Poor Design Mars a Good Idea
Pros:
Space saving design, timer function, glass carafe.
Cons:
Difficult installation, routinely leaks, sometimes vomits.
The Bottom Line:
We can no longer recommend the Spacemaker coffee makers as poor design outweighs any benefits.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
This is the fourth or fifth Spacemaker coffee maker we have owned. Prior models featured a shorter unit overall, making more usable space underneath, but we were glad to see that Black & Decker returned to the glass carafe (the model immediately prior had a stainless carafe). We love both the mounting of the unit up off the counter and the convenience of the built-in timer to have coffee ready in the morning.
While the design is similar to prior models, installation is a bit harder on the new unit. It does take some normal-handyman style techniques to drill into the existing cabinet and mount the coffeemaker. The screw heads are "bugle heads" so they do recess nicely into plywood or particleboard while tightening, but a hard laminate surface would need a countersink drilled as well. On this model, you mount the rear half of the top of the unit and the rest slides and locks into place.
Installation is made more difficult than prior models by a slightly more awkward holding arrangement for the nuts. And be warned: if you are not level and plumb with your initial installation, it will be hard to slide the rest of the unit into the holder and get it to latch.
Our first unit did not keep time, and so the timer would trigger coffee making early; the clock gained about 8 minutes per hour. We exchanged the first unit, and obtained an accurate and functioning clock with the second unit.
We noted an increase in condensation dripping, where steam from the brewing process would collect on the front lip of the filter basket and drip down onto the front lip of the burner, then splay onto the counter below. After brewing 12 cups, a surprising amount of condensation dripped; enough to create a puddle an inch or so in diameter. Prior units must have vented the steam differently, as we never noticed this type of thing before.
What makes the Spacemaker ODC440B unacceptable is the occasional disaster-sized spill. As others have noted, the filter basket will rebound out of place a little and cause a misalignment, closing off the little exit hole that is still positioned conveniently above the carafe. As steaming hot water fills the basket, coffee grounds tend to float up and join the water in streaming down the front of the filter basket and carafe, cascading onto the area below and spreading like so much Spacemaker Vomitus.
We cannot recommend this product any longer, and will be looking at other brands this weekend.
