Cuisinart DGB-500 12-Cup Coffee Maker

Pros: Looks good, powerful built-in grinder, stainless carafe.
Cons: Expensive, pump stopped working, Built-in grinder must be washed/dried daily due to heavy condensation

I bought one of these about 10 months ago, because I was tired of regular coffee makers not last---things such as burners wearing out--either stopping working completely or and not keeping coffee hot. Also, the glass carafes could be broken easily. I am ...

Pros: None that the Brew Central doesn't have.
Cons: Incredibly messy and difficult to clean, filter basket pops out during grind/brew, LOUD

I started looking at new coffee makers about a year ago to replace our 15 year old Mr. Coffee. There were so many enticing features on this one, including the built-in grinder. One less thing to take up counter space, right? So what that it sounds ...

Pros: Grinds and brews as advertised, nothing really better available
Cons: Not durable enough, still hard to clean

We purchased the original Cuisinart grind and brew, it was terrible to clean and you need to clean and dry these things between every single pot of coffee, not like the regular coffee maker where you dump out the old grounds place a new filter in add ...

Pros: It is one of the few combination grinder and brewer models available.
Cons: Ongoing Reliability testing and Product Verification Testing did not work and so with the DGB-500

This new model of Cuisinart grind and brew coffee maker is the second generation for me. We bought the previous design from cuisinart a little over 3 years ago. The bearings in the grinding chamber burned out just after the waranty ran out. The ...

Pros: N/A
Cons: They should stick to food processors.

Worked fine for a month or so, then the trouble started. We now wake up to coffee all over the counter about 25% of the time (not the grinds, the coffee) Doesn’t seem to make a difference if it’s 6 cups or 12. Its going into the pot so you think it’s okay this time, but the grind holder does not let enough water through, and the overflow starts.

Save your money, and go back to Mr. Coffee.

Pros: Good in theory, Not in practice
Cons: Weak, severely unflavorful coffee!

I love coffee, especially the full bodied flavor of a good bean, freshly ground, but it can be messy everyday to grind at home, so I was excited to see this product. Despite the reviews, I bought it, because I had faith in the Cuisinart name. Big mistake! Yes, it was neat, easy to clean and cool idea, but he quality of the coffee was awful! We brewed 4 different pots, with different beans and even increased the quantity of coffee and it was still awful, you could see right through the coffee! Upon looking at the brewed coffee in the filter, it was too coarsely ground and barely wet after brewing. There is a serious design flaw here! I returned it and got a percolator! Do not buy this product unless you like your coffee to taste like tea!

Pros: Fresh ground coffee really is better. Program timer works great! I like the brew-pause feature.
Cons: The gold coffee basket filter is tough to clean. Although I still could use paper.

Nothing like an alarm clock in the morning that wakes you up to a cup of coffee. Great feeling to get up and have your coffee ready. The smell of fresh ground coffee- can't be beat!

Pros: Does what it says.
Cons: Has to be cleaned.

Yes, you will have to use a flat bottomed coffee filter. Yes, the steam gets into the grinder. Yes, you will need to clean the grinder after every use.

But cleaning it is trivial. The grinder assembly lifts out and washes off in seconds. The filter holder and cover do, too.

The coffee is great. Waking up to fresh ground, fresh brewed coffee is a wonderful experience. Well worth the money.

Pros: Makes perfect coffee, easy to clean, looks nice, preset timer, and extended turn off switch.
Cons: Doesn't have adjustable grinder setting.

I like the way it grinds the coffee right before brewing it, and it makes an excellent cup of coffee. It is a bit loud, but it's downstairs and since my bedroom is upstairs, I can't really hear it when it goes off. After reading the other reviews, I was kind of hesitant to buy it, but I'm glad I did. I noticed that a few of the negative reviews are actually not for this model. I find the coffee maker very easy to clean. I just take everything out and put it in the dishwasher, and wipe underneath the grinder with a wet paper towel. I like to use the paper coffee filters with it also, so I use the 4 cup filters, they fit perfect.
I like the fact that you can adjust the time that the coffee maker goes off and the time it turns on. I just wish it had a setting for the grinder.

Pros: Great to have freshly ground coffee
Cons: The insanely loud grinder

This is a great coffee maker. I needed something with a timer that would start brewing while I was in the shower every morning and I have to say that the smell of coffee brewing helps me to get up in the morning. Unfortunately, so does the ridiculously loud grinder. Never the less, the noise is not so bad a price to pay for freshly ground beans.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this appliance, particularly for anyone who wants to program their coffee to brew at a certain time.

Pros: Carafe pours well
Cons: cleanup, numerous pieces

My in-laws thought I needed a new coffee maker so at least I'm not out any money. The grind feature actually woke up someone upstairs. The grind basket does not hold enough beans to make more than a mildly robust pot of coffee. There are about 7 pieces that must be in place for this thing to work. All 7 need excessive cleaning. The filter basket housing has a release button with the force of a small caliber firearm and can cause grounds to be shot out everywhere. If you opt out of the grind process in favor of pre-ground, the filter basket will not set flat on a counter for you to pour your grounds into. The steam from the coffee creates a goo in the grinder basket which manages to seep into every nook and cranny on the machine. Cleanup is a mess.

Pros: concept is great, easy to use.
Cons: Does not work correctly after two months of everyday use.

This coffee maker is a great idea. It actually works well for the first two months. After two months it does not make a full pot. It leaves about 4 out of 10 cups in the machine. I returned the first one for a new one, and now this one does the same thing. I wonder if they Cuisinart is aware of this defect.

Pros: Looks nice, coffee is okay.
Cons: Everything else about it is just pathetic. It should be pulled out from the market.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

If it takes more than 3 steps to make brewed coffee, it's a poorly designed coffee maker. This one takes twice longer.

This the worst coffee maker I've ever seen and used. It's not user friendly (I haven't figured out how to change the time) and if you're just making 1-2 cups you'll have to pour the pot in an angle that will give you carpal tunnel syndrome.

Whoever designed this coffee pot should be fired. That simple.

Pros: It's all done ahead of time.
Cons: Too much cleaning, and the coffee is not so great.

I had to switch to French roast, and even then, it's not very full-bodied. When it starts to grind (while I'm reading the newspaper), both my dog and I jump a foot. Maybe they should have the beeper warning at the beginning like they have the beeper when all is done.

I don't like cleaning the grinder everyday

Pros: Great tasting coffee. Automation.
Cons: Electronics prone to malfunction due to condensation; loud; requires intensive cleaning.

Got this coffee maker as a wedding gift. Initially, I was happy to have acquired such an appliance. After a year of use (and one replacement later), I must say that there are drawbacks with this machine that outweigh the benefits.

(1) Grinding feature. Upside - fresh ground coffee. Downside - LOTS & LOTS & LOTS of cleaning; very loud grinder that is ear piercing in the morning; condensation in the grinding mechanism that leaks a coffee residue that makes things sticky.

(2) Coffee filter. Upside - Comes w/ gold filter basket. Downside - basket tends to pass fine coffee grounds. Best to use paper filter.

(3) Water reservoir. Upside - comes w/ a tiny carbon filter pouch. Downside - pouch has to be replaced monthly to be effective. It is also very hard to determine the water level in the reservoir.

(4) Automation. Upside - easy to use. Downside - prone to malfunction due to condensation. Mine never worked that well.