I don't know how well other brands last, but this seems to be about par for the course with Keurig. Whenever a Keurig discussion comes up my (and many others') recommendation is to buy it from somewhere that won't give you a hard time about returns, such as Bed Bath and Beyond or Costco. I specifically bought the Cuisinart branded one because it has a 5 year warranty, more than any others, at least at the time. This one has happened to last for a couple years so far, but I suspect it's just luck.

If an appliance is rated to be operated at 110VAC, any voltage above that may significantly shorten its life.

If your electric power at the outlet is not steady, or has electric surges/spikes, it may be a possible cause. Although it is not likely, but possible.

You may try a different outlet, because some appliances on the same electric branch line may be generating what is known as capacity/inductive surge which can be damaging.

There is no way to find out unless you have a recording power meter.

dcarch

dcarch - it's a VERY common complaint about Keurigs. They are simply not built to last in a normal working environment. If I were the only one with this problem I'd consider your advice, but in this case it's quite obviously the product itself. Mudlady and I are not alone by a long shot.

My Keurig is about 4 years old and has only had one problem that was cleared up with a paper clip and an electric toothbrush and following a googled instruction video.

I have never considered buying one of these machines because of the cost and the cups are also expensive. I have a little one cup coffee maker it makes one cup at a time. My first one died which was a Black and Decker which I liked better than the one I have now it is some off brand. They have a little filter basket for the grounds I add a heaping teaspoon of coffee dump water in the top and hit the button. They just don't make machines of any kind to last anymore. Patty

Would you consider a french press?

I don't drink much coffee either, only a few cups a week at most. I love my french press, now that I've perfected using it. And it's nice that it produces no waste.

I've had a Keurig for a few years. My first one "died" after about 18 months ~ just stopped working one day.

(It IS possible to open up kcups and put the ground coffee into the basket of your "reserve" coffeemaker in an emergency.....)

A friend advised me to return the machine to my local Bed, Bath & Beyond and they would exchange for a new one. I was reluctant since I had not purchased my machine there but gave it a try. Apparently, since the company is a major distributor of the Keurig they are able to replace and return the dead machines to Keurig for restocking.

I'd give it a try. Saved me $110.

beth

I've never considered a Keurig because of the cost of the machine and the little cups, plus all that packaging from the little cups goes into the landfill.

I've been using a Chemex. It's just a glass carafe with a filter cone that fits on top. Add your coffee, pour hot water over the grounds, it filters down into the carafe. No electricity needed, nothing will ever burn out or stop working. It does take a little more time, though, to boil the water and then pour it over the grounds.

It makes the best coffee I've ever had, hands down, and unless you drop it and break it, it'll never stop working. It is somewhat less convenient, however, than automatic coffee makers of all types.

Elery's sister also had a couple of Keurigs. One lasted 11 months. She bought a new one and it lasted about 9 months. She took that one back and got another one and now doesn't use it because she figured out that coffee was costing her about 80 cents a cup and she and her husband were drinking 5 or six cups a day between them. Her husband now drives to the local McDonald's every morning and buys two large decaf coffees and she doesn't make coffee at all!

Annie

French Press for me. The concept makes the most sense to me for good coffee making.

The three most important factors in good coffee making, and the French Press does them all.

1. How dark you like your coffee. You can use as much coffee ground as you like.

2. How hot the water to use.

3. How long to brew the coffee.

If your FP does not have metal parts, you can even use your microwave.

dcarch

I never gave a thought to the increased paper waste from using K-cups. It is important. I absolutely love Green Mountain coffee and used to buy it whenever I went to Maine--it wasn't available here until fairly recently. However, I am a big time believer in buying in bulk. I used to get my K-cups for about 47 cents each but now it is more like 50 Cents. I search online for sales and free shipping and buy 100 or more K-cups at a time. I did have a little plastic and glass single cup maker I used when camping so I could go back to something like that. I am getting some ideas from the various responses here. Thanks!
Nancy

I have a Nescafe Dolce Gusto It uses pods and it is 2 years old and going strong. Besides regular coffee you can make lattes; there is an additional pod for the steamed/foamed milk. It also is faster than the Keurig and the coffee is very hot.

