bit-tech Shopping: Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200 Coffee Maker

• 1-4 Cup Feature
• Automatic Shutoff
• Brewing Complete Audible Beep
• Clock
• Heat Control
• Water Filter

Rating: 2

Time with product:

Strengths: Looked great in our kitchen.

Weaknesses: Shuts off after a few minutes.

Summary: After just a year the warmer started shutting off after just a few minutes. Nothing is worse than having your second cup of coffee be tepid and your third cold.

Rating: 6

Time with product: 2 Years

Strengths: Timer features , auto shutoff, 1-4 cup brew cycle

Weaknesses: Built to not be repairable by owner and based on several others' comments only lasts for 2-3 years.

Summary: Only lasted 3 years then for about 2 days it would shut off after just a few minutes. That was all the warning I got before it just completely died. No way to fix since they use non-standard security screws which are recessed so far that you cannot get them out w/o the correct tool (which of course they have). I'll give a factory reconditioned unit a try but 1 more failure and it's bye-bye Cuisinart.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 2

Strengths: Same as first review

Weaknesses: Same as first review

Summary: We've now had our DCC-1200 for about 2 1/2 years, and it still is as good as the day we first plugged it in. You can read my original review if you scroll down through the older reviews. That review was written after owning the machine for about a year.One thing that has impressed me since writing the original review is the "cleaning cycle" function. It took nearly two years for the coffee maker to finally tell me that it was time to clean it. We followed the instructions exactly and the results were amazing. This thing does not do cleaning like every other coffee maker; it's different. It has a special cycle that runs when you clean it, and it is very efficient. We captured the "debris" that was removed from the mechanism using a regular filter. We couldn't believe how much "stuff" was purged from the machine.In over two years, nothing has failed. The clock will survive minor "power failures" without resetting to "12:00 AM" every time. A prolonged power failure will cause it to loose the time setting, but the electronics must have a storage capacitor in the circuit that let the clock hold it's settings through minor "power blips" that we have often here in Houston. If the power is off for longer than, say, 30 seconds, it probably will need to be reset, but it's great to not need to reset the clock.We are careful to be certain that the carafe is underneath the basket valve correctly when we set up the machine, so we haven't had the spillage problems others have had. I can see how that could happen if the valve on the basket isn't open as it should be when the carafe is in position on the warming plate.Speaking of the warming plate, we still have to keep ours at the middle temperature setting; "High" is still too hot for us.I generally set this machine up in the evenings, before bed, so I'm not so groggy when I pour the water into it. I can see how some folks might thing the water opening is a mite too small for early morning setups. Personally, we don't ever spill any water, but maybe others are more shaky early in the morning. My advice: just set it up before you go to bed!If this coffee maker failed, I would immediately go purchase another identical to it. In fact, if I ever hear that it is to be discontinued, I will actually go buy another one and keep it in the box until the day ours dies (which I'm sure it will ...someday).This is far and away the best coffee maker I've ever run across, and I hope they keep making them for many years. We would have had to buy at least two lesser machines by now. It's paid for itself, and that's what we were looking for when we originally bought it.

Rating: 4

Time with product: 2 Days

Strengths: Very hot, flavorful coffee

Weaknesses: Unreliable

Summary: We're on our second one. We used the first one for 18 months and loved it. Excellent flavor. Except when the valve wouldn't open and the coffee went all over the floor. This increased in frequency. Then it started to just perk forever and never complete the brew cycle.Oh, well, it's old. We'll replace it.We have done that. Two months into the new one and it's déja vu all over again. The valve sticks about 25% of the time. Yesterday it wouldn't finish its cycle.Time for a new brand.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 2 Months

Strengths: Great tasting coffee - not burnt, not weak, not weird tasting - great every time.

Weaknesses: I've yet to find a weakness.

Summary: After reading all comments, both negative and positive, I went ahead and bought this machine. And, I'm happy I did. Many negative comments sound like they're coming from those who probably don't handle any type of appliance with care and respect. I mean, it's just a coffee maker (and a darned good one), not something that takes a rocket scientists expertise to get the best out of it. If you have a problem treating these kinds of items with care and respect (for the fact that none of them are intended to be used by grizzly bears or elephants) and going ahead and trying to beat the daylights out of appliances and other products, in order to declare "there, you see, it's a shoddy piece of equipment and now it's broken, then you should probably just go to Starbuck's for your java fix. I've yet to see the frailties many posters talk about. I haven't found anything wrong with the design, operation or functionality of it. I love its design and appearance! So, I would heartily recommend it. And yes, I would buy it all over again.