Peter King sez:

On Fri, 12 Mar 2004, Frank D. Greco wrote:
I'm looking for a new drip maker that makes great coffee (of course)
but also is fairly compact. I've had an old Krups that I was happy
with for about 10 years, but its on its last legss.

Just looking for more data to compare.

I've read some web reviews that suggest the Krups 453 and the Braun
KF187 are top makers, but the 453 seems rather bulky and the KF187
seems to be discontinued.

In case replies are being sent off-group, could I put in a plea for the
same information, please? (In my case I'm not so worried about
compactness -- just good coffee.)

Oddly enough, absolutely no one responded. I expected a lot
of responses considering the fervor of most newsgroups.

I've tried on-line reviews, and have found them contradictory, and mostly
by people who have just bought their first coffee-maker.

Exactly what I've found.

What I need is advice from people who know what they're talking about. My coffee-maker
has just died, also after over ten years service, and I need a simple,
straightforward maker of good filter coffee. I don't want steamed milk,
I don't want clever gadgets that are almost certain to go wrong, I just
want coffee.

Exactly my situation Peter.

I've since discovered that Cooks Illustrated (a resource that I
trust) did a thorough evaluation. You cannot get the text of the
review unless you subscribe online to their site/service. But
I found this review-of-a-review on consumersearch.com:

Though we've downgraded this review slightly for its age, this is the best
review we found on coffee makers. A special task force of "coffee authorities"
tests six machines from different manufacturers. According to these experts,
most home machines fail to reach the optimal water temperature for brewing great
coffee (195-205 degrees), which requires at least 1250 Watts power). The top
choice is the Krups ProAroma 12 Time with NaturActiv Filter Model 453, followed
by Black & Decker Kitchen Tools CMKT800, and Braun FlavorSelect KF 187. The
review warns against Mr. Coffee Elite PRX33, Betty Crocker 12-Cup Auto-Drip
BC-1754, and Hamilton Beach Aroma Express 49271, whose coffee was found "average
to awful," "watery," and "worst tasting coffee of the lot," accordingly.

I have also found out that there were a number of blog/wiki/forum posts
from people that just loved their Braun KF187, but despite the very
positive consumer feedback... Braun decided to discontinue the KF187
and replace it with an inferior model after Braun was acquired by
Gillette (ugh).

This week I'm going to pick up the Braun KF580 (white)... albeit
with some reservations...

Frank G.
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