I bought two Kitchen Aid 12-Cup Coffee Makers with Programmable Controls model number KCM400OB I bought both of them in Black. Now I purchased these a couple of years ago, and gave one to my brother and his wife. The other I put into my closet to use when my Bunn gave out again. Emergency purposes I told myself.

Well that emergency finally came up when my husband moved out. I gave him the Bunn thinking that it would soon give out and he would have to buy a new one. This is one time when I sure figured wrong.

I took the new Kitchen Aid out of the box and set it up. It is a beautiful machine and by the looks of it, I thought I was all set. I sure was fooled.

Pros

It is attractive
It makes coffee

Features

Has a dishwasher safe filter

Allows you to make stronger or weaker coffee by turning a little knob on the top.

A Pause and Serve feature.

A Water level on the top side of the coffee maker as well as on the carafe.

A Charcoal filter that is removable from the inside.

A Clock and you can program it to start automatically at whatever time you want.

The coffee maker has markings that light up down the front side that shows how long the coffee has been made. Under thirty, under 60, and under 120 minutes. Then it shuts off.

Cons

The pause and serve feature only works half the time.

The carafe leaks when you pour the water into the coffee maker, the no leak lip on the carafe leaks no matter how you pour the water into the back.

It takes about 10 minutes to make the coffee.

It never makes the correct amount of coffee, no matter how you measure the water.

My experience

I just can’t say enough bad things about this coffee maker. I know now that my brother and his wife must love me very much, they are still using the twin that I bought for them. They never complained.

I make coffee about 6 times a day. Using this coffee maker makes me very agitated every time I use it. The coffee does not taste right { may be just me}. I have been using this for two weeks now and I haven’t been able to get the correct strength of coffee. I have tried more and less, the coffee always tastes bitter.

The filter takes triangular filters and they are more expensive then the regular round white ones I usually buy. Even with the correct filters, there are sometimes grounds in the coffee.

The carafe is large and measures 12 cups and it is easy to handle it just spills all the time. I used this sorry excuse for a coffee maker for two days before I sent my daughter to Wal-Mart to look for another Bunn. Wal-Mart doesn’t carry them anymore. I told myself I just need to get used to this one. I waited three more days and then went online and ordered a Bunn.

Every day now, I eagerly await the UPS man hoping that my Bunn comes soon. It shouldn’t be too much longer.

I can fully understand why when you go to the Kitchen Aid site they have coffee grinders and coffee mills but no coffee makers. I would be ashamed to put a name like Kitchen Aid on a coffee maker again.

Now I have to buy my brother a Bunn, I could never in good conscious leave them using this attractive contraption. I am ashamed to say that I paid over 125.00 for each Kitchen Aid.

Take my advice if you see one of these at a garage sale cheap pass it up.


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