Cuisinart DCC-1100BKFR 12 Cup Coffee Maker (Renewed),Black

Our coffee maker - a Cuisinart DCC-1200 - finally died after 5 years (the heating element gave out). So, we needed a new one but didn't really want to spend the money for a DCC-1200 right now. Isn't it funny how things tend to break at the same time, or all the big expenses seem to come together? We've had a few lately and an expensive coffee maker wasn't in the budget.But we liked our Cuisinart so much, we thought another one would be a good bet. So we started looking at other models. Finally, we settled on this one. It is almost the same size, makes the same amount of coffee, too. While the 1200 has a metal face, this one has more plastic. They both have a timer. They both use exactly the same carafe and filters. This had everything we needed at a savings.(The 1200 does have an extra feature where you can adjust the temperature of the heating element. This one doesn't have that but we didn't really use it anyway. The opening where you pour the water in is slightly smaller on this one too. )Trusting in Cuisinart, we went for the factory-refurbished one to save a few dollars. It came out of the box looking pristine. If it was ever used, I can't tell - the factory got it back to new condition. Only the box was a little different.I gave it a wipe down, installed the water filter and paper filter, and we were ready to go. The instructions say to run a pot of plain water through the first time around, and we did so. And that was all the prep that needed to be done.And, like the 1200, it makes great coffee. My husband -- the designated coffee preparer and diehard java aficionado in our household -- thinks the coffee tastes exactly the same coming out of this model as it did our previous one. I do, too.It also has a pause function (as does the 1200) so you can pause it to pour a cup or two before it completely finishes brewing. We love that - so often can't wait to get that coffee into us in the morning! :-)The refurbished machine doesn't come with a gold filter (the manual mentions this) but we still have the one from the 1200 if we want to use it. If you already have a #4 gold filter around from another machine, it'll work (they're very inexpensive here at Amazon too). Otherwise, it uses #4 cone filters and comes with 3 of them to get you started.I still slightly prefer the look of the 1200 -- it looks a little more substantial, with less plastic, but that's not much of a consideration to me.Very pleased to have this coffee maker - and to be able to wake up in the morning again without having to pick up a cup at the corner coffee place or the gas station!

Great hot coffee that is ready in the morning when you want it by using the programmable feature. If you don't know when you're going to get up, prep the water and the coffee the night before, press the button to brew, and in a few minutes you've got your coffee. A win, win either way!We used to be big fans of the Braun coffee maker but they are no longer made and so we decided to try out the Cuisnart refurbished 12-Cup. It looked brand new when it arrived but did not have the gold filter as stated; the seller immediately gave us a ten dollar refund to purchase one on Amazon which was more than adequate to cover the cost. We really like the coffee maker with the possible exception of a problem that is inherent in all white plastic coffee pot lids, and that is staining. Soaking the lid in a half cup of white vinegar and very hot water helps tremendously; I've also filled the pot to the brim with hot water and vinegar to remove staining on the inside glass as well on the white pour spout edges. We're going on five months with this appliance and are liking it, including the charcoal filters which have helped tremendously with our extremely hard water.

Have owned one of these for about 7 years. Still works but looks a bit worse for wear. And the carafe lid no longer fits tightly so leaks when pouring if your not careful. The pressure from the filter holder above and I guess heat has definitely pushed it in and warped it. The gold filter has also started to come apart along the top edge. Decided rather than replace carafe and filter alone, I'd just invest in this. It's a good unit, capable of making a couple of mugs (about 4 coffee-size cups, which are not a measuring cup, you know) or a full 12 coffee cups. Of course, the less you make the more coffee you have to use for the same strength, so I usually make 6 and just turn the machine off after making. Find the coffee acceptable reheated in my microwave. Better than letting it sit on anyway. Thought about a Keurig, but was disinclined to play with filling the little baskets, and the pre-packaged ones are expensive. No point in shelling out for more stainless and pointless programming. HOWEVER, as several reviewers have said, unlike a new machine, this refurbished model comes with no gold filter basket. It does include several paper filters and one carbon water filter. I don't use the latter anyway, but use water from the Culligan water filter attached to my kitchen faucet (available here at Amazon, and a very nice unit). This refurbished one looks brand new and I'm hoping will do as well as the new one.

UPDATE (2021):Upgraded to 5 stars because we still use this coffeemaker and still have never had a problem. We've used it anywhere from a few times a month to daily in the past 5 years. I will say that we don't really use the programming functions so I can't speak to the longevity of that feature. We have used it multiple times in the past and it worked fine.It still works great! It still looks great!We've gotten used to the lid coming off every time. It's a minor inconvenience.ORIGINAL (2016):Really like this coffee maker, and I want to love it, but there are a couple small things that prevent it from getting 5 stars. I purchased this refurbished. Not a single problem!PROS:-programmable-great size (not too big a footprint)-stylish-love the gold tone filter (purchased separately)CONS:-the way it's designed makes it hard to pour water into the reservoir-the coffee pot's lid does not flip up, so you keep having to take it off and put it back on