After reading countless bad reviews about all coffee makers, I figured one of two things must be true: 1) people can't read directions and 2) people typically only write bad reviews.

I chose this one because of the the features - travel mugs, carafe, and timer - and I am very glad I did. If you follow the instructions provided, you will not have the problems of leaking and cold coffee that some reviewers complained about.

The leaking is caused by overfilling (I did it once). If you follow the directions and put the water in the carafe and then the reservoir, you will not have this problem. I must agree that the water line is difficult to see (I have yet to find it).

The coffee can stay hot for 4 hours and warm for 8 hours if you rinse the carafe with hot water before brewing (as stated in the instructions).

Other complaints I have seen:
Height - yes it is taller than most
Weight - yes the carafe is heavier than most (but it is a good one with glass, not just cheap plastic), but it is not heavy

Overall I am very pleased with this coffee maker and would highly recommend it! And as far as my first comment, I think 1 & 2 are both true!

The coffee produced by this unit is ok, but could be better if the company were to replace the cheap rubber hose in the resevoir with a higher quality hose that does not A) smell and B) flavor the coffee. I discovered this by noticing a "rubbery" aroma coming from my coffee and then did a little sniffing and isolated the problem to be the feeder tube in the water resevoir. I replaced the tube and the odor from the water resevoir has gone away, but I still haven't made a batch of coffee from it yet so I don't know if it has cured the problem entirely.

My usual lecture about poor quality resulting from proper design but poor implementation will be saved for another post. Someone built a great coffee machine here - but probably some bone headded manager decided to replace the "good hose" with a "cheap one" that costs a lot less.

I will post an update and recommendation to the manufacturer once my research has concluded. I am hoping (fingers crossed) that there are no other places inside the unit that are using this cheap form of rubber.

While I disagree with the other posts that fault the unit for the mugs, caraffe, timer, etc I would have to give the unit 3 stars for the obvious stench that the rubber hose creates. Let's hope the manufacturer fixes this problem.

We liked the idea of a built-in thermal carafe. But this machine has drawbacks that has made it more of a disappointment than a boon to us:
1) The clock isn't backlit.
2) The carafe doesn't hold very much coffee. The carafe's bulk is misleading.
3) The darn thing drips for several minutes after it has stopped percolating.
4) Pouring coffee out of it is a challenge, especially if you're getting near the bottom of the carafe.
5) The coffee doesn't stay warm for long, even with the extra-bulky carafe.

It is not worth the money we spent. Looks good on the counter, though.

It's inevitable that we have to sop up coffee from somewhere every time we use it. Frankly, I want to drink it, not have it end up in a kitchen rag.

Recommendation: Buy a Mr. Coffee and a good Thermos carafe (we got ours at a thrift shop for a quarter; it keeps coffee hot for 24 hours!).

I have limited counter space and was glad to find a machine that would brew into either travel mugs or a carafe. (I used to keep two different machines on the counter.) The timer is a nice feature. This is the first thermal carafe I've owned and now I prefer it to a machine with a heating element. As long as you preheat the carafe, the coffee stays warm for several hours without getting that burned taste like a unit with a heating element.
I've read other reviews that said the machine brewed horrible tasting coffee. Initially, using the water filter that is included, there is an odd taste and smell. I ran 2 cycles of water through before getting rid of the taste. **Make sure you run only COLD water through the machine if you are using the water filter.** You CANNOT run hot water through the filters you attach to your faucet - it will give the water a horrible taste and you'll have to replace the filter. I imagine that the filter included in this machine is the same. I think that may be what is causing some of the taste problems some people may be complaining about. Fill the machine with cold water first, then preheat the carafe with hot water before brewing.
There are only two things that I don't like about this machine. First, it is really tall. I am 5'5" and I have to stand on tip toe to see into the water tank where the fill markings are. So, if you're short like me, premeasure your water. Second, the travel mugs are especially tall (I have to use an iced tea spoon to stir if the mug is full) and you can't use just any travel mug with this machine. A short mug will not work.
Overall I am pleased with this coffee maker. It does take a little extra effort than your average Mr. Coffee machine. You have to wash everything by hand. Be especially careful with the travel mugs. I put them in the dishwasher and the gasket in the lids came out. I didn't realize it at first and the mug leaked coffee all over the place. Luckily, I found them at the bottom of the dishwasher.

Not only can I make just my mug's worth of coffee (which is what I do weekday mornings) I could make 2 cups if necessary (for bribing someone with early morning coffee) or even make a 10 cup carafe of coffee if I need to (to feed the hordes of people).
I'm kind of a coffee junky.
I rode out the dot com bust at Starbuck's and now I can't stand to drink sub par caffeine. I also learned a lot about coffee and making coffee in the process.
The HB coffee maker makes coffee just fine.
I don't know why the other's had such issues with aftertaste in their makers (unless there was a change in plastic formulation since theirs was made) it could just be a reaction with the water in their community. Stranger things have happened.
One thing that I do know is that a frequently made mistake with the #4 cone filters (and use the recycled paper ones. Yes, the gold filters are envoronmentally conscious, but IMO make the coffee taste awful.) is not using *enough* coffee (many people mistakenly assume that easing up on the coffee grinds will make the coffee less bitter when it is just the opposite.) as well as tamping down the (fine) grinds to hold the water just that extra little bit to extract the flavor. Then when you think you have enough coffee, add one more scoop.

The measurements actually involved are as such: 1/8th cup grounds for each cup (6 oz.) water... then add one more scoop for the pot. This holds true for the travel mugs, too.
Don't refrigerate your coffee, it dries out the natural oils, and if you like very strong brew, crank the grinder at the market all the way over to Turkish.

I like this coffemaker so far, but if the carafe explodes, I'll be certain to squawk about it here and let y'all know. =;)