I have a single person French press and also a Vietnamese coffee maker which is similar in function to the Chemex. My reasoning is similar to dcarch's. In addition, I prefer to buy Fair Trade coffee which pays a fair amount to the grower rather than the pittance most large coffee corporations pay. And it minimises trash.
DD has a pod coffee machine and I don't like the taste as much as the French press. Our national consumer magazine recently did a blind taste testing with coffee judges of pod-type coffees alongside French press coffee, and the pod-type coffees did not perform well.

I've been tempted to give to Chemex a try since learning about it here. I've not found a brand of keurig pod that I love, and every cup of coffee costs me close to a dollar because I can't brew to my desired strength more than 4 or 6 ounces. (I usually do one of each for a cup.) But it's so darned convenient!

All this talk about about the best cup of coffee from a French press, thinking I got to try this. I have gotten a lot of my small appliances from the thrift stores. I got a Bodum brand French press a while back and had not tried it yet. I hate to do the omg in big letters,this is thy best cup of coffee ever. The price on the box was $2.50 but I am sure I got it on half price day. Who can go wrong at that price. You have changed my life, love all the new things I learn here. Thanks Patty

Just a tip: I usually skim the floating grounds with a spoon before plunging the filter in the FP. I find it reduces the sediment that a lot of people complain about with a FP. But I think using a coarse ground would also help with this.

I agree, I think it makes a great cup of coffee.

We have had two Keurigs. If this one goes, I would still buy another in a heart beat. Bruce doesnt drink coffee everyday, so it is just so easy to make one cup for me.

If one would go out and buy a coffee everyday, it would be possible to have the Keurig payed for in what 3 months time.

To bad these machines dont last longer, but for me it is my necessity of getting the morning started. Dont have to many habits, but my coffee is one! Hate dealing with coffee grinds. K-cup is so easy.

I've heard about their unreliability. I was interested in getting one, but was warned off by all the negative reviews, on every site I visited.

So it's Mr. Coffee or the French press for me.

Wow, 18 months or twice that is horrible. I keep noticing them at costco but pass them by from the waste and extra expense. With the failure it is an absolute no go for me now. We use Melitta which is essentially like a kemex although I occasionally use the french press but I find that the fine grounds that slip by (and yes I have a burr grinder), and having to dispose of the wet grounds without breaking the glass carafe keep the melitta on the counter.

Sis received one from her boss at Xmas and it crapped out a few weeks ago. She has no plans on replacing or having it repaired. They like it for the convenience but the cost of the cups and the amount of counterspace it took up not so much. They're back to using the Hamilton Beach Brew Station I got them last year.

I have no interest in them or a Tassimo. I loves my Hamilton Beach Brew Station. Highly recommended in CR and by myself. Fast, easy to clean, easy to fill, and no carafe to clean or break.

You can get shatter-proof French Press.

dcarch

Trudy, the SIL was drinking two or three cups of coffee in the morning before work, she figured it was costing between 70 and 80 cents a cup (plus electricity, water, etc). BIL gets her a large coffee for $1.79 and that's it for the day. He also drank two or three cups but now he waits until he gets to work and drinks his coffee there. I don't know what they were using but I can guarantee McDonald's is better, that stuff she had was the worst coffee I've ever had and I've had some disgusting coffee.

She's a math teacher so when she finally figured out that she was paying somewhere around $144.00 per month for coffee, she was appalled. Now she figures they spend less than $60.00 a month, although they each have coffee on weekends and sometimes they get an extra cup after church on Sunday but she doesn't have to do anything, including wash the mugs.

I buy green beans, roast them myself, grind them and make coffee with the Chemex. Elery didn't drink coffee because it set off his acid reflux, but the stuff I roast and do in the Chemex doesn't bother him. Now that we're both drinking coffee, a pound of green beans lasts about a week. I've been paying $4.99 a pound for Columbian at the Mediterranean market, so I'm getting an entire pot per day for that month for about $20.00 plus filters and what it takes to heat the water.

The only problem is that it does not stay warm, so I have to put it in a Thermos.

