190
people found this helpful, as of 2023
ranked #175,320 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★★★★
A lot easier to use and safer.
I bought one of these for my mother for Christmas. Years ago I had gotten her a Black&Decker cup-at-a-time coffeemaker and it finally gave up last year. The only cup-at-a-time coffeemaker at a reasonable price I could find locally was by Toastess. The Toastess paled in comparison to the Black&Decker, not only in build quality but in ease of use. My mother suffers from a neurological disorder which makes it difficult to coordinate the use of her hands; she is okay with general tasks, but nothing which requires fine manipulation. This Black&Decker coffeemaker, like the model before, is easy to use. The power switch is on the front and a little larger than several coffeemakers switches; you just have to push down on it. There is nothing to move out of the way when filling the reservoir; just lift the lid. The reservoir is also a little wider than the Toastess making it easier to fill. Of course, one of the safety features, which the Toastess model also lacks, is the automatic shut-off. When it is finished making a cup of coffee, and it is fast, it just shuts off, which is great for someone who keeps forgetting to turn off their coffeemaker. The only issue I can see that someone may have, and niggling at that, is that this unit cannot hold tall coffee mugs. All of my mother's coffee mugs fit, which is a lesser concern for me, however, than its ease of use and safety, at which this Black&Decker excels.--Bob
December 2004 · Home and Kitchen