Percolator/coffee maker collection

[lordkenmore]

Regal Poly Perks

I found the gold Poly Perk (and IIRC the cups) maybe 20 years ago or so at a local monthly rummage sale business. It was fun to play with, although as I recall it didn't make very good coffee. I quickly lost interest in using it, although it was handy one time when I was snowed in maybe 15 years ago. I only had some bad canned coffee, and I used the Poly Perk. The coffee wasn't great, but it was drinkable, and it was fun playing with Poly Perk again.

Past coffee quality, I wouldn't want to use one of these regularly today--I'd be more than a little concerned about brewing coffee in a plastic coffee maker (chemicals like BPA which might leech out).

I also have a small Regal water kettle (it looks a lot like the gold Poly Perk, except it has a thermostat lever).

 

[lordkenmore]

Sunbeams

I really like the styling of these.

 

[lordkenmore]

A Farberware. Not the nicest looking (although it looks worse in a photo than it does real life). But it's worth posting because it was the percolator I got after some AW.org thread interested in percolators. It's too big for me, but I was surprised by how good the coffee was. Not the best coffee possible, but a lot better than I'd thought possible, and also a lot better than poorly made drip coffee. I used percolators pretty heavily for a period after getting this, although I used smaller percolators (including a small Farberware).

This was a Goodwill find, and probably had a long life. It's impressive that, while looking worn, it still works.

 

[lordkenmore]

Drip coffeemakers owned by that drip, Lord Kenmore.

The Braun is interesting--4 cup model. It's the only one I've ever seen.

The glass appears two different coffee pot parts (top bowl and caraffe) put together by some previous owner.

The red cup top drip maker is one of the few I've actually owned since new.

 

[lordkenmore]

Will this photo show run forever? comes mutters from the audience.

 

[lordkenmore]

Final one is a pretty bad photo taken once the camera really started acting up. But it's interesting enough that I thought I'd share, anyway. A small Hamilton Beach drip maker. It might be new, never used--although I got it at Goodwill, and it might have been a clearance item.

It has a sticker saying it's US made, and urging us to buy US made.

Fast forward to today, and a thrift store is the only way to buy US made coffee makers from most small appliance makers...

 

[justjunque]

Thanks, John!

Great collection and photos!
But...leave our mutters out of this. Lol
Personally, I was hoping for even more!

Two comments:
Those Sunbeams are beautiful. I'm definitely going to be bringing one of those home at some point.

Re: the small Braun.
I couldn't swear to it, but there was a little four-cup coffeemaker in the kitchenette of a hotel room we stayed in. It may have been a Braun. Perhaps that's where this originally resided?
I have the ten-cup version of that same coffeemaker, and used it exclusively for what seems like a lifetime. Finally, the switch went kaput, and we've put our Krups that we got as a wedding gift into daily use.

Thanks again for sharing your collection!

Barry

 

[lordkenmore]

You're welcome, Barry! Glad you liked the photos. If I can get the camera to function again, I may add some more.

 

[lordkenmore]

The Braun

It is fun to think that this might have been the type of coffee maker chosen for a fine hotel!

I've assumed this was possibly Braun's answer to Krups, which had a small cup coffee maker for years.

One reason I got this is probably at least partly memories of a big Braun my mother had, which I recall was a very good coffee maker. I sometimes have thought of getting one of the bigger models--but it's something I'd actually use at this point, and that argument has kept me from caving to temptation. (One thing that helps: the prices at Goodwill, and the fact a large Braun never lingers to clearance day.) Plus, if I were to use a larger coffee pot, it would be for company--and there might be something to be said for using a percolator, which could be more fun.

The Braun works well as I recall. It's not the best coffee--but it's good, and it's a great balance between convenience and quality coffee. I keep thinking I might use it again...but there is the pain of having to get filters...

Someone did a video on the Braun:

 

[lordkenmore]

Those Sunbeams are beautiful

They really are. It was a HUGE struggle whether to buy the second one. I already had one. They aren't the same model, but I was happy with the first one I had. But I liked the style so much... And the second one I got had a nicer glass bulb. The first one has one of those universal replacement bulbs, and while I don't know the second has an original bulb, it at least looks nicer.

