Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've had this for 2 years now. (BTW, a "cup" is a STANDARD 8oz., for those of you confused as to why you don't get 12 MUGS of coffee out of this (cue the eye roll)). Pros: Most impressive to me is the fact that this would stay on, keeping the coffee hot AND fresh tasting, for 4 hours. Always with a glass carafe, I would find the coffee undrinkable (flavor-wise) well before the normal 2 hour shut off. It would taste burned or too thick (due to evaporation?). This is kept at an excellent temp and doesn't go bad, perhaps due to the fact the the coffee is in an enclosed, lidded environment. Not sure. The built-in water filter allows me to fill the water tank straight from the cold water tap. Way faster than getting filtered refrigerator water. Also, that filter is $$, while the water filter for this is pretty cheap ($8 for a dozen, or thereabouts). As with just about every coffee maker on the market, in order to get the strength you want, you tweak the amount of water to the amount and type of coffee you are using. I like a strong french roast: fill the water to 10 cups and the basket up to the brim. Is it as good as my french press or my stovetop espresso maker? Heck no! BUT, I do have a pretty darn tasty cup of coffee ready and waiting right when I roll out of bed (love those programmable timers). Cons: Least impressive is the gauge, or coffee quantity indicator. It reads full after taking out around three 12 oz mugs. Conversely, when it reads half full, there is ony one mug left. Pretty minor inconvenience, once you know how it keeps score. Another bummer is that my insulated beverage container is too tall to fit under the dispenser. The coffee tank is easy to clean, just watch it when you dump it into the sink. It doesn't have any type of spout and the liquid will come out sideways (you'll find out what i mean). Just keep it below the sink line when you pour it out. Overall though, after 2 years, it has cranked out pot after pot of tasty coffee.