Krups FMF5

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Krups FMF5

by justin
(Ithaca, NY)

Krups FMF5-14 10-cup
programmable coffee machine

My wife and I received this coffee maker as a wedding present from our registry in December to replace a stalwart old Mr. Coffee coffee maker we’d had for years. Ultimately, I wish I’d done more research before registering for this contraption.

The coffee maker satisfied everything we wanted from it in store: it had a thermal carafe, was programmable, and filtered the water before it brewed. The fact is it was the only coffee maker available in Macy’s at the time that satisfied all three of these requirements so it seemed a no brainer.

But after we started using this Krups daily, I kind of started to miss our old Mr. Coffee. The coffee produced by the Krups tends to taste burned and the “maximum extraction” mode that is to be used when making only a cup or two of coffee produces a tarlike substance that is definitely not drinkable, let alone palatable.

Some months of experience have allowed us to tweak our coffee production to account for the Krups machine overheating the water, so I would be satisfied with it now if that was the only problem. Unfortunately, its problems extend to periodic error messages which show up and disappear apparently at random and a faulty fill tank guide which fills with bubbles if you pour water into the reservoir at anything faster than a trickle.

Ultimately it was not the coffee maker for us and I suspect that it’s simply a flawed model all around. I definitely do not recommend this purchase.

Comments for
Krups FMF5

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Dec 20, 2011
Rating

disappointment NEW
by: Greg

While mine is still working going on 3 years, I still hate it. I am finally going to replace it this week. The coffee has never brewed hot enough, and it always tastes funny. I can buy dunkin doughnuts coffee, and brew it exazctly as described and it still tastes like gas station coffee. I can buy a cup of coffee at DD and it is 100% better. Ive tried bottled water, distilled water, unbleached filters, and still no luck. I brew delicious coffee in our Bunn machine at work and it stays hot through the entire cup. I am seraching now for a better machine for my kitchen. Mine still works but I wouldn't give it to anyone for fear of retalliation.

Oct 13, 2011
Rating

Empty Water Reservoir
by: Owned 2 Krups

This is my second Krups machine,as the first one died when it wouldn't stop leaking. I bought a 2nd one because I thought it made good coffee, which I still think. Unfortunately, my 2nd one will only show "Empty Water Reservoir" and no longer works. Sadly, I have to face the reality that this coffee maker stinks.

Oct 08, 2011
Rating

Bad purchase
by: Jason b

Strangely enough, the first few "reviews" are, I believe, employees of the company because sure do sound rehearsed and fake. I bought this piece-o-junk 2 months ago but stopped working after 1 month! No BS! It displays low reservoir icon on screen and won't brew a thing. No matter what I do it won't go away. Went out to buy a cheap maker and works just fine. Its ugly but aesthetics aren't everything!
Do not buy a Krupa product , at least a coffee maker!

May 18, 2011
Rating

Coffee NOT HOT ENOUGH
by: Anonymous

I have to warm up my cup of coffee in the microwave 2-3 times before I get to the bottom of my cup. It is simply NOT HOT ENOUHG.

Mar 26, 2011
Rating

not hot enough from get go
by: hotcoffeelover

Had this coffee maker for 3 years now. Lost receipt or would have returned it the first week. Coffee is not brewed hot enough, and cools off very quickly in the carafe. To get the coffee to stay really warm you have to preheat the carafe. Who has time to that every morning. It is now 3 years old and it just stopped working all together. This is the 3rd coffeemaker I have owned in 35 years and definetly the worst....

Mar 24, 2011
Rating

Lasted a while but the clock went bad...
by: Anonymous

Coffee is good, pot is ok, but hard to use to pour water in as the spout is a bad design, and the location of the clock means that the slightest spill ends up on the clock, so now that doesn't work.

Feb 14, 2011
Rating

money wasted!
by: need coffee

bought this coffe maker not quite a year ago. was ok, but waaay over-priced for the quality you recieve. This may have been a good company prior to the recession, but I would say they have drastically cutout the quality control department?!
The coffe wasn't spectacular. It did seem to heat the water to a high degree though (read potential burn issue here).
The real problem I have was the auto shut-off feature just started today. (reports the resevoir as empty when its full). Thought it was the air bubble in the level indicator at first, completely emptied, and tried again with no luck.
Going out the door right now to buy another coffee machine, and, IT WILL NOT BE ANOTHER KRUPS!!

