"Update 1/24/15 - after 2 years of daily use: LCD clock display has not failed due to condensation on its face. Impressive! Filter clogging with colossal spillage over rim of basket - never happened. No hint of plastic smell/taste after the first few brews: There was some when first used, but no more after that. Never had a mildew smell. Only big change is that the warming plate at base is corroding / turning brown. But I have a Cuisinart that does that, too. Conclusion: unit is working the same as when new. Totally satisfied. If it dies tomorrow, I'd buy another without delay - unless of course I saw better reviews for a different unit. Thanks all for your helpful comments! Original review December 2012: After using this Mr. Coffee BVMC-SJX33GT coffeemaker for a week, I thought I would attempt to address some of the complaints that other reviewers had on this coffeemaker. Some of the complaints are valid, others, well, it seems like they're describing a different unit altogether, or at the very least a defective one or a different production run than mine. Here we go: 1. Coffee overflowing out of the basket and into the reservoir and out to the countertop: I did not experience this. This could theoretically happen if one were to accidentally use 2 paper filters, which could reduce the rate of coffee going through the basket, which would then create an overflow situation. This scenario would not be limited to this coffeemaker, then. Overflow could also happen if one were to accidentally allow grounds to go into or remain in the plastic basket, which could clog it. Again, not particular to this coffeemaker. Could also happen if the carafe were incorrectly placed in the coffeemaker: not likely at all (see below). 2. Length of brew time too long: No reviewers stated how many minutes per batch, or how many cups and minutes per batch. This unit seemed to take a reasonable amount of time - the same amount of time that my Cuisinart maker takes. 3. Brewed coffee not hot enough: Using a good candy thermometer, I measured the temperature of a brewed pot of coffee (while in its glass carafe) immediately after brewing: 175 degrees. Scalding hot. Temperature dropped to 155 degrees within 5 minutes. Suggestion: to keep your coffee hot, move coffee to a hot-charged, insulated carafe immediately after brewing. 4. Plastic smell while brewing, plastic taste of brewed coffee: I definitely got the strong plastic smell with the first couple of water-only "prep" no-coffee brew cycles, and a bit less with the first few coffee cycles. This smell is no longer present after 6 days of use. Plastic taste: I did notice a slight plastic aftertaste with the first few coffee batches, but no longer. I suppose I may have gotten used to it, or it is no longer happening, or a combination of both. I think that it is the latter case. 5. Coffee leaks from basket onto the warming plate while using "pause and serve" feature (sneaking a cup of coffee during brewing cycle): I saw two or three drops of coffee go onto the warming plate: not too bad. Quick swipe with a damp paper towel keeps the plate clean. Not a defect. 6. Warming plate not hot enough, no temperature setting for plate: I do not use the warming plate - my coffee goes directly from the pot to an insulated carafe right after brewing. Applied post-brewed heat is the enemy of brewed coffee. The longer you keep your brewed coffee on *any* warming plate - regardless of temperature - the worse it will taste. 7. Correct carafe placement onto warming plate is difficult and likely to cause basket overflow: Despite my best, repeated efforts, I could not *incorrectly* place the pot onto the plate. The pot placed itself into its home 100 percent of the time. The only way I could get it to *not* place itself correctly was to barely balance it on the front edge of the maker, which was difficult in itself. 8. LCD Clock display not illuminated: True. A definite shortcoming of this unit, especially considering this is a programmable unit. A missed necessity. 9. Condensation on clock and buttons on front operating panel: True. Could have long-term reliability consequences. 10. Water spout not positioned properly over grounds: Impossible! The closure of the unit's lid forces (rotates) the spout into the correct position - that is of course unless one does not close the lid. 11. Filter paper collapse and fold-over onto grounds in basket, causing clog and overspill: It could happen, since I have experienced this with other drip makers. Not particular to this unit, then. 12. 2 hours post-brew auto-shutoff - too soon?: Nope. Coffee cooking for 2 hours on a warming plate would taste horrible. Want hot coffee two hours later? Move it from the pot to an insulated carafe directly after completion of brewing cycle. I would actually prefer that there were no warming unit on this machine. 13. Power cord length too short: It measures exactly 24 inches from the back middle of the unit to the male power plug. Dealbreaker? Not for many, I'm guessing. 14. Water filter placement onto top of brewing basket is difficult: Agreed. Must be done carefully. I chose to not use the filter at all, since I use purified water already. Plus, by not using the water filter, it's one more step I don't need to perform. Hot water seems to distribute nicely onto grounds without it - all of the grounds in the basket are soaking wet after the brewing cycle is complete. 15. Amount of coffee brewed is much less than amount of water used: After multiple 8-cup water brews, I consistently yielded 7.75 cups per batch. That's about 3 percent water loss to evaporation. Insignificant. Any more loss than that, then there must be some other cause at play. I could not cajole my unit to lose any more water than was lost to evaporation. 16. Condensation of water in reservoir after brewing creates musty or mildew smell: It could happen in theory. I leave the lid open after brewing for a while to avoid this possibility. Again, this scenario would not be limited to this unit. 17. Reliability after several months: Unknown. Only had it a week. 18. Amount of coffee needed to produce a given coffee strength: My unit yields similar strength as on my Cuisinart maker given the same amount of grounds/water/grind fine-ness. Summary: It seems that some of the complaints are totally unrealistic (IMHO), but others are totally valid. I hope this helps!"