 

[lordkenmore]

One small correction

I said that I used an electric CorningWare percolator once. But it wasn't the one on the right in the photo (like I said)--it was the small one on the left. Apparently I wasn't paying attention to the right/left lesson in preschool! LOL Actually, I probably wasn't thinking (what else is new? LOL) when I posted the photo & commentary.

 

[lordkenmore]

I remembered I had this photo... Yet another Goodwill clearance special I should have resisted, but didn't. Another case, too, of something that looks worse in the photo than reality--although it's far from mint. I really liked the "Hi Fi" label, having fabled with audio equipment off and on for years.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Braun and Hamilton Beach

First off, I don't even drink coffee, but I like coffee makers both drip and percolator style.

I like those Brauns! I have one myself, that I picked up at a thrift shop, a white 10 cup. There's currently one at Goodwill, a 12 cup. I've seen a few programmable ones around in white and black too. I've always liked the styling of the 10 cup though, and Hyacinth on Keeping Up Appearances had both the 10 and 12 cup models in white.

I like that maroon Hamilton Beach too. There was funny enough, one just like that at Goodwill in the past two weeks, not sure if it was still there last week when I went. It had the instructions packed in the carafe. I thought about getting it but I have no need for it, and it was somewhat more expensive.

That little Buy American sticker is cute, and sad that likely nothing made these days can bear that sticker. I have a little Dominion-Hamilton Beach Tall Fry fryer/cooker with that same sticker on it.

 

[justjunque]

If I recall, the 4 cup Braun used small basket style filters, yes?
As opposed to the #4 cone filters that the 10 cup version uses.
I really like our 10 cup model. I was really disappointed when the switch quit.
I felt that it made about the best drip coffee I've had.
I don't even remember percolator coffee.
Hopefully, that will change soon!
I do have another identical 10 cup Braun, new in its box, that I bought off of Craigslist years ago, in case mine ever quit.
Now, it's old enough that I don't feel right about taking it out and using it.

Barry

 

[lordkenmore]

The Braun uses a cone filter, but a smaller size than the larger coffee pots. I think the designation is #2. (An unfortunate choice of numbers--they perhaps should have chosen a different number--although the number might have been chosen in Germany, and it's possible that 2 doesn't have any sort of double entendre effect there.)

 

[lordkenmore]

>Now, it's old enough that I don't feel right about taking it out and using it.

I have that sort of problem, too. I go even further--I like getting vintage stuff that's clearly used so I don't have to worry about using it and "something happening" and ruining something that is a perfectly preserved time capsule.

 

[ea56]

I say use it! You only live once, so if you spent the money on a coffeemaker that you covet, then enjoy it.

That is of course unless your intention is to later resell it when the value increases for a profit, thats a personal choice.

But for me the the only pleasure from acquiring vintage coffeemakers was to use them, experience them and learn from them. Then after I’ve had the joy of using them I can let them go to another home eventually.

Eddie

 

[lordkenmore]

>I felt that it made about the best drip coffee I've had.

I wouldn't be surprised. I've been really impressed. And IIRC Braun was top rated by CONSUMER REPORTS in the 80s.

>I don't even remember percolator coffee.
>Hopefully, that will change soon!

You'll have to let us know of your impressions!

I think I said this before--or at least hinted at it. But, for me, percolator coffee isn't the best possible, BUT I found that a good percolator (like a Farberware, but not the small Poly Perk I have), carefully used, was better than bad drip. And it was certainly good enough that I was happy using a percolator as a daily driver for a long period.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Percolator

My grandmother always used a percolator - she would not use anything else unless she came over and used my mom's drip machine.

I remember her always having a chrome Presto in the kitchen, and a small plastic "Betty Crocker" to take if she traveled.

My mom on the other hand has only once had a percolator, in fact just a larger version of the plastic one my grandma had.

I cannot fathom making coffee in a plastic coffee pot, although I always rather like the look of those Poly Perks I have seen. I remember a friend of my father's that would visit sometimes had that white one with the colored flowers that he would bring.

 

[vintage1963]

Those Sunbeams are beautiful

John,
Thank you for sharing your collection. I really enjoyed looking at what you have. I like the Sunbeam percolators but so far I don't have one of my own.