Feb 13, 2011
Rating

Worked for exactly 45 days....
by: Bob

For anyone that buys this machine (Krups FMF5), I offer good luck. I am a 47 year old helicopter pilot, and I would not give this machine to my enemies, much less a friend. I read all of the other posts before replying with this one. I must say that I am amazed at the people who offered more than 2 stars. They must have winning lottery numbers as well. Good for them. I regret that I did not discover the issues with this model, until after I bought it. Yes, I had a previous Krups model from my time in Germany (it lasted about 12 years). This one lasted about 45 days. I bought it new from Bed Bath & Beyond in CT, during an after day Christmas sale (29 DEC 2010). Today, the electronic controls just blink (13 February 2011). Unplugging does not help. I have not read anything that helps. The good news is hopefully my wife has learned that not all the fancy, expensive, euorpean coffee machines are as reliable as she thinks they are. Whatever happened to simple elegant designs which you just manually turn off and on. Krups has probably outsourced some critical componet required for operation to a third party to save money. This should be a 60 minutes news story......

I will not by a Krups replacment.

Jan 09, 2011
Rating

Wish I had seen these reviews. . .
by: Anonymous

I thought I had done my research before purchasing a new coffee maker to replace the miniature Mr. Coffee from my college apartment days. Apparently not, as I missed these reviews, found only after my Krups (owned less than a year, but magically "out of warranty") refused to believe there was water in the reservoir when it was completely full. Tried shaking it, unplugging and replugging, reprogramming - I hear you Mr. 8888 8888 8888! After a frustrating phone call to customer no-service and one to NY, I will likely be looking for a new Mr. Coffee. I also agree with the reviews about the bubbles in the water level indicator and the difficult programming, but I was willing to overlook because I generally liked this machine and it made good coffee. Until it stopped working. Too bad.

Dec 17, 2010
Rating

makes good coffee, but....
by: Aston

Krups makes a great tasting cup of coffee and does it quickly. I loved that about the last three Krups machines I've purchased. Yes, three.

The first one was retired after years of faithful service when a plastic part broke and could not be replaced. The second one died after about a year. It started getting glitchy and then one day just stopped working. The third one, which I bought less than six months ago,died this morning. I guess it tried to warn me yesterday that something was amiss when it spontaneously turned itself on. I unplugged it and plugged it back in again three times; the first two times it turned itself on within a few seconds after being plugged in. Third time's a charm: I thought I had successfully 'rebooted' it. It behaved just as it should and I even did a test run brewing hot water. All systems go. This morning nothing. It was dead.

I agree with previous comments about the annoying air bubbles in the water level window. Besides early onset of Alzheimers and premature death, both of the last two Krups machines were afflicted with the sadistic water level window on the left side of the machine. The previous model, which had the window on the right side, did not have this problem.

I gave the Krups two stars because it really does make a great cup o' Joe, but apparently you have to replace it every six months or so.

Nov 04, 2010
Rating

empty reservoir error
by: Susie

I am having the same problem that others have described regarding the empty reservoir display. I have had this coffeemaker under one year.
Will not buy another krups product.

Oct 07, 2010
Rating

Just a bad coffee maker
by: Bob Maysen

I have had this coffee maker for two years and all I have had is problems, it leaks all over my counter, coffee never stays warm (yes I did what they suggersted about filling the pot with hot water before brewing)and now it just won't work at all.

Sep 14, 2010
Rating

Some of these reviews sound fake
by: Anonymous

I am skeptical of some of these glowing reviews which are weirdly detailed and sound paraphrased from a press release from the Intl Housewares Show. "Krups thermal coffee maker has several wonderful features...which is perfect for our busy lives," COME ON.

The con is on; some account executive has been charged with spinning the account rating into a higher average. How can there be such 180 degree viewpoints on a product that clearly has quality control issues?

This is disappointing because we need to replace a Krups coffee maker that we've had for about 7 years. They no longer manufacture our model and it seems as though the replacements are less than well regarded.

Apr 01, 2010
Rating

broken after 6 months
by: Anonymous

Keep getting error messages and coffee would not brew. Finally it stopped working all together because the sensor died. I was told to send it back to NY to have it fixed. I decided to just dump it and never buy another Krups product.
The other thing that drove me crazy was the beeping to tell you coffee was done. I had to disable the beep every day.
Don't know what happened to this company. They used to produce a reliable, good product.