Mr. Coffee BVMC-SJX33GT 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Chrome (Compare deals from $34.92)
"For the past 4 years, we've used a Cuisinart DCC-1200 that has been okay, as long as I would dismantle it (twice) to adjust the contacts on the on/off switch. The unit would turn off during a brew cycle due to a faulty switch connection. We decided to pass on getting a replacement unit and settled on this Mr Coffee model, mostly based on the high rating in Consumers Reports. After reading some of the reviews here on Amazon, I wondered if it would be a wise decision, as no one wants their coffee leaking from the decanter onto the floor or counter top or smelling like burnt plastic. Those who complained about the leaking problem are either putting out a scam review, or they have a different model than the one we received. I tested the glass decanter, and there was NO WAY I could get it to drip over the side. It poured directly into the cup with no dribbling. I tried pouring it very slowly and could not get it to run down the side of the decanter. One reviewer said she had to 'lift the cheap plastic lid' in order to pour the coffee. Well, I don't know where that bit of info came from, but the lid is not cheap plastic, and you don't have to lift it at all.....hmmmm. We ordered the optional thermal decanter and it is very solid. It has an 8 cup capacity and has no pouring issues either. The coffee quality is as good as your water and coffee can provide. It brews quickly and gives you a hot cup of coffee, at the right temperature. I did not detect any off-tastes due to plastic. I did smell a bit of plastic during the first brewing, but this is normal for new appliances that are heated. The plastic is 'off-gassing' some of the volatiles and this should subside after a few uses. The unit is very well-designed and looks great on our counter. It is actually shorter than the Cuisinart model and that is a plus for us. The controls are great and easy to use. Setting the clock is intuitive, and programming it for a delayed brew is very easy. It is also a 'smart' unit, in that it senses when you are using the thermal decanter, and automatically turns off the hot plate under the decanter. It also has a button that lets you see how long it has been since the coffee was brewed. As far as I can tell, it will heat the glass decanter for 2 hours, before it beeps 3 times, then shuts off. With the metal decanter, the unit shuts off immediately after brewing (no lights are on). The LCD showing the time is easy to read, but you need to bend over to see it. The instruction manual says there is a red light that will light when it's time to clean the unit, but I can't find this light anywhere. The unit is easy to fill and the water level can be seen easily in the gauge on the right rear. If you need a cup of coffee before it is finished brewing, you can pull the decanter away, and it gives you 30 seconds to pour a cup, then replace the decanter. I detected no leakage of coffee when I did this (contrary to what some other reviewers have claimed). Make sure you have some basket-type coffee filters (not cones), or have ordered the optional permanent filter basket, since these are not provided with the unit. The unit also has a water filter and holder that fits over the basket and under the water 'shower head'. I'm not sure this is a good design for the filter, since it is another item you need to install before every pot, then clean afterwards. The Cuisinart had a drop-in water filter, that worked before the water entered the brewer. I like this better. We don't use any filters since we use filtered water from the fridge. All-in-all, this is a great coffee maker at a very decent price. The option to get a thermal decanter for it is a big plus for us, as we will be pouring less coffee down the drain in the future. I expect to get many good pots of coffee from this coffeemaker. If I find otherwise, I will update this review."
