KRUPS ET351 Programmable Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe - 12 Cup Capacity, Black - Perfect for Home, Office & Entertaining

I know they had to make compromises when making a 12 cup device. The lid needs a redesign as it has to be perfectly aligned are it does not poor correctly, otherwise great pot. The coffee stays hot for 2 hours which is more than enough and is drinkable.First of all, can we all agree that one of the major coffee maker companies should get smart and partner with Yeti to make a lightweight, stays-warm-forever thermal coffee maker? Yeti could even do it themselves for that matter. Now about this Krups coffee maker. I spent a few hours researching and reading reviews about the various thermal coffee makers and here's my conclusion: User reviews are just about the greatest threat to the efficiency, mental health, and overall advancement of humankind! How is it possible that one product (take any product on Amazon, for that matter) can receive such wildly different reviews? Honestly, if we were to believe every single review we read, we would NEVER AGAIN buy a single thing because we would be convinced that we're going to be duped. What I'll say about this Krups thermal coffee maker is that the carafe is heavier than most traditional glass coffee pots, which could be a concern for someone with limited strength. But I'm talking extremely frail! Otherwise, think of your coffee routine as a mini morning workout. Second, the carafe is somewhat complicated to take apart but so what? This is a thermal carafe where every inch of insulation matters and anyhow, we're adaptable people and a little mental change of routine does all of us some good. Third, the coffee absolutely stays warm in the carafe. Believe me, I pour out coffee that doesn't steam because of my obsession with having hot things when they're hot. I'm also living in an off-grid cabin in CO where temperatures plummet each night so it's not like I'm brewing coffee on a tropical island where I could leave my mug sitting around for hours and the coffee would still be hot days later. And finally, the coffee tastes quite good. I like strong coffee and if I wanted a stronger brew, I'd go back to the French press or pour-over. So my final advice is to buy this coffee maker if it looks like something that will work for you. And if you're obsessed with having a coffee maker that is just as perfect as the imaginary dream coffee maker you've made up in your head, and if every little new or different thing will haunt you with feelings of deep regret for the rest of your life, then try swinging by Goodwill or another thrift store and pick up one of those old Mr. Coffee makers with the switch and invest in a really good Yeti thermos that will truly keep your coffee piping hot for days.It’s a fine drip coffee maker. What I didn’t like was not being able to see how much coffee is in the carafe after it’s been brewed. Also, different from our previous KRUPS machine there is no warming plate. It’s a thermos carafe that kept the brew hot for about two hours.Very similar to the prior style I had of the same brand. Glad it is still being made.This is a super coffee maker. The flavor is great, easy to use settings (1-4 cups and bold/regular setting). Also easy to program and set the time, etc. The only thing that needs a minor change is the design of the lid. Can’t figure out how to clean inside the lid. Coffee pours through; it seems like there ought to be a way to rinse/clean the lid out better, where the coffee pours through. I just get tap water as hot as possible and let it rinse through the hole in the top of the lid. Assume this is good enough?For the price this is a great coffee maker! We have had two "band Cs" over the past 10 years: the last having a system with a hot plate (on a stainless steel carafe?!) with a metal plate on the bottom that RUSTS and stains our countertop.This Krups unit doesn't have those feature, MUCH SMARTER DESIGN! We've only used it a few weeks so cannot comment on long term reliability or cleaning, but the functions are well thought out and it brews tasty strong (use Bold setting) HOT coffee. EG, this morning, we lingered and I had my 3rd mug after clearing snow from the driveway 4 hours after brew time and the coffee was still mostly hot, a big deal since that last 10 oz was alone keeping warm in the bottom of the carafe the entire hour 3-4 after brew time and I put a bit of cream in the coffee too. We use #4 paper filters vs the gold filter provided, less small grounds in the carafe. Am optimistic this could be our best reasonably priced SS carafe unit in past 10 years, but time will tell.PROS Brews excellent flavored HOT coffeeGreat price (especially the Amazon Black Friday deal we got)We usually brew 10 cups (3 mugs ea for the two of us) but have the 12 cup