Braun Aromaster KF400

[justjunque]

John,

I've seen that version with the additional switch, but not in person.
I have no idea what it does.
I've made as little as 2.5 cups in mine with no problems. That makes just about the perfect amount for one serving in the mug that I use.

I really like the coffee from this machine.
Aside from the Krups that we got as a wedding gift, and have used maybe a handful of times, this Braun is the only coffee maker I've ever owned.
I have the permanent metal mesh filter too, but we've always preferred the clearer coffee produced by the paper filters.

Barry

 

[foraloysius]

My parents had a Braun coffeemaker with that additional switch. IIRC it was marked 2-3 and IIRC it slowed down the brewing process so you didn't need to add extra coffee for a small pot of coffee of the same strength as a full pot. Somehow my parents managed to turn that switch on too when they switched on the machine. Often when they were making a full pot of coffee we would be waiting for ages for the so much needed coffee. lol

 

[fan-of-fans]

I bought my mom a Kenmore 12 cup in 2007. I remember it had a button that could be pressed for 1-4 cups. It was an annoying machine. The grounds sat under the same lid as the water tank so they often got into the water.

The springs on the lid broke, plus there was a plastic ring around the warmer plate that cracked one day with a loud pop.

It beeped 3 times when the coffee was done, plus once every hour after it was brewed which I found rather annoying, and that feature couldn't be turned off.

Eventually there was a recall on it so they replaced it. The second unit was slightly better but not much. Eventually my mom get rid of it.

Now she just uses the cheapest Walmart unit, replace it when it gets stained.

I do like the look of these Brauns. If they still made them I'd get one for her, they would last a long time.

The one I have is missing the clear plastic flavorseal on the carafe lid, which seems to be a common issue. Plus the pause and serve piece is broken on the bottom of the filter basket, so I just removed it.

 

[lordkenmore]

I have no idea what the "small quantity" switch on drip coffee makers do either. I'd guess it either switches thermostats or else part of the heater.

 

Of course, a coffee maker manufacturer could be sneaky, and put a 20 cent switch in that does nothing. Let people's imagination make the 2 cup setting helpful for making a better cup of coffee when making only two cups... LOL

 

[lordkenmore]

Now I have another reason to regret passing up that one Braun at Goodwill...if the bottom cover is removable by mere mortals, I could have looked inside to see if I could figure out how the 2-3 cup switch worked...

 

[lordkenmore]

I do like the look of these Brauns. If they still made them I'd get one for her, they would last a long time.

 

I like the look of the 80s Brauns, although I may be biased since it reminds me of a different time of my life. (Which is why that Braun at Goodwill was so tempting. I have no problem saying no to other drip coffee makers that might be good, recognizing that there is little/value for my life of today.)

 

I don't know about durability...but I can say my limited experience was positive. Indeed, I remember my mother moving to German companies partly in hopes of getting something longer lasting. She had bad luck with a couple of Norelcos, although I now wonder if it wasn't partly an issue of how they were used. (They were often unplugged with a partial carafe of coffee when we went out, and plugged back in to heat the coffee upon return. Melitta, our first German make, warned against this practice, so we stopped switching on the coffee pot except when actually brewing.)