Sunbeam 6171-115

My little Sunbeam coffee maker is an invaluable asset to my kitchen and has never let me down. I hear about coffee makers only lasting a few months to a year, but this one is two years old and still makes coffee every morning like a champ.

Part of why I love it is its simplicity. There is no clock, no timer, no variable heat setting – just an on/off button. I don’t need all those fancy add-ons at all; just operating the one power button is about all I can manage before my first cup of coffee anyway! My Sunbeam brews up to twelve cups of joe in just a few minutes, and it’s easy to know when it’s done because the gurgling of percolating water stops. That signature sound is my favorite wake-up call every morning!

Ours is black, and fits our decor very well. It also doesn’t take up much space, which is good for our small kitchen. The whole unit is shaped to resemble an hourglass, and is remarkably pretty for such an inexpensive coffee maker. The carafe is sturdy and easy to handle, plus the lid is hinged over the pouring spout and again where it attaches to the carafe. This makes pouring and cleaning it very easy. The water reservoir is at the back, but the top lid opens very wide and the unit is very easy to fill. The percolated water is carried from the bottom to the coffee and filter basket through a spout that pivots out of the way when you need to add coffee or clean out the used grounds.

The whole coffee basket comes out when you need to empty the used coffee grounds, so you don’t have to scurry across the room to the garbage with a wet, dripping filter full of used grounds that could spill on the floor any second.

The spout that delivers the brewed coffee to the carafe is spring loaded, which stops it from dripping coffee onto the hotplate when you remove the carafe to pour yourself a cup. We haven’t even had any problems with steam bubbling out upper cabinets, so it must not let out that much steam.

All in all, this little coffee maker is incredibly utilitarian, while attractive sitting on our counter. It’s been incredibly reliable and we love it.