KitchenAid KCM511WH 10-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker, White

Like other reviews, I've had problems with this coffee maker spilling coffee all over the counter. The problem seems to be the level in the back of the unit that is supposed to tell if the carafe is in place (so you can remove it while brewing). The problem is that if the carafe isn't positioned perfectly then the drip will be blocked and coffee will eventually overflow.

It seemed to work for me OK for a while but now it seems to always overflow.

Bad design; stay away.

This is the worst coffee maker I have ever owned. Overflows often with water and coffee grounds everwhere. This coffee maker has to take top honors as the 'Rube Design of Coffeemakers'. Horrid design. DO NOT waste your money on this on this goobered & gomered contraption.

It's more like a Mr. Coffee, at the price of a KitchenAid. Although, I paid close to $100 for it when it first came out. Now I see the price has dropped dramatically. But it isn't even worth $50 for the aggravation you will go through, people.

I purchased this product due to brand reputation for quality, among other things. This coffeemaker LEAKS at least TWO cups worth of coffee all over the counter, EVERY day! I take umbrage at the reviewer who says those of us having trouble "don't have a clue" "don't know what they're doing" or are "using an older model." My machine is less than a year old, the basket goes in just one way, and I have tried several different positions with the carafe. If it was user error, why would my machine work fine for the first couple of months and suddenly start leaking one day, when I have done nothing different? It's as if a part has melted, bent, or cracked. My guess is, this reviewer hasn't had his machine very long. Just wait, mister!

Typically, I set my machine to auto brew, so now I have to put paper towels under the machine to soak up the coffee before I wake up. And that means I have to brew an extra two cups to account for the spillage. What a pain! If I hadn't just purchased this a few months ago, I'd chuck it. (It's also hard to find a coffee maker under 14" high, since my cabinets have low clearance.) Plus, it leaks from the decanter spout when you pour. NOT a great way to start your day every morning, I have to say! :(

Summation? This machine is a piece of junk. The only reason I gave it two stars instead of one is for the sleekness of the design, but KitchenAid needs to go back to the drawing board on this one. If some machines are lemons and some are not, don't take a chance on getting a lemon. You won't know it until it is too late to return it. Do yourself a favor and buy a Cuisinart instead.

First let me say - Amazon's illustration of the KCM511 is incorrect. This model has five buttons across the top, while the Amazon photo indicates only two. Plus the KCM511 has a "brewed indicator", again the Amazon illustration does not indicate this.

I've owned other coffeemakers in the years past from Mr. Coffee, Brahn, Krups, Melitta, a Bodum French Press and now most recently this KitchenAid KCM511. I periodically used the French Press because I've read the optimal brewing temperature is between 190 and 205-degrees ("just off boiling"). I thought the only way to ensure I can obtain this temperature was with boiling water and a French Press. However the French Press is sort of a mess to clean up. That was until I found the KitchenAid. One things I'm surprised about in all the "expert" reviews of coffeemakers from Cook's Illustrated or Consumer Reports, is they don't measure the actual brewing temperature. I read this KitchenAid KCM511 has an 1100-watt heat pump so I figured this would be a primary feature for me. Another coffeemaker option was an obscure $200 model from Holland, who ensures they heat their water to the "optimal" temperature during the brew cycle. However I didn't want to experiment with $200, nor risk out-of-country customer suppport. After my first cup of coffee, I discovered this KitchenAid coffemaker get's the water hot. Especially if the 1-4 cup mode is selected. I've got a thermocouple and in the next few days I intend to measure the exact brew temperature. I'll also compare this to my previous coffeemaker (Mr. Coffee, with a cone filter). But I can already testify, this is the closest to the French Press in obtaining the richest, full bodied coffee flavor.

As far as the other reviews I've read from these other people (having the spill overs, making messes, and errors) they must be flukes or these people are doing something wrong. I actually tried to see if I could insert the brew basket incorrectly or off-center which might be the cause of an overflow. Result: I couldn't figure out how to install it INCORRECTLY. The little loop/handle faces forward - period. I tried both fine grind and course grind with the included gold filter (which I prefer) with no spill-overs. But then again - I've only made about 3/4 of a pot so far (6 cups=6 scoops of coffee).

I've also learned with my previous coffeemakers from years ago (Melitta and an older Krups for example) the carafe needs to be inserted into the housing completley and centered on the warming plate, or the swinging brew basket door needs to be closed completly until it clicks, or else we had spill overs. Some guests at our house un-familiar with those older coffeemakers experienced this first hand, while they did me a "favor" and made the coffee for me. Where instead they spilled coffee all over the counter. My guess is, all the negative reviews regarding spill-overs are from those who don't have a clue or it's from the older model KitchenAids.

I love being able to pour water in from the front, the ease in which the carafe slides out - then in, and the beep to tell me when coffee is done. The beep is appreciated when I'm somewhere else in the house during the brew cycle, for this tells me when the brew cycle is complete ("coffee's on"). I also appreciate the beep when it turns off. That way I know the coffee would have cooked too long if it remain on, the beep was a reminder I forgot to turn it off, or I need to finish that last cup before I rinse out the carafe. The included water filter seems to really improve the flavor. I have an undersink filter already (carbon and sediment) but I still don't like the taste of my water, thus I believe this tantes the coffee flavor. My inlaws (who have a water-softner) always seem to have better tasting coffee than me. The KCM511 owners manual indicates this filter is suppose to soften the water, and the result seems to match the good tasting coffee my inlaws have. I like the basket type filter rather than the cone. The basket method of brewing is what Starbuck's uses, so that's what I went for. My wife who likes rather weak coffee (one scoop for about 3 cups of water) so I'm not sure how the basket type will work for her. I could care less if I have a feature to regulate the warming plate. My previous coffeemaker had this and it was never adjusted or utilized. We could point and say "look at this feature", but nobody used it. I trust the manufacturer regulates the warming plate at an optimum temperature, thus I won't overcook my coffee as it sits there.

The other negative comments I've read (cleaning indicator never going out or error codes) - this is where I'm going to rely on KitchenAids no hassle replacement warrenty. Instead of whining about it and living with it, I'm gonna have it replaced.

Cons: The downside comments I have are rather minor. #1) It's sort of awkward to determine how much water I've poured into the resevior - for there's no external level indicator. The filter handle in the back of the resevoir has a cup indicator, which isn't easy to read. #2) I'm not sure yet if I'll miss a 12-cup capacity maker. But I didn't want to go to KitchenAid's giant 14-cup maker. Most of the time we brew only 6-8 cups anyway. #3) The cup # makings on the side of the carafe are sort of confusing, with two columns - a water column and a coffee column, which are slightly offset. Even after reading the owner's manual, I'm guessing the water side (the left column) is how much water you measure and pour into the reseviour if you want (for example) 6-cups of coffee (the right column). After it brews into the carafe, I read the right column of numbers indicating the amount of coffee brewed. I suppose some water is absorbed and remain in the grounds, thus obviously I need to put in a little more water than six cups - if I want exactly 6 cups of brewed coffee. Sort of technical and exacting detail I never really cared about.

Carafe BREAKS, have replaced 2 in the past year, it's not me -it's the carafe!! spend your money on another model or different brand.