My Cheap Reviews

Coffee!!
Great coffee maker. We have had no problems with this. It brews great tasting coffee.

BrewStation 74747 - LOVE IT!
I must say I was hesitant to order this coffee maker based on other reviews.

1) Quite a few of the reviews were not related to the actual product that the review was listed under - based on the features mentioned in the review vs. features listed in the product descriptsions

Some reviewers seemed to have just posted a review under the first BrewStation listing they pulled up and really didn't understand or know there were different models available and post their review under the appropriate model. Or they didn't know what they had purchased - they really didn't research model by model to know the differences. Some based their purchase on pictures from Amazon, which yes, should be more accurate to the model, but you can't place 100% blame with the seller. Buyers - do a little research! I went to the Hamilton Beach website and actually compared the model numbers and features. I also read reviews on various other sites - and then purchased the model on Amazon that I had determined was best.

2) Most of the reviews were dated 2006 and 2007. I figured that in the past 2 years the manufacturer had to have made some changes and improvements regarding some of the simple complaints (leaking, hard to dispense, etc.).

Boy am I glad I questioned the reviews and did a little additional research. I received what I expected! Easy set up - the most difficult part was soaking the filter for 15 minutes. Easy programming and clock setting. Display very easy to read. Easy to fill. NO leaking. Dispenser button simple to function - really is only one handed - I DON'T have to hold the unit stationary with my "free hand". Added bonus, it looks GREAT!

HIGH HOPES
I had the previous version of this coffee maker that lasted about two years. We have a high iron bateria level in our well water & need to clean (& buy new) frequently. We had gone through several coffee makers before the first HB. I liked having no breakable carafe & few pieces to clean. I did not like the hot plate scorching.

-I got this version of the HB because it said "NO HOT PLATE". Well, there IS a hot plate!

-The design is just stupid. The carafe/filler is on the back. So if you have it on a countertop next to a wall or corner, you have to pull it off the back. This is very awkward. Then there is a top on that over the filter basket. It takes too long to take it apart, rinse it, fill it, put it back together, then add the coffee, then put the top on before starting the cycle. I use a pre-measured pourer anyway (like another reviewer), the disassembly process is irritating, especially first thing in the morning!

-The warning on the carafe (telling you that it is pretty useless) is written to read from the back. But the light it tells you to look for is on the front!

-I thought the water filter a good idea, but the water doesn't seem to go through it, but under it. Is it filtering?

-Coffee quality seems ok, but still scorches. I never used the old one to make more that six cups (two big mugs) because of that, so I will never make a full pot in this one either. Why buy a big one? I can't find a decent small one either!

So I should have sent this back, but wanted to try it. Now I'm stuck. I WILL PROBABLY NEVER BUY ANOTHER HAMILTON BEACH PRODUCT.

Lesson learned. Maybe HB will learn one too...

Good coffee, with minor annoyances
I got this coffeemaker as a Christmas gift, to replace my aging Cuisinart Grind&Brew. (I now buy pre-ground coffee to avoid waking up the rest of the house.) Overall, I'm pleased. I haven't had failures that other reviewers have described.

Pros:
- Makes good coffee. This is the most important point!
- It has four "flavor settings". I think this just controls how quickly the water/steam is added. (One of the settings is for "decaf". I love the caution in the manual: "This setting does NOT decaffeinate coffee." Imagine the jittery phone calls they must have received!)
- Controls are easy to use, such as setting the time of day or the wake-up time.
- Cleanup is pretty easy.

Cons:
- I'm not a fan of the "one-hand dispensing" feature. A properly designed carafe will not drip or spill, and will fill a mug in 2 seconds compared to an annoying 10 seconds with the one-hand dispenser.
- The amount of horizontal force required to push the dispenser button ends up pushing the coffeemaker across the counter, so you need to hold it down with your other hand (not exactly one-hand dispensing now, is it?), being careful to avoid the hot part at the top. Maybe a better set of rubber feet could fix this problem.
- The whole water-filling protocol. First, you fill the top half (which is actually a plastic carafe) with water to the right level. But the bottom of the carafe is not flat and level, so it needs to be kept in the coffeemaker to ensure an accurate water level. Then you take the carafe out and pour the water into the base. But the bulky carafe and the smallish holes in the base make water spills a big risk. And there's no water level indicator in the base, so if you spill water, or decide at the last minute that you actually wanted to make more coffee than originally planned, then I'm not sure how you would do this accurately. Maybe pick up the whole base, dump out the water, and start again? Yuck.
- The carafe is not supposed to be washed in the dishwasher, presumably because of the metal heating plate, metal screws, etc. The inside bottom has a lot of non-smooth parts, so it's hard to clean by hand, and by now mine is probably gathering thick layers of ancient coffee sludge. Yuck.

Don't get me wrong -- these cons are really pretty minor in my opinion. Overall I've gotten used to it and I'm happy with the coffee it makes.

Good Coffee
Everything was in the box, it assembled easily, and had no apparent defects. The serving system is easy as is the cleanup. Coffee stays drinkable longer without the burnt taste.