option when guests are hereMixed : The AUTO setting is a little strange to set, getting used to it (maybe shuda read the manual)Pouring is OK, can't seem to get that last 2 oz outCONS the cycle complete BEEPING, brand C uses it too, PLEASE have a way to cut it off w/o opening unit to cut wire!22 MON UPDATE SEP 2019 -- I decided to update my earlier review dropping from 5 to 4 stars (maybe a 4 minus) since we had to have the unit repaired last Feb after about 15 mons of use. I see a few others that needed repairs after the 1 yr mark; ours just quit, lights and clock on but no pumping despite monthly cleanings. I kept this 4 stars since Krups customer service was NICE TO ME and sent a prepaid mailing label to send the unit for service and paid shipping to return it !!! Brand C did not do that on a prior coffeemaker that failed under warranty (it costs $20 to UPS a $60-90 unit for repairs). We kept an older unit in the closet to use while the Krups was getting repaired. So far so good as the warranty will be up late Nov. It makes a good morning batch of 10 cups and really nice to have the 12 cup option when we have visitors. I always use Seattle's Best or Starbucks French roast beans and the Bold setting to have STRONG east coast cup of coffee each morning. Hopefully I'll get another 1-2 years of use, but am buying a basic expresso unit this Fall so will have that backup as well.Tengo buenas experiencias con la marca Krups.El vaso es fácil de lavarIncluye una cápsula y un dispensador para realizar la limpieza, sumado a que la cafetera cuenta con un sensor que da aviso de cuando realizar la limpieza, sumado a que te dan opciones de limpieza sin necesidad de la cápsula quita sarro.Se ouede programar fácilmente y el consumo de energía es muy poco a comparación de otras ya que el vaso de doble pared hace la función de termo.Fácil de limpiar y el diseño es muy agradable y robusto.2 minor issues for me - 1 - you cannot turn off the alarm/beep when the coffee is finished brewing, there is no way to disable this and its very loud, my last krups had a way to turn this function off, this one does not. So if anyone is still sleeping when the coffee is ready they won't be for long.2 - the spout is drippy. I have yet to pour a cup where the spout hasn't dripped everywhereCoffee tatses great and stays warm quite a long time. Easy to use and easy to clean, I would recommend even tho there is things that could be improved up on with the designHad my previous Krups for 15 years no complaints. So maybe I am just so used to it, that couple of things small things bug me about this one. The "sneak a cup" feature does not work as the basket does not stop the flow of coffee when you pull out the pot. My old one used to cut it off not a drip, don't want to say this one pours out but it is darn close , enough that you don't want to try it. I thing it must be the spring that push the rubber stopper closed when the pot is removed is just not strong enough. I cleaned it and made sure there was not a coffee ground stuck in there. Also manual is kind of poorly written . One thing is the manual says just push BREW button and it will start, that is not true . The machine sort of goes to sleep so if you press BREW button nothing happens , but is awake now and if you press it again it will start. You can press any button 1-3 cup- Bold or even one of the clock setting buttons and again nothing will happen but it will wake it up and then you can press Brew and off you go. As far as flavor it's perfect , which is my I bought another Krups. Other reviews of some machines said coffee tasted burnt, never had that with my first machine so thought I should stick with Krups , and I don't regret it. Just wish I could sneak a cup ( me want coffee now)Una sorpresa: Hoy después de 20 días de uso sin problemas, y listo para colar el café olvide colocar la cafetera en su lugar. Oprimí el botón de colado y en forma normal inició el funcionamiento. Me retire para hacer otras cosas mientras terminaba el proceso y a mi regreso encontré un derrame de café que inundaba la mesa y el suelo de la cocina. La cafetera anterior una mister cofee no iniciaba el colado si la cafetera NO estaba en su sitio. Me parece un serio defecto. Que opinan?Design of carafe is odd. Liquid pours too slowly and it's difficult to get the last cup. The trade off is the compact design. You press a button to pour the liquid but it will keep dribbling when you release the button. With the lid off, you can't pour any faster because the spout does not contain the liquid in a single stream. You can't use the carafe to add water as the opening is small. And because it's small, with a regular water pitcher you still have to be careful not to spill. Apart from those inconveniences, it's a good coffee machine. I'm not sure it's worth its regular price value.