Oh, and a big thank you to Michaelmaxp, who first planted the idea of roasting my own beans, and to Renee/beantheredunthat, who first taught me what good coffee tasted like, and to Cook's Illustrated who showed me how to roast coffee with a popcorn popper!

Annie

OH my no that is a huge amount for coffee!

Have seen the Chemex on a You Tube video....if and when the Keurig quits I may check it out. Roasting beans in a pop corn popper now that is different.

Call Keurig and see if they are willing to do anything for you... it can't hurt to ask. From the reviews I've read, many people to have the same problem and sometimes Keurig will just send them a new machine. They have a really good reputation for customer service.

However, I found one that someone had thrown away and it works fine, but I called customer service to ask a question... I was on hold for a long time and when a lady finally answered, she was more interested in getting all my personal information (does she really need my address, e-mail address, and phone number to answer a simple question about the My K kup thing)....

There are so many options available for refillable k cups that the argument of the k cups being expensive is irrelevant. Of course then one might wonder why not just get a regular small coffee maker instead and that is a good point.

Hope you find something that works for you, and if you call Keurig and they do anything for you, please let us know!

Bed, Bath and Beyond just replaced my co-workers Keurig. It was her second, she'd had it just over a year and it had clogged somehow. I think she tried to unclog it and it worked for awhile, then clogged again.

I'm on my second Cuisinart, exact same model with the aluminum carafe. Nothing fancy (except the carafe is fancy to me, anyway!). It doesn't grind the beans, and I'm addicted to setting up the coffee the night before so it's ready when I get up in the morning. I know it's probably not good to let it sit all night, exposed to air, but I don't get out of bed in the morning until I've heard those five magical beeps.

I buy Peet's Sumatra, usually $7.99 for 12 ounces. I used to go to a local shop that roasted their own beans, but they went out of business. Annie, maybe I should investigate roasting my own!

Would never consider one due to the expense - we usually drink a pot between two of us. We pour it immediately into a stainless carafe and it stays hot and fresh. Even when I just make coffee for me I use a simple 1-2 cup drip maker that I put on top of my cup, heat water from my hot water dispenser in the microwave and voila - wonderful coffee just for me. No muss, no fuss - I toss the paper filter and grounds.

Trudy, it was actually very easy with a hot air popcorn popper, I got the instructions from the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated!

Of course, my husband the gadget man couldn't just let me use the popcorn popper. He bought a coffee roaster from Burman Coffee, the Fresh Roast SR 500. Now I put coffee into the roaster, push the button and in about 7 minutes, the coffee is roasted. Pour into a bowl to "off gas" for 24 hours, then stick the lid on. A roaster full will last a couple of days, I usually roast 2 batches consecutively and get 4 or 5 days worth of coffee beans. It's so simple that my 9 year old granddaughter, The Monkey Princess, did it. She wanted to go to school and be the only one in her class that roasted coffee. She was, LOL.

The only thing that was kind of a pain about the popcorn popper was dumping hot beans into a frozen metal colander and agitating them to cool and stop the roasting process. Plus you can only do about 1/4 cup at a time.

If you try it, though, you'll be amazed at how good the coffee is...

Annie

I do the same as Annie - filter, not roasting. Although, if I could get my hands on some beans, I would! I buy a good organic coffee and it does a great job and no extra garbage being produced - sounds like I would also be worrying about the the equipment also being thrown out along with hundreds of little plastic cups. When I pull the filter out of the cup I just bring it to the front door and throw my grounds on the lawn - I have a nice green patch there.

If an appliance is rated to be operated at 110VAC, any voltage above that may significantly shorten its life.

Nominal voltage in the United States is 120 VAC. Actual voltage will vary by location and even time of day. Many folks will say 110 or 115 volts when talking about electricity but the standard is 120 volts.

The specs on the Mini (which I think is what the OP mentioned) is 120 VAC.

It's absurd that a coffee maker fail after 18 months. Yet another example of crappy quality standards and America's race to the bottom. My mom has a Hamilton Beach percolator that is probably 40+ years old. It works just fine.

Uh, vacuumfreak, cost is hardly irrelevent. Just because people have the *option* to save money doesn't mean people *do*. Many don't know about it and many as already indicated don't want to exert the effort to spoon a little coffee into the reusable cup so they don't and won't.

