A good basic coffeemaker

Author's Rating:

Pros: Brews very fast. Simple construction. Made in USA. Replacement parts should be no problem.

Cons: Never let the water tank run low. Remember to shut it off while vacationing.

The Bottom Line: 
Buy this if you want a coffee maker that will last for years.

Author's Review
We bought the Bunn B10B to replace our broken 1 year old Mr. Coffee URX33. Sometimes we are enticed by timers, beepers, buttons and digital displays, and forget that all we really wanted was a good cup of coffee.

Friends and relatives said they were happy with their Bunn coffee makers, a product that is probably most well-known as being the mainstay of the company lunchroom. Yes! A good basic coffee maker without a bunch of electronics to go wrong. Made in the USA too!

We picked one up at the local Kohl's store. The Bunn works a little different. As mentioned in other reviews, you have to pre-fill it with water that it then heats. When you add more water, the previously heated water makes the coffee extra fast and then the cold water is heated for the next batch. Ingenious.

It brews really fast. Like Right Now! No more need for a delayed brewing feature.

Simple sturdy construction should make it reliable. Two on-off switches. Stainless water tank exterior. Removeable coffee pot lid for easy dishwashing. The heating plate for the coffee pot appears to be real porcelain enamel. I've never seen another coffee maker with this feature. This makes it impervious to everything and easy to clean too. It should last for years.

Made in USA means replacement parts should be no problem. They recommend you should use genuine Bunn filters because they flow better and thus are better suited for the fast brewing cycle. We are still using up our old filters and it hasn't been a problem. The grounds get up to the sides of the filter but I've never found grounds in the coffee.

Note that for fast brewing, the unit is always switched on with a batch of hot water ready. Ideal if you are a daily coffee drinker. Plan ahead if you only have coffee once a week or less. If you let the unit sit while the tank heater is on for a week and you haven't used it, your first pot of coffee will be short due to evaporated water. Simply add more water. The switch on the side should be shut off if not using it for more than a few days. If you ever forget, and leave the unit on for several weeks without using it, the tank may run dry and burn out the heater. Just remember to shut it off at vacation time.

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2 years later and it's still working great. The tank heater is a little noisy, but I understand I need to clean out the lime buildup. We broke the carafe and were worried about where to get a replacement. A quick Internet search revealed the Ace Hardware carries Bunn. Called the local Ace and they had replacement carafes on the shelf. I think it was $15 with tax.

A little trick when not using high-flow Bunn filters: It brews really fast, so if you are making a full pot, sometimes grounds can wash up over the sides of a regular filter and get into your coffee. According to the instruction book genuine Bunn filters flow faster.

So if using regular filters, put a second filter ON TOP of the ground coffee. This helps regulate the water flow and keeps the grounds sandwiched between the two filters. No more grounds in your coffee. You don't need to do this if only making half a pot.