Mar 31, 2010
Rating

least quality for the most money
by: Anonymous

I purchased this coffee maker about 1 year ago because I wanted to have coffee ready for family members who got up at various hours of the morning. I found that the coffee did not really stay warm for very long, and actually the coffee is not that hot right after brewing. Because I had spent so much I decided to just deal with it. Now, less than 1 year after purchase the coffee maker has stopped working. I called Krups because I was getting the "empty reservoir" icon despite it being full of water and was told it could be a fuse or something with the hotplate, but that it would have to be sent to NY for service. Considering what shipping would cost and the fact that the could not give me any idea what service would cost, I'm assuming it will be cheaper to buy a new coffee maker. Something other than Krups.

Mar 11, 2010
Rating

Beautiful Junk
by: hswMass

Pros: Looks Good on Counter
Cons: Ah, where to start...
1. Carafe liner is not sealed to the external cover..water gets in and leaks when you pour. If you preheat with hot water and get any on the top rim, or wash in dishwasher, forget it.

2. Water level display is utterly and entirely useless. You will ALWAYS need a measuring cup (or funnel...see next point).

3. Very awkward to pour water into...cover is hinged at the back so you pour water over the top of maker or in the little 'magic zone'with enough space on the side. Owners who pour in water without spilling get special manually dexterity award badge.

4. I am pretty tech savvy, but programming this sucker is a chore. I have given up. Can you blinking 8888....8888....8888...8888?

5. Not exactly the hottest coffee.

6. Entire unit smells like burnt plastic.

7. If you press on before water is in chamber, the unit freaks out...hot water explodes into coffee filter sending dry ground coffee all over the machine and into the coffee (gets behind filter), then some incomprehensible water level symbol comes on (blinking of course)and you must unplug the unit and start over.(goodbye programming hello 8888...8888...8888).

8.If the German's who designed this unit ran WWII, we would have won in 5 minutes.

Oct 23, 2009
Rating

Broke after 6 months
by: Debi

For a top of the line coffee maker it sure doesn't last. Haven't even owned mine for 6mths and its down the tubes.

Has a feature where if you forget to put water in it it won't brew good idea till it refuses to believe that there is water in the coffee maker!!!! So now the damn thing won't brew period. Good thing I used my airmiles to get this product and didn't dish out the $100.00.

Plus service sucks, sent email to company about this problem and still have not gotten a reply. Come to the conclusion that the cheap models of coffee makers are way better. They may not have all the bells and whistles but they sure in the heck last a lot longer.

Apr 22, 2009
Rating

Convenient, stylish and makes good tasting coffee
by: Dana K

Before getting the Krups FMF5 I had a simple little Coffeemate coffee maker – and I’m really glad I made the switch. The FMF5 isn’t a cheap coffeemaker (I think we paid about $100 for ours), but I love that I can set things up the night before and have coffee already made for me when I get up in the morning.

It’s got a really stylish design, too: black and silver, so perfect for a kitchen with stainless steel appliances. I’ve kept the smaller Coffeemate maker for camping trips, but the FMF5 is perfect for home. It makes up to ten cups of coffee at a time, which is more than enough for my household, and the carafe is probably the coolest part of all. Instead of a simple little glass carafe like you would see in a diner, this coffee maker has a thermal carafe that keeps your coffee hot for you for hours.

This is a particularly good feature for couples like my husband and I, as we don’t always get up and go to work at the same time each day. We can set the coffee so that it’s ready at 7:00 AM, and he can pour himself some when he gets up, and I can pour myself a cup at 8:00 AM when I’m getting ready.

It’s extremely convenient, stylish and, most importantly: it makes good tasting coffee. It doesn’t have that mineral taste that you get with some coffee makers. Basically, I’m glad I made the upgrade to a nicer machine. It’s definitely been worth it.

Apr 22, 2009
Rating

The perfect coffee maker
by: Alicia

I bought this coffee maker from Bed, Bath & Beyond about 6 months ago. Krups is my absolute favorite brand of coffee maker, so I always buy their brand for ourselves, friends and family. The product is high quality and is a great value for the cost.

The last Krups coffee maker we had lasted for 10 years, and we only bought a new one because we were looking to match a specific look for our newly remodeled kitchen. I love this model because it has a double-walled stainless steel carafe, which matches perfectly the rest of our stainless steel appliances. Also, it is just my husband and I so we don't need a 12-14 cup pot. This model serves 8-10 cups, which is perfect when we both have a cup of coffee in the morning and then fill up our thermoses.

