Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

In a six month period I had two Keurig coffee makers die. Both were less than three months old and were used sparingly; one cup of coffee per day. Keurig's customer service was awful; Amazon's was flawless. After Amazon credited my account for the first deceased Keurig, I purchased a different model Keurig, locally. It died within a month. I wanted a single serve brewer, so I decided to give the Hamilton Beach Single Serve Scoop Coffee Maker a try. Because of my recent history of failures with the Keurig, I bought a Hamilton Beach Single Serve Scoop Coffee Maker locally. After two weeks of daily use, it began to balk and spit. I tried different grinds of coffee and less water. It was to no avail. I exchanged the Hamilton Beach Single Serve Scoop Coffee Maker for another; same make, same model. It's working perfectly, so far. I can use any grind of coffee and within the limits of the scoop/ measuring cup use as much ground coffee as I prefer. The temperature of the finished coffee has been consistently 175 degrees, an ideal temperature for me. Amazon's price on this machine is significantly lower than the local price. ADDED September 8, 2012 After a few days and several cups of coffee made, a few observations: 1. Do not pack the grounds tightly, as you would in an espresso machine, or you'll have a mess. 2. Be certain that you don't overfill the coffee scoop. Fill only to the measured line. 3. The brewer's first release of "coffee" is clear water that will dilute your brew. If you can watch the first 30 seconds of the cycle, have a second receptacle at hand to take the first release of liquid from the brewer before you position your travel cup. 4. When the brew light goes off, there's still a lot of coffee to drip from the scoop filter; allow it the time to drip through. 5. When your cup is full, to your satisfaction, give it a quick stir. ADDED September 18, 2012 There's a review, recently written, that recommends tightly packing the coffee in the scoop, if you want a stronger cup of coffee. DO NOT proceed in that manner, unless the coffee is an extremely coarse grind. You will have a mess and a filthy coffee maker. The brewer is simply a one cup drip pot, not a steam brewer, as in a steam driven espresso machine. Packed tightly, the grounds will inhibit water flow and will spray out. Also, be certain that you do not exceed the recommended amount of coffee grounds per cup. Again, that will create a mess. After 17 days with the current brewer, I've experimented with various grinds, amounts of ground coffee, and packing techniques. Lessons learned: Fill the scoop only to the recommended line; don't pack the coffee grounds; and don't add additional water beyond the recommended amount.