Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

People have a tendency to see a 1-star review and automatically mark it "unhelpful." Please actually READ why I gave it one star- yes, I could have given it more, but this is HONESTLY why I feel like it is not worth a high rating. Yes, it is a long review, but I wanted to be thorough in explaining myself. So, here is why I gave it one star. ------------------- I wanted to love this coffee maker- I really did. My parents have a K-cup machine, and I was excited to have something that could brew both K-cups and coffee grounds, like a K-cup machine, but at a lower cost and smaller size. Enter the Hamilton Beach Single Serve Coffeemaker. It comes very easy to set up, which is a plus. There are some simple instructions for quick use, along with more detailed instructions to read later on. I ran some water through, nothing else, the first time just to clean it out, and I was immediately surprised by how little water fit in. Yes, I understand it's a single-serve machine, but with my "normal" coffee pot, I fill it in to the 3c line, and that amount fits nicely in a medium-sized cup; I consider that a nice single serving. The amount that fits in the coffee pot is about 12 oz or less. That was the first disappointment. For the place where the cup goes, there are only 2 possible ways to set it up. First, if you have a 12oz mug, you can put the "shelf" with the collection grate at the highest point. The other option is to take the "shelf" out and put in a travel mug. Like I said, I drink a lot of "medium" size amounts of coffee; I was disappointed that my larger (but not huge) cups did not fit. I had to put the "shelf" on the lowest setting, which left a huge gap between the cup and the place where the coffee comes out. This led to a big mess on the counter and the back of the coffeemaker, as the coffee splattered everywhere every single time I tried. I first tried using a K-cup. I put it in (note- everything I did was according to the instructions. It's not like I was doing things my own way). The coffeemaker took a long time to warm up, and when it finally started to brew, a lot of smoke-steam (I think it was more steam then anything) came out. This coffeepot was on the counter under my cabinets, and the smoke-steam rolled along the bottom of the cabinets, which was scary...there was a lot of it. I brushed it off as happening because it was the first time using the coffemaker. When I tried the coffee, it was incredibly strong (because you cannot put a lot of water through), which is fine for a lot of people I'm sure- personal preference. But the biggest problem was that when I took out the K-cup, the plastic was melted funny (perhaps that caused the "smoke?"). That can't be healthy. Again, I brushed it off as just being due to first-time use. I used a new K-cup the next day, and the same thing happened. I wasn't impressed. The third time I used it, I put in coffee grounds. I have to say that something positive is how easy it is to switch between K-cup use and coffee ground use. You just take out the little attachment piece that pierces the K-cups--simple. Coffee grounds do not require an extra filter as there is already a filter built in to the coffeemaker. I put in my little scoop of coffee (it says 2T max, so I only used 1) and put in the measly amount of allowable water. I got the usual splatter because of my medium cup, but in addition, I got lots of grounds falling into my cup. When I got to the bottom of my coffee later on, I got a mouthful of them and it was disgusting. The other thing I was not impressed by was that at the end of the brewing cycle, it brewed a TON of water at one time, spilling EVERYWHERE. I blamed myself for maybe putting in too much water and pledged not to go above the "max" line next time. I drank my coffee (which was created with less smoke this time, thank goodness) and went on with my day. Well, the fourth time I used the machine, I tried loose grounds again instead of a K-cup. I had the same problems as use 3, and this time I absolutely made sure I did not fill above the "max" water line. Overall, I give this a 1 star. I hate giving products such low reviews, but I absolutely despise this coffee maker and have already put my old coffeemaker back in its place. In sum, the Hamilton Beach coffeemaker is slow (it's about as fast as making coffee with my old coffee pot), messy, doesn't hold a lot of water, and just not worth $40 or whatever the current price is. If you want a K-cup machine, my advice is to save some money up and buy the real deal. K-cup machines can brew loose coffee as well as the obvious K-cup without making a mess, without smoking, and in much less time. Sorry Hamilton Beach, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.