"Our old reliable and inexpensive Mr. Coffee maker had served us well for almost 12 years, but finally the plastic started to show it's age and could no longer resist the daily abuse. The result was the carafe handle and the one of the filter pegs recently breaking. The coffee maker still worked great but clearly it was time for a new one... Let me preface this review by saying that I had two very important criteria when I was looking for a new coffeemaker: 1. Must have a thermal carafe. (wife wanted it) 2. Must use basket filters. (I still have several hundred of them, bought in bulk long ago, so I want to use them!) Price was also a criteria, of course, but I was open to spending over $100 if necessary to get a good one. I have a soft spot for Mr. Coffee based on the long and reliable life of our old one, but I looked at all the brands with models matching the above two criteria. Those two criteria really managed to limit the number of models I had to consider and I didn't see any real outstanding reviews on any of them, even the ones priced over $100. Then I stumbled upon this little gem. The reviews were good, it uses basket filters, and provides the option of buying a thermal carafe. The price is so low that even with the extra bucks to buy the thermal carafe it was still cheaper than pretty much all of the other models I had looked at. Plus it is Mr. Coffee, which has served us so well for so many years. Sold. So, with the story of how I came to purchase it out of the way I can get on to the heart of the review... First off the coffee maker looks great; sleek and compact. It actually takes up less space than the old Mr. Coffee model that it replaced. The instructions are very straightforward and it is very simple to operate. It doesn't have a lot of fancy settings or other complications. It includes a water filter but since we already filter our water I opted not to use it. Before using you are advised to run it through a brew cycle with just water to get rid of any manufacturing residues. You can definitely pick up some chemical smells right out of the box so I opted to run a couple of brew cycles just to be safe. After two cycles it was ready to make coffee. Making coffee is a snap. The filter basket lifts out easily - you just rotate the spray arm out of the way and lift out. This makes it easy to add the ground coffee and to clean up afterwards. After you have the filter basket loaded up with ground coffee you just put it back in and rotate the spray arm back into place. You add the water into the reservoir through the same opening in the top and there is plenty of room to pour. The cup markings are on the right side of the machine and may be a little difficult to see in low light, but I haven't had any trouble. If you measure your water before adding it then it won't matter in any case. Once you have added the water you just press one button to start brewing. If you want to change the brew strength you press one more. The machine will beep when it is done. Easy. The unit automatically senses whether you are using the glass or thermal carafe. The heating element turns on only for the glass carafe since the whole idea of the thermal carafe is to keep the coffee warm without continually heating it. We typically use the glass carafe when we are going to drink up the coffee quickly and the thermal when we have more time and want to drink coffee at our leisure. The thermal carafe easily keeps the coffee warm enough for us for a couple of hours. The instructions advise pre-heating the carafe with hot water to help maintain the temperature but we usually don't bother. This machine brews great tasting coffee quickly and easily. If that is what you want in a coffeemaker then I highly recommend it. If you want lots of fancy settings to fiddle around with then it isn't for you. The clock on the machine is not illuminated so you can't see it at night. If you really want/need an illuminated clock then you will want to find another model. This coffeemaker suits our needs perfectly and the price can't be beat. The optional thermal carafe is great for keeping coffee warm without cooking it - perfect for extended coffee drinking sessions."
"Let me first say that the "strong brew" feature is not just broken on my pot, it is universally broken. I spoke with Mr. Coffee about it and was informed that this is a known problem with this pot, they're ALL broken, but because not everyone uses the feature they continue to make and sell these. I was actually told that if I wanted a pot with the strong brew feature that I'd need to return this pot and purchase an entirely different model. For a pot that has been in circulation for a few years it astounds me that they haven't fixed this. They did give me the standard disclaimer, "we're working on a fix". With that said, I bought this pot based solely on the fact that Consumer Reports rates this pot very highly, because reviews here are mixed. At this price ($24) I figured I'd try it. I was replacing an older Cuisinart DCC-1200 which has given me years of good use until recently. My first impression was how cheap this unit seemed, both in fit and finish. I mean, I expect consumer electronics to be cheaply made nowadays, but this was really something. The filter basket just rests in the maker, so when the pot is in place the spring that is supposed to "close" the filter basket actually lifts the basket up and out of place. This is hard to explain in text, but my Cuisinart filter basket actually clipped in place to prevent this problem. This is just one example of the poor quality, I could list more. As a person who really goes through a lot of coffee I was quickly able to determine the good and bad of this pot. I typically brew 2-3 12 cup pots a day, using the thermal carafe on this unit that increased since the thermal carafe only holds 8 cups. I did like some of the features, but there was nothing new or innovative about them to set them apart from other machines. Mine did have a bad plastic smell/taste even after running 6 or so pots through it to clean it, but after a few more pots that went away and wasn't a problem again. The thermal carafe did an ok job of holding the coffee warm if I pre-heated it with hot water before actually brewing coffee into it. The design of the lid for the thermal carafe was really "clunky" (for lack of a better word). It screws down onto the pot and it was oddly difficult to get the threads started without it wanting to cross-thread. When it came time to pour coffee a half-turn of the lid would let coffee out but SO SLOWLY. The lid is also equipped with what is supposed to be a "one way" valve, but since it's gravity operated it opens when pouring and, with a full pot, you end up with coffee coming out of 2 places at once. To get the last cup of coffee out of the pot you had to remove the lid entirely and basically turn the carafe upside down. I could go on, but I won't. The only reason I give this pot 2 stars is because, at the end of the day, it did make an OK cup of coffee. My biggest problems were with the quality of the unit, the thermal carafe (which is a separate purchase), and my biggest issue - the broken "strong brew" setting that they aren't doing anything to fix. I hope this helps someone else!"