It is an automatic drip machine with a very reliable timer, which is crucial in our busy lives. It also automatically turns off after brewing - once less thing to remember when trying to get out the door in the morning. The other feature that I love and is so handy is the pause and serve feature that allows you to pause the brewing so you can pour yourself a cup of coffee before the pot is done.

It keeps you from creating a mess and cuts down on any waste. This machine makes amazing coffee, is high quality and won't break the bank, Basically, it is the perfect coffee maker!

Mar 09, 2009
Rating

Lots of nice features
by: Anonymous

In my opinion, the perfect way to brew coffee is with a thermal coffee maker, and while there are several different brands on the market, my wife and I recently purchased a Krups 10-Cup Thermal Coffee on Amazon. We chose Krups because the company is German and has been around for years.

As with all thermal coffee makers, once the coffee is brewed it’s stored in a thermal carafe which is what keeps the coffee hot, not the burner. As a result, brewed coffee remains hot in the carafe for up to an hour or two and never becomes cauterized or burnt. Conventional drip coffee makers have a heating element that coffee pots rest on which is what produces that burnt taste. Before they even made thermal coffee makers, I used to pour the coffee from the pot into a thermos as soon as the brew cycle was completed to achieve the same end.

This particular Krups model touts a double wall stainless steel vacuum insulated thermal carafe. Well, sorry, but that’s just a bunch of hype. All thermoses are double walled, that’s what makes a thermos a thermos. The instruction manual boasts a 1,100 watt heating element which Krups claims is more powerful than other machines and results in a quick brewing. Krups suggests that because of this “quick brewing “ capability the bitterness from slow brewers is eliminated. Total bunk.

While I noticed a faster brew time in our new Krups, the bitter flavor of coffee is not caused by brew time, it’s caused from brewed coffee resting on a burner or heating element for too long. Another advertised feature is a cascading brew head——ever look to see how water is dispensed in drip coffee makers? If so, you’d notice that all drip coffee makers have cascading brew heads.

Like most upper-end coffee makers this model has a programmable timer. One feature I really like in this model is the pause and serve function. Once the coffee starts brewing you can remove the carafe and pour a quick cup without spilling coffee. One totally useless item they included is a programmable auto-off feature i.e., you can program the coffee pot to turn off from between 1 to 5 hours. The whole point of a thermal coffee maker is not to rely on a burner keep the coffee warm. The last thermal coffee maker I had shut off automatically within 5 minutes.

A couple of more features I really like on this model is that it beeps when brewing is finished, it has a descaling indicator, and if the water reservoir is empty, the machine shuts off automatically. It’s also easy to clean and the “fill” line is easy to see. Even though some of the features on this model are advertised as being exclusive (which they're not), all in all we are very pleased with this coffee maker.

Although this model is a little pricey, Krups does make variations of this model that are less expensive.

Feb 10, 2009
Rating

Fantastic Coffeemaker
by: Chuck Russell

I just recently purchased Krups FMF5-14 10 Cup Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker from J&R online. At first I was a little apprehensive because I had never purchased anything from that manufacturer before or at that web store. But our older model , a Cuisinart, had stopped making coffee I could drink and I was in a hurry to replace it.

After using this new model for several weeks I have to say that I'm very, very pleased. My wife was a little worried that maybe we were overbuying but I have to tell you that she's been converted to the Krups way of life. She uses it as much as I do (she's a coffaholic) and I'll throw some of her comments in here as well.

This is the third coffee maker I've owned in the past 5 years and I have to say it is more than I could have hoped for. Compared to old product Cuisinart and older product Mr. Coffee this one has all the bells and whistles. I can even do hot water with it for tea. There is no way you'll ever be able to pry this out of my cold, dead hands. Our kids have even asked if they could have one too; both are in college and drink a lot of Joe. It would make a perfect wedding or anniversary gift too.

Here are our collected, random thoughts:
Pros:
1. It has an incredible amount of heating power. It makes coffee fast
2. It's easy to clean and dishwasher safe
3. It keeps on working; we sometimes brew several pots a day
4. It's attractive and neat and fits into our overall décor; stainless is good
5. It's much more economical than our old; for some reason we use less coffee
6. The design is neat and easy to use
7. It's programmable
8. The warranty is just what we needed; as I said we've gone through several others.
9. The store's return policy made us feel safe; no questions asked if we hated it.
10. Our dog thinks it's great too; ok so he's hooked on coffee too.

Cons:
1. It's a little noisier than I wanted. You can hear that thing brewing in the bedroom - but at least I know when it's done.

We feel as though this is a great value and would be anxious to hear how others feel about it too.

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