This unit replaces a Keurig mini that I now us for travel. It makes a flavorful, hot cup of coffee. I have been a Keurig fan for three years. I purchased this machine in Feb. 2010 from BB&B. Like other readers, I have had a few pump problems when there seemed to be an air lock in the pump and water would not flow into the heating chamber. The instruction booklet tells you to turn it off and unplug the unit, then restart. I have found that when I refill the water tank I just need to make sure it is properly seated and tap it to make sure the water is getting into the hose that pumps it into the heating chamber. I also use the hot water feature the first "brew" after refilling the tank to make sure the pump is pulling water. (The easiest solution to the pump "problem" is to not take the water chamber off of the base and just refill it with a pitcher as needed.) I did some online research and found that this pump problem was suppose to have been fixed since I purchased my machine. I might have returned this machine for the newer "fixed" model if the BB&B where I purchased it had not closed. I love the coffee from this machine and have had no further pump issues since employing the solutions noted above.
Now, my buddy convinced me to get the Cuisinart. I have owned many Cuisinart kitchen utensils, but never anything electric. So I was skeptical to say the least. But at the same time I had to replace my last 2 Keurigs. So why not.
Now, 2 months later, a whole lot of coffee (125 servings +) and it is working great! I can only hope that Cuisinart has a more reliable vendor for there water pumps than Keurig. As that seems to be the big issue with all Keurig machines.
The Good:
-Power Switch is on the side of the machine (compared to the back of the machine on Keurigs)
-Water Tank Size
-Replaceable Charcoal Water filter
-FREE, reusable Keurig coffee filter
-Quiet
-Reliable (so far)....what a concept
-More cup size options
-"Rinse" button
-Pre-set water temps
-Auto On/Off
-Read-Out display clearly states "Not Ready" and "Ready"
-"Hot Water" button will dispense a full cup of hot water (which ever size you have selected will be dispensed in hot water)
The Bad:
-Power Switch is on the side of the machine....PUT IT ON THE FRONT ALREADY!
-Large footprint
-"Low Water Level" flashing blue LEDs are annoying. Its a clear water tank, I can see its low/empty
-Bottom catch/drip tray doesnt stay in place very well
-If you place a K-Cup inside the unit before its "Ready" (see above in The Good), it will not recognize the K-Cup once it is ready to brew. So you must lift and close the access lid one more time to allow it to brew. Not very time saving.
-"Hot Water" button will dispense a full cup of hot water; so if your machine is used primarily for coffee, you will have random loose chunks of old coffee grounds floating around in your cup of hot water since its inevitable to NOT get coffee grounds on the unit.
-Parts are not necessarily dishwasher safe. So I suggest hand washing periodically.
I will try to remember to give a 6-month review on the quality.
*****FOLLOW UP*****
08/01/2010 (175+ K-Cups)
Sadly, this follow-up is not what I had hoped. But, maybe it needs to be de-scaled/cleaned? Anyway, here is the new "problem"....(tsk tsk tsk)
The Setup: The machine, after brewing a cup will "prime" the system by sucking in what I would consider about 1/2 of the water necessary to brew a cup into the system itself. I would think this is done to heat the water inside the system, so the water temperature stays at a more consistent/constant temperature. This makes sense considering the machine has pre-set water temp setting and it must be quite difficult to keep the water exiting the system at a constant temperature.
The Fail: After brewing only one cup, the system triggers the prime function and sucks in how ever many ounces it needs. But, it doesnt suck in any water. The machine makes all the appropriate noises, but the water level inside the tank stays the same and it wont stop! This function normally takes about 3-5 seconds to complete. 10+ seconds later, it still has not achieved anything (poor little water pump)! That will be the number one killer of a water pump is dry-cycling. Argh!!!
So the solution so far is to shut off the unit, turn it back on and viola! It works! Now every time the unit does not have enough water inside, it will always prime itself by pumping in the appropriate amount of water. So this causes the water pump to work 2-3x more than most coffee pots. Maybe its over working the pump?