"First: It's a $40 coffee machine. So don't expect too much. My previous 10 yr old machine, a Cuisinart, died recently. Regarding some of the negative reviews. Yes, it ships in its retail box; however, the carafe is well protected by soft foam pads. My carafe does not drip when I pour a cup or fill the machine unlike some other reviewers complained. It pours great! (possibly manufacturing inconsistancies when the carafes are formed) I find it hard to understand why people were having trouble filling the machine. Like most standard coffemakers... You lift the lid and pour water in the back. Simple. No leaks. There are a couple of holes in the back of the machine near the top (above the fill line). I suppose if you are just (not smarter than a 5th grader) you might get water all over your counter by trying to pour more than 12 cups into the machine. I followed the directions and ran two full pots of plain water through the machine before my first pot of coffee. After the first pot of water I did notice a very slight 'plastic' odor. By the second pot of water the odor was gone. From the first pot of coffee to now (two weeks and 14 pots later) I've noticed no such odor in my coffee. I don't use the 'water filter' thats meant to sit on top of the coffee filter (weird/poor design IMHO) because I use filtered water from my frig. I set the clock. Set the timer. And every morning there's a delicious fresh pot of coffee waiting for me. Yes it beeps when the pot is ready and yes it beeps two hours later when it's about to shut off. My Cuisinart did that so I'm used to it. When you lift the lid you'll notice that the hot water spout is directly over the center of the coffee filter holder. It rotates out of the way so you can empty and fill the coffee filter. It is ever so slightly annoying that you have to move it out of the way (remember $40 machine). However, there's a little tab in the lid that moves the spout back into place when you close the lid just in case you forget to do so. The front is chrome plated plastic (kind of cheap looking) but it cleans easily and still looks better than plain black plastic. As it's only been two weeks I can't comment on long term reliability, but as with so many things these days I expect something to go wrong with the electronics or switches before anything else. So we'll see. If I get 5~10 yrs out of it I'll be happy. For $40 I think this is a well made simple coffee maker."
