x 10" deep. With the lid up, the height is approximately 21.5". The cord does also tuck inside the back, a nice feature IMHO. And finally, the coffee seems to be quite hot enough for drinking, but not so hot that you would burn yourself. That seems to me a safety feature, not a negative. I like to drink my coffee sometimes with milk and sugar, and it's still hot enough for me even with those additions.
This coffeemaker is exactly as easy to use as others have commented, the only quibble I might make is that the LCD clock is flat so you can't really use it like you would a wall clock to see the time from several feet away. If you want such a coffeemaker, then I recommend several of the fine coffeemakers from Mr. Coffee.
The other negative that I might add is that the filter basket has a plastic bottom. I don't like it because it means not all the water drains into the coffee pot and also it isn't as easy to clean because you have to take extra care to make sure all the grounds are washed off.
Coffee tastes great however, and as this is my second Black and Decker coffeemaker, I expect I'll be buying another one when this one bites the dust. In fact, just in case Black and Decker stops making coffeemakers, I'm going to buy another one as a spare in the near future.
Customer Review: Disappointing Coffee Maker
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought this coffee maker because it was cheap and it had the no-drip early cup feature so perhaps my expectations were a little too high. However, they should make a few improvements to this unit.
On a positive side, the unit brews quickly and everything has been functioning as intended for over a month.
However, as was noted in another review, this unit does not make 'hot' coffee. A laser temp gauge indicated the coffee is brewed and maintained at 160F on the hot plate which at face value seems OK. But, pouring into a cup drops that temp to 150F and a splash of milk brings it to 140F. This means by the time you sit down and take a first sip the coffee is about 130F. If you like to drink your coffee black and fast, maybe the temp is OK for you. If you are planning to put coffee in a thermos and drink it later at work like I was, this unit does not get the coffee hot enough to get more than one decent cup out of a thermos.
Another design issues I have with this is the force needed to press the buttons. The buttons require a lot of pressure and if you have even a little arthritis, you may find the buttons a pain.
Lastly, the LED display on this unit is so incredibly bright it basically functions as a nightlight for the kitchen. That may sound great, but watching too many paranormal shows has dimmed my appreciation for red glowing things in the middle of the night.
In summary, if you are frugal, don't have arthritis, don't believe in the paranormal, and like to drink coffee right out of the pot with a straw, this is the unit for you. If not, perhaps another brand would suit you better.
Customer Review: Carafe leak!
Summary: 4 Stars
Black & Decker used to be a USA company that made good power tools. Sometime in the '80s (I think) they where bought by Fox Int./? and they started marketing home appliances with the Black & Decker name and made in China.
Seems to make good coffee and faster than other coffeemakers that I have owned. The hot plate under the carafe keeps the coffee good and hot.
In an effort to make the price as low as possible they figured a way to make the Carafe cheaper. Instead of forming the pouring lip on the Carafe out of glass (as all other Carafes that I have ever seen) they made the Carafe out of 2 pieces. One part is the glass bowl and the other is the black plastic handle and the top lip of the Carafe with the pouring lip. Somehow they try to seal the two parts together to make a the Carafe assembly. Well here is where things go wrong. Glass and plastic have a different expansion rate and so they have a hard time getting the two to seal, and that is why, I think, the Carafe leaks.
I called B & D /Fox /? and told them that the Carafe leaked and was told that the Carafe was on "back order" and I would get the replacement in about 4 weeks, and I did. This tells me that many other people are having the same (leaking) problem. They wouldn't confirm that. So far no leaks with the replacement Carafe.
My only other comment about the Coffeemaker is the red LED display for the clock is very very bright. It's so bright that you can use it for a night light!!
Would I buy it again, yes.
UPDATE!! (10/22/09) Would I buy it again - NO!! After only 15 months it died, won,t get hot.
Customer Review: Great coffee maker!
Summary: 5 Stars
I agree with the reviewers who have said "what is the fuss about?". This is a GREAT coffee maker. I have had no problems at all so far and having owned several different brands previously, I would say this one is the best I've owned for being so inexpensive.
The automatic setting is really fantastic as you can set the maker to make coffee whenever you need it to. You don't have to use this feature and if you want to, you can make coffee in the pot even if you have it set on the automatic feature and the automatic settings won't be disturbed.
The coffee stays hot in the pot for a long time and doesn't get any of the overdone or burnt flavor that I've experienced with some other makers.
I haven't had a single problem with drips from the pot and think that it does a really fine job when you pour. I don't know what some people's problem is with this feature. I think maybe it says more about the sloppiness of those pouring than the design of the coffeemaker!
I can't say I've used the interrupt feature because this machine doesn't take long at all to brew a pot and I have not needed to interrupt it in order to grab a quick cup.
I honestly don't know what the negative reviewers were expecting. This is a fine machine that does the job and is a great value for all of its features. It also looks great in the black model and fits very nicely in my stainless kitchen.
I highly recommend this coffeemaker! I am so glad I ignored the negative reviews because this machine works great and was a bargain.
Customer Review: Basic.
Summary: 3 Stars
Good:
-Inexpensive.
-Easy to clean.
-Nice pour to carafe.
-Simple timer.
Bad:
-Brew temperature could be higher.
-Strong plastic odor for first ten cycles (even after initial cleaning).
-Non-durable design of lid attachment.
-Poor external visibility of water chamber level.
You get what you pay for with this model. Chief complaint is the coffee temperature; I really don't think it's fully brewing the coffee. Nonetheless, you end up with a decent cup in the end. This unit is best for an office or dorm room. For an everyday machine for more than one coffee drinker, I'd research more advanced models.
UPDATE (11/15/10): The plastic hole in the carafe lid kept melting away. Deciding that I had enough of drinking plastic residue, I called Applica, the parent company of Black & Decker, and they happily shipped me an upgraded model, the DCM3200B. It's a bulkier unit, but there are a number of benefits to be had:
-illuminated reservoir window for easy-to-read fill level
-brew strength selector
-reservoir filter basket with disposable water filter
No apparent lid melting and no strong plastic odor with this model. Downside is the DCM3200B has a one-year warranty as opposed to the DCM2500B's two-year. Cheers to Applica for speedily taking care of the problem.