*Clean/De-Scale the unit: This is recommended every month or so. I have chosen NOT to do it since I use bottled (distilled) water 100% of the time along with the little charcoal filter that comes with it. I dont want to go waste 3 bottles of water cleaning out a system that should be perfectly clean anyway! I would assume the clean/de-scale is meant for people who have good tasting tap water (which we do not have in Las Vegas).
Maybe the charcoal filter is "clogged" and not allowing water to seep through as quickly? Who knows...
Ill update if anything else goes wrong!
*****FOLLOW UP*****
8/28/10
Problem continues as posted above. I have de-scaled the system, but it didn't help. The entire system was perfectly clean and de-scaling did not dislodge anything. Ive come to now realize this isn't really a problem as much as it is an inconvenience. You must cycle the system off/on to make it work. I let it sit a few night ago for about 3 minutes, and it never remedied itself. =0(
*****FOLLOW UP*****
11/27/10 (Unit #2)
Finally had to replace it! The machine has gradually become slower, noisier and overall horribly inefficient. The machine would take forever to heat up, multiple attempts to suck water into the machine from the reservoir and then began dispensing water back into the reservoir and not brewing coffee. Last 5 days before the machine was finally returned for a new unit, brewing coffee was painful and time consuming. Took 3-4 cycles to brew a single 12oz cup. Got it replaced and got a new one last night. Amazingly, this machine really got worn out fast. The new one its a whole lot quieter, faster and some simple things like the on/off switch works a lot easier and other issues.
*****FOLLOW UP*****
03/05/2011 (Unit #3)
The water pump again took a crap on me. The unit and pump had once again slowly gotten noisier and slower. This time (the past few weeks) the unit took about 10 seconds of wait time to simply begin brewing. Just as a reminder. I am the only person using the unit. The unit runs about 1.15 servings a day on average. Pretty crappy reliability. But...more "free" coffee and a new Keurig "Make Your Own" filter. Im up to 3 now!
Buy Cuisinart SS-700 Single Serve Brewing System - Powered by Keurig Now
I have both Keurig and Cuisinart K cup machines...About me... I am an embedded systems design engineer and know about control systems and such.
Food processing products should only use parts ( components ) in the water / control systems internal to the coffee maker that are "fit for purpose" as designed to be use with WATER.. as a coffee maker uses water.
I have opened several of my failed Keurig and Cusinart K cup machines and found that they are using an AUTOMOTIVE Market Pneumatic Solenoid Valve made in China.. part number SH-V0829...Google this number if you want to check and see this. It is designed for auto seat cushon inflation and has a built in LEAK RATE of 1CC/Min at 4 PSI for air compresser unloading used in seat cushon inflation systems. It is NOT WATER PROOF and DRIPS inside the coffee makers in the transformer and the air pump near the bottom getting the electric motor wet and make it smoke.. My coffee maker was way too young to smoke .. hahha just a joke..
The folk that make this coffee maker IN CHINA think most folk are too stupid to find out about their use of cheep and unfit for purpose components inside their coffee maker. I have attached a DOOR and Hinge on the back of one of my coffee makers that I keep repaired personally.. and buy the replacement control solenoids on ebay to keep my coffee maker working.... THIS SUCKS..... I was ripped off...
I did not pay for a rusty solenoid that leaks water inside my $250.00 coffee machine. When I call Keurig... they do talk some but avoid the topic of this solenoid.. just reading a standard reply statement... When I talk to Cuisinart.. they have nothing to say but want my $10 for shipping a replacement unit... also with the same defective solenoid inside of the same type and part number...
I want to like my coffee maker.... but I do not like being treated like a fool ...
