If you're like me and hate the pod machines and all the waste, don't need a coffeemaker that grinds beans or turns itself on or even shuts itself off, this is the coffee maker for you. This is our third Proctor SIlex coffee maker and we only replaced the first one because I broke the carafe and it was more expensive to buy a new carafe. They have redesigned it since our first and second machines and as people have complained, the lid does not stay open by itself to add the grounds and water. After eight months of use, I stumbled upon a simple way to hold the lid open. There is a tab like handle on the filter basket. It fits into a slot on the coffee maker. Simply move the tab to the back of the machine, and it will hold the lid open until you're ready to brew your coffee. Then move the tab to it's slot and start the machine. I've used a pour over coffee maker and one with a digital clock and timer that failed after about three months. This makes twelve cups of coffee in just a few minutes and if you take care of the carafe, will still be making coffee when the fancy machines have stopped working. Read more
Because of the many design flaws that other reviewers have written about, I almost returned the first one, but some features are so good that I bought a second one also. It fits under my low cupboards, the carafe is non-drip and it makes wonderful coffee; a full pot is four 12-oz. mugs. For me, the best way to pour water into the reservoir is to fill the carafe first. 12 cups in the carafe is a little less than 12 cups that is shown on the machine after filling, but I use the carafe measurement with excellent results. I bought a third for a gift and the recipient is very happy with it. UPDATE 12/16/21: Still making great coffee; no problems at all. Update 4/28/22: Working perfectly daily; I love it. Delicious coffee; currently using 2 scoops of Arbuckle's Ariosa and 2 scoops of Juan Valdez organic Colombian. Great blend, great coffee maker. UPDATE 8/24/23: No problems at all with this coffeemaker. It is the best one I've ever had or used. UPDATE 12/25/23: Still making the best tasting coffee. Now using Arbuckle's Breakfast Blend. None of the three coffeemakers I've purchased have had any problems. Read more
I don't need a fancy coffee maker and the pod ones, though convenient, aren't good for a crowd, and the pods are bad for the environment. I replaced a Mr. Coffee that I liked a lot; it died after 5 years. The new models were too pricey for me. This Proctor-Silex must be the simplest electric coffee maker on the planet. No safety shutoff switch, no clock or timer, no beep to tell you when it's done brewing. As other reviewers have noted, the place you pour water is a little small, and hard to see on the black model, the only one available when I ordered. If you're right handed, the cup markings on the carafe are on the wrong side. How tough would it have been to put the markings on both sides? But I like how fast it brews and best of all, how hot the coffee is. I followed the instructions and ran vinegar 3x through it when it was new and then plain water. There is no plastic taste. I get it ready before I go to bed and just switch it on in the morning. I hope this one lasts since there are so few features to break on it. Read more
trying to get the water into the back of the coffeemaker. It's a very slim area and you have to be good and awake not to miss! Heck I miss sometimes even when I am awake! That is the only problem I see with this coffeemaker, but I can put up with it in order to enjoy what will hopefully be a long lasting coffeemaker! It looks very solidly built, very nice and well made. My last proctor silex lasted a long, long time and we used it several times a day for coffee and tea! I was trying to find one that didn't have an automatic turn off after two hours. We drink coffee at our house for hours so I was glad this one was made like the last one I had and didn't have the auto turnoff feature. Thank you Proctor Silex! Love your coffeemakers! Read more
I'm surprised with all the anal retentive people in this world, especially with how anal coffee snobs can be, that I didn't read more criticism of this coffee maker while looking through the Amazon reviews. For the price, I think it's a decent option and brews good coffee, though I'm no connoisseur. I can be content with instant in a pinch! It's also somewhat attractive, as far as coffee makers go. But I did want to mention some of the cons that I didn't notice brought up in other reviews.... We had an old 12 cup Proctor-Silex. About 20+ years old. It only came out for family gatherings as no one in the house drank coffee other than me (I used a smaller 5-cup machine). For that, it lasted a good long time. Recently, my wife became a fan of ice coffee and started putting that ol' Proctor-Silex through it's paces brewing three pots in a row and refrigerating it all. That would last her about a week, then she'd be back at it. After about 1 season of that, it finally died. This was the replacement. The first thing I noticed was how big this is. It's much chunkier than the old Proctor. Doesn't fit as well on the counter. The lid of the coffee maker doesn't stay up for filling. We learned a trick to offset the basket to hold the lid open. Though the carafe shows 12 "cups", it's actually 1.5 "cups" less than the old Proctor when full?! Why the heck can't those "cups" can't be a standard measurement across brands and models is beyond me?! Lastly, and this is my biggest gripe, It's not as easy to fill with water. The old Proctor had a large, 2.5" X 5" (or so), opening in the back that made filling effortless. This has much smaller openings behind the basket. Not only do you have to be patient and pour slow, but you have to aim much more so you don't accidentally pour into the basket full of grounds or through the basket holder (if the basket's not there) onto the heating plate. Once that's all navigated and you're pouring in the right spot, the carafe bumps the coffee maker cover as you're trying to get those last few drops out, requiring more maneuvering. I know for a lot of people this won't be a big deal (like my wife), but this is something that would have drove me mad a few years ago. I've mellowed a bit since then, but I know many people who would hate this design flaw and I felt it needed mentioning. Read more