For me, $150 for a coffeemaker better include juice, eggs, pork and carbs and set it in front of me and should probably change the channel when I tell it.

I looked at one at Kmart the other day and just shook my head. Can't see me EVER paying $125-$150 for a coffeemaker and then pay 80â for the cup worth of coffee. Not sure how many ounces it makes but I doubt it's more than a McCafe for $1 and probably would take two to equal it so the other argument that not buying coffee would pay for the unit doesn't hold hot water either. I seldom would drink only one cup of coffee. It's a why bother to me at that rate. When I was having surgery and on medication I was supposed to avoid coffee, tea and the like, especially caffeine so I got away from drinking it then could have decaf and now I need to be careful of the jitters. But I still enjoy some coffee so occasionally I stop by and pick up a large decaf McCoffee for $1 while I'm out and about. That's about 2-3 cups and takes care of my needs.

If it's your thing that's fine. I think it's a waste of money. I prefer percolated coffee but there's very little effort involved in a drip maker. A filter, some coffee and that's the extra effort. You still have to put water in a Keurig and clean it.

I also looked at (I think it was) a Hamilton Beach that had a reusable mesh scoop you just scoop your coffee and put it in there. Seemed to make a lot more sense than a Keurig but it was still pretty spendy.

It is crazy that they would fail so quickly. I'm surprised there hasn't been a class action lawsuit filed if there's that many of them having these problems. Although I do have to wonder if it's just a high maintenance item and people too lazy to do the maintenance, which would make sense. People buy it for the simplicity of not having to take out a filter and pour some grounds into it. However they still have to take out the little cup and do whatever it takes so I'm not sure it isn't essentially a wash. Seems like the term "fad" is begging to be used.

Hadn't heard about roasting beans in a popcorn maker. Interesting.

It's not the effort of spooning a little bit of coffee into the reusable cup. It's the cleaning of the cup for the next use. This machine is for people who don't mind paying a premium for a mediocre cup of coffee in exchange for having to do little more than put the pod in, push a button, wait 30 seconds, throw out the pod.

Also, although I have a burr grinder and played around with settings and amounts, I was not able to come up with anything I was happy with, with the reusable cups. Admittedly I didn't pursue it too long - I got tired of washing those darn cups!

As with everything else, we pay a premium price for convenience. People that buy a Keurig should not be concerned with the price of the machine or the cups and the refillable cup pretty much defeats the purpose. There are plenty of coffee makers out there that have a regular filter to put the coffee in and make a small amount of coffee so why bother buying a Keurig if you don't want to use the pre-made cups? Just put it this way...the Keurig is not made for those people living on a budget.

Dare a say it but a agree with Cynic that people that buy a Keurig aren't really going to want to do all that maintenance to a machine...I mean really, they are buying the darn thing because they are wanting quick and convenient...not monthly maintenance! And when you get right down to it, if it lasts 18 months and costs $150...to that person that doesn't care about the cost and just wants convenience...that is less than $10 a month for the coffee making. Just throw the thing out and buy a new one...

If money was no object, would I have one...absolutely...but I'm a tightwad so I'd never be able to justify owning one. As it is, I use coupons and sales to buy my coffee so as to get the most bang for my buck!

They do make very durable Keurig type machines.

You find them in most offices now. They get used 100 times a day, every working day of the year.

No more drip coffee makers in offices (in NYC).
---------------------------------------------
Speaking of that, I think Keurig coffee makers are destroying US economic competitiveness.

In the old days in offices, worker pour a cup of coffee and get back to their work space.

Now with Keurig coffee makers, they spend 10 minutes choosing what they want from the 30 flavors of coffee, spend 5 minutes waiting for the coffee to be made, then another employee comes to get coffee, and then they end up chatting for half an hour.

