Here is a superb single-serve coffee maker from Nespresso, which lands at the top of our ratings for both predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.After locking the portafilter to the group head, the machine is ready to start its cleaning cycle. Given that 13 of the 15 pod machine brands in our survey rate satisfactory or better for reliability, you don’t have to be too picky about the brand of machine you choose. Past survey data showed that CR members expect their single-serve pod machines to last six years, on average. The six remaining brands in our results receive middling reliability and satisfaction ratings: Bella, Brim, Farberware, KitchenAid, Mr. But both brands also receive decent ratings for owner satisfaction. Our survey data gives two brands less than favorable ratings for reliability: Chefman and Hamilton Beach. Three more brands, Black+Decker, Crux, and DeLonghi, receive a very good rating for predicted reliability, but of the three, only DeLonghi also rates well for owner satisfaction. The former also rates near the top for owner satisfaction, while the latter takes our top score. The most reliable brands of pod coffee makers? Mixpresso and Nespresso. Coincidentally, pod machines made by rival Cuisinart receive identical ratings for satisfaction and reliability. They receive only a middling rating for predicted reliability.

Keurig brewers have many satisfied owners, but they aren’t as reliable as you might think. In fact, all Keurig pods are now recyclable if you separate the foil lid and plastic cup from the grounds. Billions of them have ended up in landfills. In our tests, none receive higher than a midlevel rating for taste. Though pod machines are popular, they aren’t the best brewers. Our survey data seems to corroborate Keurig’s popularity, as its machines get an excellent rating for owner satisfaction. The next most-popular brands among CR members are Nespresso and Cuisinart, with just 13 percent and 6 percent of the share, respectively.

The brand Keurig is synonymous with pod coffee makers in the U.S., so it’s no surprise that, according to our 2021 survey, the brand constitutes 74 percent of the single-serve coffee makers purchased by CR members in recent years. Here’s a terrific drip coffee maker from Zojirushi, which received excellent ratings for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction. The rest of the brands in our survey results, including established players like Hamilton Beach, Kenmore, Keurig, KitchenAid, Krups, Ninja, and Proctor-Silex, receive middle-of-the-road ratings for predicted reliability.Īs for owner satisfaction, two more brands rate exceptionally well.

Three of those brands-Bunn, Cuisinart, and Oxo-also rate highly for owner satisfaction.Īt the other end of the spectrum, Bodum receives the lowest rating for predicted reliability, while Breville and DeLonghi do somewhat better, but still with generally unfavorable ratings. Those brands are Black+Decker, Braun, Brim, Bunn, Calphalon, Crux, Cuisinart, Farberware, Mainstays (Walmart), Mr. Eleven brands fall below those three but still rate very well for predicted reliability. On the other hand, fewer than 10 brands receive a higher than middling for owner satisfaction.īonavita, Technivorm, and Zojirushi are the only drip brands to receive top ratings for both predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.

That’s good news, considering past surveys have shown that CR members expect their drip machines to last seven years, on average. Just about every brand, with three exceptions, receives a moderate to highly favorable rating for predicted reliability. But according to their track records in the homes of our members, as a category drip machines are quite reliable. Drip machines, especially lower-priced plastic models, can sometimes feel cheap and disposable.

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