Norelco Dial-A-Brew-Model HB5150

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polkanut

polkanut

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Mar 14, 2005
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I've heard good things about these 1st generation drip coffemakers, our local Bethesda Thrift Shop has one (complete) for $2.99 ($3.15 w/ tax). It doesn't come with the original box or directions though. Do these machines make a good cuppa' joe? I'm sick of looking at the white plastic POS Mr. Coffee we currntly have on the counter. The Norelco has a nice brushed stainless steel exterior. Discuss amongst yourselves, dahlings.
 
Calling Danny Thomas, Danny Thomas.

My only experience was we had one in a work lunch room way back in the 80's but unfortunately our "office" coffee was the crappy Edwards brand from Safeway,,ugghhhh. No coffee maker could save that stuff.
 
Plae Jane models to me, I wanted a Mr.Coffee with lights and buttons, but got this as a gift, mine did not have a on/off switch, just a light on the side, you had to plug it in/out to functio, and then you had to remove the filter basket to pour the coffee....just a pain to me, but otherwise a nice machine.....
 
For 3 clams, I'd give any coffeemaker a shot.

There's really only two classes of autodrip coffeemakers, those with copper heating elements (e.g. Technivorm) and everything else (they have aluminum elements and produce coffee that ranges from mediocre to ok).
 
Martin you are correct, no on/off swich on this one either. That wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me though. Would this coffeemaker be circa 1973-74?
 
I'm thinking more along the lines of 1977-78, my brother gave them as gifts for xmas to everyone in the family, I was in the eighth grade at the time, funny, this saved him time shoping, go into a store, buy a few cases of coffee makers, a little wrap, and xmas shopping is done....maybe missed I something there, I may have been doing it wrong all along...lol

we got about 10 years out of it till I replaced it with a caraf style maker, not because it broke, it ended up in a yardsale....
 
I had one...

and it made pretty good coffee. One thing I didn't like about it was that the basket was a bother to deal with...it takes a disc filter, not a cone or a cupcake filter.

However, as been said, 3 bucks, give it a whirl. I'd look at it first, and maybe descale it, with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. Pump it through, stop halfway, let it soak about 30 minutes, pump all the way through, let it cool down, run it through again, and then run with plain water.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
Filters

Lawrence is correct. They take an oddball flat filter that I haven't seen on the shelves--but I haven't been looking for them either.

We gave one to my mom for Xmas probably in 1970 or so. It was the first model so it didn't have the Dial-a-Brew basket. The carafe had a thick black ring around it at the neck. Later they changed that to a brushed metal type. My first impression (after years of coffee made in an automatic Corningware pot) was that the coffee made by the Norelco tasted much more like, well, coffee. It tasted the way it smelled (at that time) in the can. She had that machine for a long time.

I say if you can find the filters for it, buy the thing. If they can make old school regular canned pre-ground coffee taste good, they can make an excellent pot from better quality beans.

And they still seem to show up in thrift stores if you need a spare part or carafe. The carafes changed shape over the years but any style will fit the machine.

Also, something you might want to look out for would be the matching warmer plate. It looks like just the base of the coffee maker, has the same indicator light and you can plug it in to keep the pot warm anywhere.

Ralph
 
The filter disks

can be found in a lot of supermarkets. Look for percolator filters made by Melitta or Mr. Coffee. I have never had trouble in finding them.

I have a few of these machines, and use one every so often. They brew hot (just checked one that I have in the rotation, and it is rated at 1500 watts), and I have always found the coffee to be decent. Just make sure to grind your coffee a little on the coarse side. The instructions that came with mine states that the machine works best with Maxwell House ADC coffee, which I found interesting.

Remember that these came out at the beginning of the auto-drip era, so none of the bits that we are used to today are to be found on this. There is no drip stop for a quick sneak of a brew, the grounds basket sits on top of the carafe, there is no timer, and no switch (as mentioned above, simply pull the plug).

That being said, the machine takes me back to another time, and with its black plastic, brushed metal trim, and sturdy 1970s era carafe, it looks great on my counter.

By the way, the date on the instruction leaflet that came with my machine is dated 1976.

I hope that you get the machine, and that you enjoy it.

Joe
 
I did go and get it, I've spent $3.15 more foolishly before. I did the white vinegar thing, and you should've seen the crap that came out. I folded a cupcake filter in 1/4's and snipped off a bit of the tip, and it worked great. I filtered the vinegar through it, let it cool down, recycled it, and got some more crap out of it. Then, I ran 2 pots of cold water through it, and then made a pot of coffee, and Ralph is right, the brew tasted wonderful. I used Maxwell House All-Purpose Grind. I haven't had coffee that good in a looong time, she's a definite keeper, and it looks sharp too.
 

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