Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Some people have bought this coffee maker and are experiencing mishaps. I think some (not all) of them are just not reading and/or following the instructions correctly. That being said, here is my review: For the price, this is a great coffee maker. It is probably the most versatile coffee maker by design. There are some downfalls but we'll get to those. I am a college student, so money (or lack thereof) is a big concern of mine. I wanted to get a coffee maker that could brew K-Cups because of the convenience and easy clean up. But I also wanted a coffee maker that could brew regular coffee, because it is cheaper. So now, depending on my finances, I can select which coffee works best for me. I also wanted to get a coffee maker that wouldn't cost $100 or more. I hate when reviewers complain about things that are made very clear in the product description, if they didn't like that feature about it, they shouldn't have bought it. That would be like me complaining that it is black. Here are the pros and cons: Pros: -Brews 3 kinds of coffee. K-Cups, Grounds, and soft pods. -Easy to clean and use. -Holds short and tall mugs. -Has REAL stainless steel on the front and sides. -It's CHEAP. -It has a small footprint (great for dorms). Cons: -Only holds 10oz. of water in the reservoir, so each time you have to fill it. (However, this is clearly noted in the product description, so it's no surprise. For the money, this isn't a big issue). -Near the end of the brew cycle, if using a K-Cup, it makes a moderate amount of noise and hissing, followed by steam coming out. -When using ground coffee, always use the removable basket, regardless of ground size, otherwise grounds will come out. -The fine mesh filter still allows very, very fine grounds into the coffee. Sorta like coffee dust. -It steeps the coffee for about 1 and 1/2 minutes, so some K-Cups, which are not meant to steep very long, may taste bitter (Regular grounds are meant to steep). -The top, water dispensing needle, is prone to clogging with certain K-Cups. This is due to a difference in design from Keurig brand brewers. UPDATE: After about 2 months of use, I noticed it making a lot more hissing near the end of the brew cycle. And it took longer to fill up the mug. So I looked at the "needle" at the top, and saw that it was clogged with some coffee grounds. So I took a paper clip and cleared it out, and it works normally now. I would post a picture of the amount of coffee I got out, but Amazon won't let me post any customer images. UPDATE 2: I have noticed that one brand of K-Cup causes the top needle to clog with grounds; it is the Donut Shop K-Cups. This is due to a design flaw. Most K-Cup brewers have the hole at the bottom of the needle, so any potential clogs and are pushed out with the water. This brewer has the water outlet holes (2) on the sides. For some reason this makes any grounds that get in there hard to get out. However, the few Donut Shop K-Cups I have will not go to waste, I just empty them into the brew basket. And yes, I know this defeats the purpose of K-Cups. UPDATE 3 (DEC. 2015): Not much has changed and the unit still works great. I just want to inform any potential owner of the importance of regularly cleaning the coffee maker as per the instructions in the manual. Basically filling with vinegar, turning it on for 30 seconds to get the vinegar into the boiler, then letting it sit for half an hour. I find if I let the coffee maker go a long time without doing this, it becomes less efficient. I use the Heinz cleaning vinegar, which is stronger than regular. One thing I recently started doing is alternating ground vs K-cups, not because of money but because of time involved. I do find the K-cups to come out slightly bitter, but that could be my preference for light roasts of coffee. Overall, I would say the Pros outweigh the Cons greatly. I would recommend this product to another person. If you find this review helpful, please click yes below.