My old Mr Coffee has very nice insides... good design.. and lasted a long time... I am wanting to see Mr Coffee make a K cup that I would like... Cuisinart and Keurig are only about making money .. and not delivering INTERNAL quality of their product with this machine.. They come from the SAME China factory...and they are made using non water proof no O ring air only pneumatic solenoid valves... The part numbers are on the side of the solenoid if you care to open up your machine and look... Do not have it plugged in if you do.. safety first..
I hope you like having RUSTY water in your hot water for making tea and coffee.... the solenoid does rust internally as it is only for air usage...not made for water exposure...
I have photos and also plan to use this experince in a control system class I teach at a University as an example of poor ethics in business manufacturing...
I need not say how MAD I am over this discovery .....and the lack of interest from the folks that make this product..
Barnum and Bailey.. a sucker is born every minute... that must be their motto..
I must be a sucker... THAT SUCKS
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I have been using a Keurig Platinum Machine for about a year now and had to replace it 2 times. Once for both hot and cold water draining out of the bottom of the unit and the second for making expresso size cups when I asked for the 11.25 oz. cup. I returned the Keurig and got this Brand New Cuisinart about 3 weeks ago. It works great, the water container is larger and the max cup size is 12oz. I get great cups of coffee and the machine works beautifully. I use regular tap water with the charcoal filters and the coffee taste is super. So far this machine is the best I have had and I think Cuisinart makes a superior product every time. You can make your own Kcups since Cuisinart has included one in the side of the machine for your delight at no extra cost.Want Cuisinart SS-700 Single Serve Brewing System - Powered by Keurig Discount?
My wife and I began the "single serving" coffee maker quest 4 years ago. We went cheap at first, purchasing a Black & Decker unit for $56...what a disaster!!! Water all over the place and extremely disappointing flavor results. So we decided to quit messing...I do mean MESSING...around and got ourselves the Bunn "My Cafe'" for $350. We were satisfied with the results despite the noises it produced, but found that again, the inconsistency of the results due to varying fineness of the grind between different brands. Too course, it was weak, too fine, the machine had a heck of a time pushing through the water so you had to perform two cycles to get the amount of coffee we desired, plus it put a strain on the pump and discharge line. Well after a year or so, the inline check valve on the discharge line split...leaking water all inside the machine and all over the counter. We decided to get another one since overall we liked the results....and it worked fine, right up to the date we got the Cuisinart SS-700. The deciding factor was we were seeing that Pods were going the way of the Betamax...getting scarce, and expensive online (shipping etc). So I started making my own pods with the "Perfect Pod Maker"....what a pain in the %#*! It was time to make theswitch to the Keurig system! Friends of ours had gotten the basic model Keurig maker a year ago, we weren't particularly impressed with the flavor, plus the noise was horrid. So I did my research and found that the Cuisinart model consistently review positively, and one independent testing outfit said it was flat out the BEST...period. So we took the leap.
First off, it looks impressive! But as I found out, that impressiveness went way beyond it's looks. The initial set up was straight forward and effortless. Even setting up the clock/automatic functions was a piece of cake. My first actual test of it's coffee making abilities was with using the included My K-Cup reusable filter with the coffee I was using to make my own pods with.....ASTOUNDING!!!! 1000% difference in flavor. Plus the noise level was extremely low, it went through the cycle effortlessly. So I said, "okay, what will the pre-packaged cups do?" I was blown away! Fantastic flavor, the temperature was spot on, and virtually no mess. I have since brewed a dozen different flavors/brands, and each one becomes my new favorite....SOLD!!!
I have gone through this long, drawn out review to indicate that I have seen all the rest/best....folks, you CANNOT GO WRONG with this machine. It is the rare combination of not only looking great...my wife LOVES that part, but we both are giddy about the results it produces. And it does so not sounding like a 747. I think what separates this unit from the others is the brewing temperature. All I know is that we are both rediscovering the pure pleasures of a good cup of coffee that is hassle free to make, from a unit that is pleasing to the eye. Take it from someone who has been on all sides of this "single server" equation... the Cuisinart SS-700 will bring you great coffee pleasure...end of sentence!!
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