Great Thermal Carafe Design!  Timer works well, and the water temperature is nice and hot!

Not necessarily on the idiot proof side, but just requires a little observation first couple times around.  Plastic construction is a slight concern.

I have been using this coffeemaker for about 1.5 months now.  I purchased for a couple of primary reasons, 1) it had to be a thermal carafe which would not have to be opened and closed before, during and after brewing (as stated exactly in one of the prior reviews), 2) water temperature had to be hot.  I had done a lot of research online for a coffeemaker, I would say about 3 weeks, before finally deciding on this one.  To be honest, the carafe was pretty much the selling point.  I have my own business and will get out at all odd hours of the morning, from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., having a hot cup of coffee when I go and also having a hot cup of coffee when I return are must-haves for me.

Thus, the primary concern was that the coffee had to have a timer.  Bonus, the Cuisinart does and it seems to work rather well.  Did that the very first evening I had it.  Set the timer for 2a.m., got up at 2:30a.m., filled up and headed out the door.  The other desire was to have a fresh cup of coffee for my dad to drink when he got up at about 6a.m. or so.  He did and complimented on how hot the coffee was, even though it had been made about 4 hours earlier.  (Note: I always preheat the carafe with hot water before placing it on unit.)

The non-idiot proof side of it is that the singe primary complaint about this unit is the fact that it will overflow when not placed properly underneath the funnel.  Well, I didn't think this would happen to me, but sure enough it did.  The release valve is based on a spring-loaded mechanism.  Which, by itself, is a pretty simple design and with just a little bit of observation, can be cause for little to no problems.  But, the one incident that occured with me was that I didn't pay attention to how the carafe was placed and thus the coffee maker proceeded to overflow.  Not only did it make a mess, I now have some incredibly stained towels and the fact water went everywhere, was concerned about the short circuiting the controls and timer.  Thankfully that did not happen.

The single biggest recommendation I would have is to always just take that extra second to look at the spring and make sure it is pressed.  You will thank yourself handsomely with a great cup of coffee....if not, you will torture yourself with a clean-up situation from hell with all of the grounds and water everywhere.

For the biggest plus and bonus points, I would award the carafe.  It keeps the coffee nice and drinkably hot beyond the 8 hour threshold, and the design of the top is nice and simple.

WholeLatteLove seemed to really have their act together.  I received multiple emails concerning the status of the order, since they were out of stock when I ordered the unit, and was never at any point left in the dark.  More than what I can say about other online retailers who have no clue how to handle customers.