A look at what is currently available on eBay
How do you decide which coffee maker to purchase? What things do you look for? What things...?
...to avoid? Give examples
What about the brands? Which ones are better than others? Not just with Consumer Reports, (I looked there already) How do you decide on a particular one?
I have had a Bunn in the past that lasted several years, in fact It was still working when I gave it away. I now have a Hamilton Beach Brewstation and have decided I do not like this. I have also had a less expensive one in the past, I believe a Protor Silex that just dripped-no frills. I also had a Senseo and gave that away. I didn't care for the flavor of the pods...too strong, and the 'flavors' tasted the same.
I would like to know about the ones that put the coffee directly into a thermal carafe. Does anyone have one of these? Are they worth it? Give me your thoughts on this type. I know the other ones the coffee starts tasting bad real quick, how about these?
Is it the coffee makers or the coffee that is the problem? Please help! I need a solution before Christmas.
I can only speak about what I have...
But if you don't need a full pot every time, then the one we use, Braun KF600, is great. It has a thermal pot, so it is cool to the touch, but more importantly doesn't "cook" your coffee once it is made. We normally make our coffee about 6:30-7 am and at 10:30 - 11 am it is still warm (it is recommended to wash the pot out with warm water if you don't plan to drink it right away so the pot isn't "cold" when the hot coffee goes into it. It just helps keep the coffee warm longer.
It will make a full pot, but we only drink about 5-6 cups, so why waste the coffee.
Brewing Coffee is chemistry, as you may already know, you need the right amount of water at the right temperature to extract the right coffee flavor. Despite some people thinking we are crazy, we use 1 tablespoon of coffee per 6 oz of water, and it is GREAT coffee. Not too strong, IMO, it just has a rich taste to it.
About ever 2-3 months, we run white vinegar through the maker, then 2-3 runs of just water to clean out the vinegar taste maker. It really makes a difference in the taste of coffee.
We've also had our Braun for 4+ years (if we don't have the 600, we might have the older model). We looked at CR and the looks at the reviews on Amazon with this maker). It has been well worth the money we paid for it.
Also, another side note, is to look at/for a French press... it is some of the best coffee you can make. Many times, you can find a French press at a Rosses, TJ Max, Tuesday Morning or other discount store for $10 or less... while we don't use ours every day, we use it 3 or 4 times a week, usually at night when we aren't in a hurry. The two keys to the French press, IMO, is:
1) Don't boil the water, if it starts boiling, let it cool before putting it in the press, otherwise it scorches the beans
2) Follow the directions for the amount of coffee grinds to use.
If the coffee is too strong, brew it less time in the press, if it is not strong enough, brew it longer. I have found it to be some of the best tasting coffee ever. I thought maybe it was just me, but my parents, siblings, and in-laws have all bought them since they've had mine 
Hope this helps.
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