I bought this to replace my Cuisinart coffee maker that just quit on me after 2 years.  I had a difficult time figuring out how to program to brew on autostart.  I read the directions several times and finally had to unplug the machine because it kept starting a brew cycle and wouldn't respond to the "off" button.  I am considering returning for a less complicated programable model.  I do like the charcoal filter and gourmet brew feature, as we like strong brew, so I may just see if I can eventually learn how to program this to brew.  It was one of a very few 12 cup makers, as most are 8 or 10 that I found.  This mid price coffee maker was reasonable, but I am willing to pay more for a coffee pot that is easier to program.  The hot plate didn't keep the coffee as hot as I'd like, but it does have an adjustable temperature for that.  To conclude, this does brew coffee, but if you want plug and go with easy programming, this isn't the coffee pot for that.

lacee75

Bullhead City, AZ

My wife just recently bought this coffee maker for me and so far i like it. it has alot of the features that some higher end coffee makers dont have like gourmet brewing which i like once i figured out how to use it, it really does make my gourmet coffee taste a whole better we also have very hard water so the charcoal filter comes in very handy so that it does really make the coffee taste better also.

txguy9112

Alvord, TX

I recently purchased the GE 12 cup coffeemaker. Right off I was confused as to whether or not I needed to use a paper filter, so I purchased some anyway. After getting it home, I realized that it had the built-in filter which it clearly shows on the box but I just wasn't sure if it was just for holding the paper filter or not. It is an easy to clean filter that you just pull out and dump out the coffee grounds in the trash, rinse, and place back into the coffeemaker. I did notice that there is coffee sediment that settles in your cup and in the pot. Since I have always used paper filters, I wasn' sure if that was a good or a bad thing. I have also tried using paper filters with the built-in filter and the coffee turns out fine. I should also mention that this machine makes both gormet coffee and regular, though for gormet you are using twice the amount of coffee. Overall, it is a great coffeemaker, easy to use and looks very pretty on my counter. Update 4/18/2011: This could completely be just a one time thing or maybe we had a defective machine or because of the bad water here but after only two months the machine broke down. I really liked it so I was disappointed that it broke down so quickly. We didn't get a new machine like this but instead bought a different machine.

AmandaSonntag

Southwest, MI

This coffee maker has alot of great features. I love the filter inside that filters the water as it brews. Makes the coffee taste better. I also like that it tells you when to clean it and change the filter. It makes a full pot of coffee in a reasonable amout of time. Has all the preset buttons to have your coffee waiting on you in the morning. The one con I have is it auto shuts off to quick. I can never get through the pot before it shuts off and gets cold. Easy to fill water tank and filter basket.

lbolling2

Hopkinsville, KY

This coffee maker worked fine at first; the coffee was delicious, it looked good on our counter, it was fun to use with all the features, and we had no problems. A couple months into using it, the coffee started to get watery; we had to use a ton of coffee grounds to even get a decent brew. We lived with this for a while, probably out of laziness, but it just got worse and worse until it was unbearable. We ended up throwing it out and getting a Bodum. I expected more of this name brand, and after this experience, I would never trust a GE coffee maker again. We were diligent about cleaning it and keeping the charcoal filter fresh, but it still made terrible coffee. Our new coffee maker is much better and we can actually taste the full flavor of the bean which was non existent with the GE.

audreypb

Orem, UT

I have trusted GE for years. My whole kitchen is in GE appliances. I became very excited when this coffee maker came out. It would match everything perfectly! I got it home, and as soon as I took it out of the box, I already had problems. The carafe was broken. I called customer service who didn't have any replacements, so they advised me to take it back to the store to get an exchange. I got it exchanged and took it home. The glass is VERY thin, so I always wash mine by hand. I love the gourmet feature. It makes even the cheaper brands of coffee taste more like the more expensive brands. I don't use the charcoal filter since it is an optional feature and I really didn't notice a difference in taste. Overall, I think it's a good value for the price, but if you want coffee every day, just remember, you get what you pay for.

CassyGerling

Saint Louis, MO

We bought this coffee pot as a QUICK replacement when our old one just up and died after several year. We would have totally bought the same coffee pot, but the store no longer carrried it. I hated it within the first week. Only reason we didn't return it is because the box was discarded. The pot still runs when you take the carafe out. Isn't that what the litte stopper thing for? To stop the coffee from flowing when you take the carafe out? Also, no matter if you are extra careful when putting the coffee in the filter...it STILL winds up in the coffee. Also, no matter what way I tip the pot, no matter how fast or how slow I pour, coffee still ends up all over the couner. Makes me crazy!! Currently, shopping for a new pot!

rlatting

Goreville, IL

I am not a coffee drinker. My husband loves it. I have bought him several different coffee makers through the years and found that even the most pricey of coffee makers can have problems. When his last coffee maker stopped working last year, I had to rush out and get him another one quickly. He drinks a carafe full every day, especially in the winter, so I wanted to get him a nice coffee maker since it gets well used. I found the GE 12-Cup coffeemaker 169209 and it looked really nice and sturdy so I got it for him. He was really pleased with it. Some of the features of it are a charcoal water filter, pause and serve function, programmable to brew at a set time, splash guard on the water tank, oversized drip head, mesh filter, and automatic shut off after 2 hours. It also has a brew strength selector to let you adjust how strong you want your coffee. It also has a self-cleaning cycle. It brews really fast which is very helpful for the few times the power went out and messed up the auto start cycle. It will have 12 cups brewed in a matter of minutes. My husband is impressed with it, and he said his coffee tastes great with it.

BamaMomma68

Cottondale, AL

I love this G E Coffeemaker. We received it as a Christmas gift this past year and my husband & I both love it! We both enjoy drinking coffee and some of the coffee makers that we have had in the past seemed to have made bitter coffee, but not this one, thankfully! We have tried lower brand makes of coffee and gourmet coffee and the results from both types are very good! Its features for auto brew, cleaning, time setting are all very easy to use. I love the warm cup feature to keep my coffee warm. Also, this coffemaker lets you adjust when you want it to shut off - it gives you a choice to set it to go off automatically at 60 or 90 minutes or 2 hours. It beeps when the coffee is done brewing, but not to loud so it's not annoying if someone else in the house is sleeping. It has a nice sleek design so it doesn't take up to much room on the countertop. This is a really nice coffeemaker without breaking the budget!

berettas

Kempton, PA

I would like to preface this review by stating that I no longer have this coffeemaker. I had to replace it about a month ago, when the pump apparently failed in the middle of brewing a pot. Nothing I tried worked, and so I had to get a new coffeemaker. Having said that, I'll continue with the review. I owned this coffeemaker for three, almost four years. I used it every morning, and quite often again later in the day to make a pot of tea (it's easy, just put the tea bags in the pot and brew water), or to just run water through for hot chocolate or for recipes that required hot but not boiling water. Having owned it for such a short time doesn't make me feel cheated or ripped off, since I used it so frequently. Before the pump failure, this thing seriously performed. The auto shut-off feature was wonderful, although I never usually forget to turn it off, it gave my fiance an extra feeling of security whenever he heard the shut-off beeps. The programming feature was also very easy to use, and I liked waking up to a fresh pot of coffee. The hot plate portion of the coffeemaker seemed to stain and get crusty very easily. Nothing I did removed any of that nasty burned residue. The light behind the clock is a BRIGHT blue. It illuminates a lot in a dark room. After getting a puppy and setting up her crate in the kitchen, I ended up having to unplug the coffeemaker to get rid of that light.

hilltopmom

Reading, PA