If I was Mayor Blumberg, I would pass a law outlawing Keurig machines in commercial establishments. :-) :-) :-)

dcarch

ARgirl - That might be a bit too much of a generalization. I would never buy one every 18 months, I just exchange them for free. The person who introduced me to Keurig years ago happens to be one of my most frugal friends. Like everything, it's a personal choice where to save money, time and effort. There's a lot of stuff posted on this forum where people save money making something where I simply can't be bothered. Let's start with bread. If I valued my time at minimum wage, I could not make a loaf of sandwich bread as cheaply as I could buy it. And I don't have to post questions about how to keep it reasonably fresh tasting for more than a day. Others might not factor their time into the equation, and don't mind having to thaw out frozen bread whenever they want to make a sandwich. There's no right or wrong.

This post was edited by foodonastump on Wed, Apr 24, 13 at 8:49

dcarch, I think maybe texting and FB have a leg up on the Keurig, don't you! HAHAHA!

Uh, Cynic, whether or not they want to use the reusable cups is irrelevant. It is an option and if they are that concerned about price, they can make the choice.

I also doubt that people wouldn't know the reusable K cups exist... they are sold right alongside the Keurig machines in the stores, they are advertised on the inside lid of the Keurig box, and they are referenced in many reviews of the product.

cynic, the hot air popcorn popper was very economical, since we really don't care for air popped popcorn, it's too chewy, or something.

So I took the popper which was not being used and repurposed it into a coffee roaster. The kitchen smelled wonderful and it didn't take very long or very much work, other than putting the metal colander in the freezer and pouring hot beans into it, swirling them around until the beans were cool enough to stop roasting.

I need to roast some more beans but I'm waiting until I get my new stuff today. I ordered Tanzanian, Costa Rican and some Kona, got a free pound of Columbian. I really like Columbian so far but I want to try the Costa Rican next. I did not care for the Mexican beans or the ones from Brazil, they tasted kind of "dusty" or something.

So dig out that unused popcorn popper and roast some coffee, if you have more time than money!

Annie

Mudlady, hope you get your issue resolved with your Keuring. Or with all the other coffee ideas on this page, you might change your mind and want something different.

Me....guess from the postings on the forum, I am a lazy coffee drinker.
Well this morning I decided to even have a second cup of my Keurig.

Call me a lazy coffee snob, but hey we all have our vices!

By the way I have emptied the spent coffee into containers for the compost pile!

Hi Cynic--

Your post sounds like something I used to write before I learned, while in my early 60s, that I have Asperger Syndrome. It finally explained to me why I always felt and believed differently from everyone and was often considered to be quite odd. Knowing that I am an Aspie now means that I am careful to be respectful of other people's beliefs even though they seem ridiculous to me. People make choices for various reasons although some may not realize what motivates those choices. I don't recall when I first saw a K-cup brewer but I know I bought one very soon after (first searched for the best price) because I frequently broke the carafe to my 4 cup Mr. Coffee machine. It let me make 2 cups at a time so I wasted only one cup a day. I refuse to drink reheated coffee and I'll bet most coffee drinkers don't like reheated joe. I have poor hand/eye coordination and depth perception and even though I tried to be gentle when washing the Mr. Coffee carafe, at least a couple times a year I managed to drop it or bang it into something and shatter it. I couldn't always find a replacement 4 cup carafe so I used to keep 2 on hand. The Keurig was really a boon for me.
I just ordered a Melita drip single cup gadget and filters. I will have to heat water in the 700 watt microwave and that will irritate me while I wait. My version of being an Aspie includes impatience. ;-) I don't grind my beans so I will be getting my coffee from a one pound can or bag. Freshness will be sacrificed. I will no longer dispose of used K-cups but I will toss a filter every day and a can or bag whenever the pound is used up. I will have to drive to Syracuse (35 miles away) to find a store that sells Green Mountain coffee in a one pound bag, or buy a bag of Dunkin Donuts coffee locally. These are my strongly preferred brands. I'll also have to wash the brewer after each use and I hate doing dishes. I have been using Styrofoam cups when I brew with the Keurig. I do recycle religiously.
Everyone has a different idea of how to save money and mine is that I never buy anything for which I don't have the cash to cover the purchase--the only exceptions are a mortgage and car payments both of which are paid up presently. I keep enough money in savings to cover the cost of replacing larger items like large appliances. I may have to buy another car in my lifetime. I buy absolutely everything I possibly can with my credit card. The entire monthly total is automatically deducted from my (free) checking account and I enjoy the money I get back periodically form the credit card company as a perk. I absolutely never pay my credit card company a cent of interest. I live completely within the bounds of my retirement (was an RN) and Social Security checks. We all make choice as to how we save or spend our money. One of my sons lives as I do and the other always has a credit card balance. :-( I am going to give the non-electric Melita drip thing a try.

