Not a bad unit, but for a coffee nut, there is better. Just not hot enough.
Positive Product Points
Fast brew time for a full pot of about 5 minutes. Filter is relatively easy to access and carafe pours without dribbling.
Negative Product Points
Lid design on carafe is poor - hard to get on and off. Filter basket removes from brewer but won't stand by itself for filling. Overall asthetics are rather homely.
Detailed Commentary
I purchased this coffee maker solely for the purpose of using at work to brew for myself and coworkers. Our office coffee is well below calling it coffee. It is advertised as brewing fast and at the proper (200F) temperature. I thought that maybe I've finally found a drip brewer that works decent. So, I bought the unit and tried it out.
The first pots weren't bad. I usually brew about 8 to 9 cups as the #2 Melitta filter size won't hold enough coffee for a full 12 cup pot without overflowing. While it brewed fast in under 5 minutes, the coffee had the typical drip brewer 'bite' to it. It wasn't until I measured the water temp with my trusty Fluke thermocouple probe that I had the answer. It was brewing at 185F on a good day. I was crushed.
I sent a nice note to Melitta who forwarded it along to Salton, who makes the unit for Melitta and got a response. They state that in testing it will hit 200F + 0/-10F depending on line voltage, the planetary alignments, yada yada. OK, whatever. This unit suffers from the same issue as most others, the hot water runs up through the middle of the water reservoir - making it cold on the way. So, the 1475 watt heating element just brews fast, but not hot.
The upside is the unit has a decent showerhead, and with the fast water flow, really saturates the coffee well. If not careful, the basket will overflow with too fine a grind.
Buying Experience
Easy: Went to Target. Saw it. Bought it. Plan to return it.
