Krups Coffee Maker Review

The Krups Coffee Maker FME4-14 12-Cup

I needed a new coffee maker. My old el-cheapo old Mr. Coffee was - well, old. Not that there was anything seriously wrong with it, it worked fine, but it was so cheap looking. I wanted something that looked better in the newly remodeled kitchen, and the premium quality of a fancy new Krups coffee maker would certainly be fitting of the new kitchen.

Indeed, it was time for a new coffee maker. I've been quite happy with my Krups ice cream maker. The name is known for quality and well respected. Basically, if 'Krups don't make no junk', then I can't go wrong. I went ahead and bought the Krups coffee maker at a local store - the usual research for user satisfaction would surely be a waist of time for a Krups device. I didn't even consider other fine names such as the Bunn coffee maker, or the Cuisinart coffee maker - why should I? This is a Krups after all.

Usually, when you go to the discount stores, anything in a box has been rifled through. Even at your better bed-bath & kitchen type stores you must crawl under the shelves in dire hopes of finding just one box without signs on tampering. The tampered boxes might have been purchased and returned to the shelf - incomplete - as 'new', or perhaps some slob needed an extra part. Either way, it is not acceptable. Bingo! - found a virgin package.

A nice looking machine, it goes well with the kitchens stainless steel appliances. See Kitchen Remodeling Pictures for a detailed tour including stainless steel appliances. The new coffee maker complements its neighbor, the Bunn coffee grinder, and gives that warm cozy feel of Krups quality. After an initial review of parts, washing and running a few cleansing pots of water through its plumbing, it's time to follow the manual through the features.

Lets get down to the nitty gritty

• Unfortunately, while the Krups coffee maker has some nice attributes over the old Mr. Coffee, it is not exactly what you would call perfect. Setting the time of day, and programming the start time were easy enough - with manual in hand, but the manual left out a few important details. Despite publishers omissions from the manual, I figured out how to turn off the loud beeper that alerts - 'coffee ready'. I have an alarm clock to snooze me awake. I don't need incessant beeping coming from the kitchen, which I cannot turn off without getting out of bed. Mission accomplished, beeper turned off.
• The Carafe - It drips while pouring from a full (or even half pot) onto your counter top. The lid of the carafe has an opening that expects coffee to be pored from a full carafe, but the opening is not wide enough, and so things spill. You can correct for this with a thumb on the lid handle to elevate the lid, but then the steam pours out and burns your thumb! Way to go!!!
• Although it hasn't happened yet, the carafe handle is only glued to the carafe. It will probably break loose some day, spilling hot coffee and broken glass everywhere, including you or your loved one. No metal band secures the handle to the carafe for a fail safe application. Something we do see on the 12$ Mr. Coffee.
• A water filtration system is a great feature. Unfortunately, it does not work. The water filter looks like a bloated tea bag, loaded with activated charcoal. This water filter fits inside a holder. The water filter holder sits inside the water reservoir, where the water is sucked into the system for brewing. All fine, since the water being sucked in for brewing will go through the water filter. There's just one problem... It floats! Even after soaking the filter in water according to the instructions, the water filter and its holder floats in the water. So you have zero filtration at all! Dumb! See diagram below.
• When setting the thing up for the next mornings coffee, I'd prefer to set the carafe in the sink with the lid, filling with water, while I toss the old grinds, and fit a fresh coffee filter. Unfortunately, the carafe lid does not stay up on its own, so I am forced to baby-sit the carafe until full, and then replace the filter. A petty annoyance, I know, but they're starting to build into an entirety of annoyances, rather than isolated annoyances.
• Worst of all, are the buttons. Three out of four of them work ok, but that leaves 25% of the buttons totally malfunctioning. The button for setting the time, switching between auto on, anything time related requires mashing your thumb down on it to get the thing to register - but only after the usual 30 days. I don't rely on it for an accurate time, I have clocks for that. But when the time changes, power goes out, or a special wake-up time happens, it's like pulling teeth. It's the most annoying thing of all - buttons that don't work!
• Speaking of the power going out, there is no provision for a backup battery. Not that I'd expect fresh brewed coffee from a 9 volt battery, but a backup battery would keep the clock and timers current during brief power glitches. Power glitches happen often - and since the button for setting the time does not work, it would be nice if the Krups engineers gave me this contingency. Even the slightest power glitch in the middle of the night, and your coffee will be waiting for you when you wake up.

On the positive attribute side:

• It looks good.
• Visitors will be impressed with the Krups name featured so prominently on your kitchen counter top.
• It makes coffee as good as anything that costing one tenth as much.
• It...
• It...
• Well, It's a Krups! And that's just plain cool!

Conclusion

The Krups Coffee Maker is all thumbs down. At $100 the Krups coffee maker is kind of like a 10$ virgin Colada - lots of fluffy foam, and none of the good stuff. Anyone with experience using the Bunn coffee maker, or the Cuisinart coffee maker, please let me know. I will gladly post your comments on these products.

I hope you have found this review of the Krups coffee maker helpful.