Mudlady, if you want to try a French press, you can get non-breakable steel ones from high-end camping stores, and they shouldn't be too expensive. I got DH one because I have one for my coffee (which I got for $1 on a white elephant stall) and which I have had for 10 years or more, and I was constantly replacing the one DH used for his tea because he'd break the carafe emptying it. Finally I thought, "I'll fix his little red wagon" and went searching in the camping stores to see if there was an unbreakable one- and there was :-) and it is :-) :-)

My folks have a Keurig and we really enjoy using it when I'm home. I believe that is the only time they do power it up so several times a year only. To that end it has worked wonderfully. In regard to the refills and being wasteful I felt the same way until my father bought the little refill cups that you fill yourself with grounds. For us these work beautifully. Interesting post, thanks for all the information about these coffee makers.

Kate

Here is a link that might be useful: Refill thingy's

Hmm I've had the same one for 4 years now and no problems. A few friends and family members also have them and no problems either. Guess we're lucky!

I only drink a cup of coffee every few days so it's worth it to me. Plus I get a kick out of offering a variety to guests.

Mudlady, I'm as bad as you are at breaking coffee carafes, I try to always get a metal one that I can't break. My only reason is that I'm clumsy. Fortunately I've not yet broken the glass Chemex, but I hold my breath, I know one day I will.

I hope you find the system that works for you, everyone has different preferences. For now I'm putting my hot, freshly brewed coffee into my old beaten up Stanley Thermos. It stays hot all day and I can't break the darned thing, but it is not pretty...

Annie

Well I'm really enjoying my Keurig mini. I thoroughly enjoy the convenience, the choice of different coffees/teas/hot chocolates, how fast it works, and how cute it looks on my counter. I order the cups from amazon and usually find good prices and free shipping. I also think it makes a very good cup of coffee--suits my taste at least. No problems with it yet and it has been over a year. I make two cups per day. A win-win for me!!

What about this BBB return policy for returning them to a BBB even if you didn't buy it there? Can anyone tell me how that works, my niece has one that only lasted a short time. I'd like to tell her about taking it and getting a new one. So they don't need a receipt? Anyone?

arkansas - that's just what I did when my first machine died.

I just took the machine (no box, no receipt, but all pieces) to my neighborhood bb&b. No questions. No problems. No filling out forms....

The sales associate went to the shelf, selected a matching model and I said, "thank you so very much".

Thank you!

I have a Tassimo. This is my second....the first lasted a couple of years, this one is about 4 years old. I have a girlfriend that has had two stop working for her. Not sure how often she used it. I use mine for 4-5 cups a week....one cup a day for myself; on the weekend I use my auto drip for more than a cup a day.

I have stayed with the Tassimo because of the milk discs for lattes and cappacinnos that I don't think Kuerig has.

The Tassimo is not as popular and therefore the discs are not as highly available as the Kuerig; however, they can be found at Target, Walmart, and BB&B, and of course online.

I don't think the machines are quite as expensive as the Keurig, but I could be wrong about that since I haven't bought one in a while.

Overall, I do like the Tassimo. The only time it gives me an issue is if the bar code can't be read well, but I can usually remedy that with a quick swipe across the reader. Not really sure why that happens. It's not dirty, just sensitive it seems. I have had to 'reset' it with the power switch before too.

It is convenient for a quick cup of coffee....the kids like their hot chocolate and other flavors as well, when you're sick and need hot tea as quickly as possible, it's great too....but like I said, it's only for a one-cupper around here, otherwise, we make a bigger pot.

I am happy with my machine from Cuisinart - I give you a link below for some high tech coffee makers - well selected machines of all brands. But again my Cuisinart is really great and uses k-cups. hope this helps - Mel

Here is a link that might be useful: Cuisinart coffee makers