Basic but good machine. UPDATED
My wife and I had been looking for a multi-purpose machine, one which makes both a carafe and a pod of coffee. I had seen this and after some investigation, we bought it. Observations: This is a basic machine which does not have a lot of features. I've read a number of reviews complaining the carafe spout design allows a few drops of beverage to spot the countertop. All one has to do is slow down when pouring. The wide spout is conducive to pouring quickly. Me, myself, I pour my coffee over the sink so any drips or drops go in it. Alternatively, a dish towel could be placed on the counter and poured over it. Keurig uses a 5 ounce cup measure for the carafe side. The carafe is 12 cups. 12x5=60, which is the exact reservoir size. READ the directions! This machine is easy to use and does exactly what it says it will do. To expect it to do X when it isn't designed to do, it is unreasonable to expect that performance. If you need a different set of features, find the brewer which has them. Don't buy it and then gripe it doesn't do something it was never designed or equipped to do. Pros: The machine does exactly what it says it will do, day in and day out. It has a 2 hour auto shut-off for the carafe side and a 2-3 minute shut off on the pod size. Easy and intuitive to use. It is simple to maintain. I descale it as needed with the Keurig solution. I descale about every 3 months. Depending on your water, you may have to descale more often, or less depending on your use. You can brew a carafe and use the pod side while the warming plate of the carafe is on. Haven't tried to brew both sides at once. It can be programmed to auto-brew at any given time, however, you must set the auto-brew function each brew cycle. This prevents the machine from automatically brewing a pre-programmed setting when the reservoir is nearly empty or empty. This is simply a safety measure. Cons: The directions which came with my machine says none of the parts are dishwasher safe. I would think for the money, a simple change of plastics composition would be in order without raising the price. The carafe glass stains easily, though it is easy to clean. The glass feels flimsy but I haven't dropped it. It doesn't come with the gold mesh filter, though it can be ordered or purchased at the grocery store. UPDATE: I've regularly descaled the machine with vinegar. Today however, I could not get the descale cycle completed, that is, without some frustration. I'd run out of vinegar and had (fortunately) 2 bottles of the Keurig descaler solution. I used the first bottle and was shocked at the amount of scale it removed. After completing the Duo instructions for descaling, I encountered 2 problems. First, the descale warning light would not go away. The second and most frustrating, is that in the carafe rinse, I would not get the full amount of required water to dispense. Instead of 12 cups, it gave me 8. I thought it was my mistake and I refilled the reservoir and tried it again, making sure I selected the 12 cup carafe amount. This time I got 2 and in the last attempt I got perhaps a few ounces. The pump made a whining, thudding noise. Spending a few minutes on Google told me the issue with no water was either the pump was out or debris in the line. I ran the second bottle of Keurig descale solution and let it sit for about 30 minutes. I then repeated the rinse instructions and this time I got the full amount of dispensed water. The descale lights did not turn off as expected. I learned there is a manual reset sequence which solves it. With the power "ON" press and hold the 8 cup and 10 cup selection buttons for about 5 seconds. Mine turned off immediately. Read more