My SpaceMaker is a Money Saver
Written: Feb 07 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Programmable, needs less grounds, Pause and Pour
Cons: Takes a while to make a pot
The Bottom Line: I would recommend this coffeemaker to everyone. The flavorful pot of coffee is worth the wait and may even save you money.
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| dpgal's Full Review: Black & Decker SmartBrew DCM21C 4-Cup Coffee Maker |
I had a great coffee maker that stopped working after 10 years. When it came time to replace it, I decided to buy the Black & Decker Spacemaker. The main reason I wanted this coffee maker was that it was programmable and was affordable.
SPACE: The SpaceMaker is actually bigger than I thought, so it does not really clear up much counter space. However, the little bit that it does open up is perfect for small items. If you're looking to greatly increase counter space, this won't really do it. Unlike other reviewers, I was lucky in that I had no difficulty installing the SpaceMaker under my cabinet. The template was useful and everything went well.
COST:
The B&D SpaceMaker cost me about $40. The machine I had previously was a Bunn, and although I loved that coffee maker, I just could not afford to replace it with another Bunn. I felt this was a good value for the money.
PROGRAMMABLE:
This appliance is very easy to program. Setting the clock and also programming is easy enough you may not even need to read the instructions. It's very obvious, from the buttons, how to set everything. Unlike some products out there, you don't need a Master's Degree in Engineering to understand it. It is so nice to wake up to a pot of coffee that is already done!
SPEED:
You definitely want to program this baby because, unlike my old Bunn with the hot water reserve tank, this one does take a long time to make a pot of coffee. The water is sucked up, slowly, from the holding tank and drips through the filter. This takes quite a while and if I forgot to set the machine to come on by itself, I usually make a small cup of instant in the microwave while I'm waiting for the pot to finish. I did, however, find something that makes up for this problem...
SAVES MONEY:
The other types of drip coffee makers I have used over the years have "rushed" the water through the filter. When this happens, the coffee never really steeps, and the full flavor just isn't released. Because of how slowly the water drips through the SpaceMaker, you need less grounds. This really saves money for us because I'm a real coffee lover and drink two pots a day. Coffee is pretty expensive so using less grounds save me quite a bit of money.
The first pot I made with the SpaceMaker was hilarious! I put in the regular amount of grounds that I used with my Bunn. Wow! That had to have been the strongest pot of coffee I've ever had. I finally found that 3 scoops for an entire 12 cups of water was the most you want to use.
This also is the reason for some people having problems with it being "messy". I found that if you put in too much coffee, it will overflow the basket because it takes too long for the water to drain through. And, the finer the grind, the longer it takes to drain which leads to the overflow problem.
PAUSE & POUR:
Another benefit of this model is the Pause and Pour feature. While you are waiting for that pot to make, you can sneak a bit of it out before it's done. Caution: If you sneak it from the very beginning, that's going to be a very strong cup of coffee. Best to wait until it is at least half-way finished. However, this is a feature I like that even my beloved Bunn did not have.
OVERALL:
I like this coffee maker. It took me a while to experiment with the amount of grounds and if I forgot to set to timer, I had to wait a long time for the pot of coffee. However, these are small hurtles to overcome. I think the benefits outweigh any inconveniences. I would definitely recommend it to my friends.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dpgal
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Location: Deer Park, Texas
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 1 member
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