I love coffee but coffee makers do not like me! I have been through plenty of coffee makers through the years. None of them last very long due to our hard water, even with regular vinegar baths. Of course, this is not the fault of the manufacturer but averaging yearly replacement, one begins to evaluate important features a little differently. What do I really want? All I want is a reasonably priced, no-hassle coffee maker that will make a good tasting pot of coffee quickly and easily. Did I find it in this coffee maker? Well…. reasonably priced? Yes. Good tasting coffee? Yes. Quick and easy? NO! Of all the different brands of coffee makers I have owned, this one has to be the most frustrating to prepare and serve a simple cup of coffee.

The basket on this model swings outward and lifts up and off the hinge post it rests on. Well, that is how it should work. If you drink coffee to wake up in the morning, you will be wide-awake long before the coffee is ready after struggling with the basket. The basket merely sits on a plastic hinge post (does not lock into place) so one would expect it to remove easily. I can best describe the actual process as being akin to tugging on a door that is stuck, except we lift upwards rather then pull. Just when we think opening the door is hopeless, it releases and away we go with it! Yes, the basket grips and grabs, maybe comes up half way and falls back down to start over, and all of a sudden it gives way. I have had the basket come free so fast, forceful, and unexpectedly that it has flown out of my hand and across the kitchen. At the last minute before brewing, I have had to remove the basket of fresh, dry grounds to make an adjustment in the coffee portion. After my usual ritual of tug-of-war (I'm really beginning to think this coffee maker has a mind of its own!), it released with a hefty jerk. You guessed it. Coffee grounds flew all over the kitchen counter and floor. I do not understand. Did Black & Decker think this was a product improvement? What happened to the slide-in basket that has worked just fine for years? Have they never heard of the concept, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"?

Removing the basket is tricky but replacing it is another wonder to behold. Placed on the hinge post, it swings under the brewer and snaps into place. However, is the basket completely closed? No, No, No! Actually, it is not securely shut until you press it again and it clicks a second time. You can imagine the horrors if one does not notice the basket is not snapped shut completely.

Okay, what about the carafe? The pouring spout dribbles. I like to use the carafe to measure the proper amount of water to pour into the reservoir but no matter how slow or fast I pour, I end up with water all over the counter. Worse, when pouring hot coffee better make sure not to pour too close to yourself or anyone else standing nearby. Do not even think about bringing the carafe to the dining table to pour a cup of coffee. I have learned to bring the carafe and cup to the kitchen sink to pour, but I think more coffee is wasted than drank.

If Black & Decker wants to improve the design of their basic coffee makers, I think they need to bring the old basket design back and fix the design of the carafe spout. This is not a new problem for Black & Decker. I have had other models that dribbled the same way. Why, oh why, did I not remember before buying another? I also see reviews here at Epinions.com for similar models that have a major dribble problem. I know it is possible to eliminate the problem. I have owned different brands that do not have this trouble.

Although the other features are a nice bonus (and work properly!), they do not outweigh the inadequacies enough to recommend this coffee maker.