"Replaced my former Mr. Coffee maker with this one when the other one just decided it wasn't going to make coffee anymore, suddenly. I like the sleek design of this one better. Coffee is really hot when done, which is a MUST for my husband. You can adjust the strength of the coffee too. It really makes the perfect pot of coffee and my husband likes that you can turn on the signal that beeps to let you know the coffee is done so you'll know to come and get it. No need to keep checking, if you're in another room. We have a permanent mesh (washable) filter which I always like much more than the paper ones. No chance of coffee grinds skipping over a paper filter that is not inserted just "exactly" perfectly. And, again, it's a really nice design to the unit itself. I also like that it's not a glossy black finish. My prior one was and it showed smudges and fingerprints a lot. This one doesn't. Easy to just wipe the exterior casing with a damp or dry cloth. Can't think of any negatives EXCEPT a couple of incidental ones, which took away one star. With my prior coffee maker, the "cleaning cycle" was easier. If you're not familiar with this, it is advised/suggested that you clean your coffee maker's coffee making parts at suggested intervals to remove mineral deposits which can damage your machine. With my former Mr. Coffee machine, you put the specified amount of vinegar (or separately bought cleaning solution made for this purpose) in the water well and it would process the initial amount of the vinegar and then "sit" for the specific time required for the cleaning cycle to do it's thing and then automatically release the rest of the vinegar through the system at the appropriate time. THIS one doesn't do that. It does have a clean cycle but, after putting in the vinegar, you must manually dispense X amount of the cleaning solution (i.e. vinegar) then stop the coffee maker for the specified time and then, again, manually start the dispensing of the vinegar again until it all runs through the unit. This means you must be looking at the clock while cleaning this unit to determine when to do what. The prior one did it on it's own. All I needed to do was (as with this one), follow up with brewing full pots of WATER a couple of times then, to make sure all the vinegar is rinsed out. Not a big deal to do. Also, I don't know what's with the "pot". We wash it but it stains from the coffee anyway. Wonder if it's a glass mixture, if there is such a thing. When I first noticed the light staining/slight discoloration of the coffee pot, I noticed then that the "glass" didn't feel totally like glass. I'm afraid to scrub the pot for fear of scratching it. We KNOW the pot's clean because we know we've washed it so, for us it's not a big deal but I'd be embarrassed if I had someone over for coffee and they saw that it looks like we just emptied the coffee out, and made another pot without cleaning the pot. When it goes through the cleaning cycle, these discolorations disappear but, I'm not going to soak the pot in vinegar every night! It's not really dark staining or discolorations so please don't let that stop you from buying this. Or, maybe it's just the pot that I got. BUT, really, all in all, the discoloration of the pot is a minor thing. And, the different "clean cycle" is a minor thing. If something happened to this one and I needed to buy another one, I'd buy this one again! What's most important is if it makes a good pot of coffee and this one does! We use regular, canned coffee and this brewer does a good job with it. And, it's a HOT pot of coffee -- some coffee makers lack that and initially serve mildly hot coffee, until it heats more while sitting there. I've tried various coffee makers. This one's really good at doing what it's supposed to do."
"Update 5/2/2015: I finally found the "leak". For weeks I have found a puddle of cold water under the coffeemaker after making a full pot. I thought it must have been me being sloppy when filling the tank. Turns out this is a FEATURE of the machine! There is an overflow hole in the back where you fill the tank with cold water. Two lifestyle problems with this. First, I like to fill the machine using my faucet's spray nozzle. Saves a lot of measuring and pouring. But this creates waves in the tank as it's filling and when it gets near the top they slosh out the overflow hole. Second, I need to move the machine out from under my cabinets to open the top to fill it. With a full tank for a full pot, when I push it back under the cabinets the water in the tank sloshes and spills out the overflow hole. I didn't notice this hole before since the whole tank inside is black. So, Mr. Coffee Machine designers: put the overflow hole HIGHER. Make the coffee pot bigger to accommodate any additional water. So, with this additional annoyance I have dropped my rating from 3 starts to 2. It does the job, but with too much annoyance for me to recommend to anyone. I brew one full pot (12 cups) most days, for use throughout the day. (I am a programmer and like to have a cup every couple of hours.) The best I can say is that it works and is cheap. The 2-hour auto shut-off is just too short for me. Many is the time when I go for my next cup and find it has recently shut off and I either need to nuke the new cup or turn it back on and wait for it to reheat. That variation in temperature doesn't do much for the quality of the coffee. My previous pot had a 3-hour shut-off which was just about right for me. It decidedly favors being filled from the right: it has a top opening door with a hinge on the left side where you add coffee grounds and pour water. It's position on my counter is to the right of the sink, which makes it impossible to fill water from the sink using the spray hose. As others have suggested, it tends to leak. The basket holding the coffee filter is flat on the bottom and tends to retain some liquid after brewing. The spring-loaded value that lets you remove the pot during brewing is weak and does not close quickly enough when removing the pot later, and some water drips out onto the hot plate. The LCD display is too small, inset deeply so it does not get much ambient light, and I can't read it without a flashlight - needs a back-light or to be angled to get ambient light. The power cord is quite short, making moving it around (e.g., to pull it out from under cabinets to open the top door) difficult. The labels on the controls are also quite small and difficult to read without a light. Finally, I don't much like the colors: lots of black and some chrome plastic. Does nothing for our kitchen decor. Wish it came in other colors (like white). 15-year-old Braun that we loved but started leaking after 15 years. Wish Braun still made that model. I bought it because a) it was cheap, and b) it was highly rated on Consumer Reports online."
Mr. Coffee BVMC-SJX33GT 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, Chrome (Compare deals from $34.92)
