If you are over 50 or have arthritis, you will not be able to use this coffee maker. Others of you will find it physically inconvenient.

The top of the carafe has no hinge. The top of the carafe snaps on and off, and it's extremely difficult to snap. With painful hands, you will not be able to snap it. Likewise, the top of the coffeemaker has no hinge. In order to put in your coffee and water, again you have to snap the top on and off. There are no adequate grips, and it's just impossible for weak hands.

Another serious defect with this product design is that the aluminum carafe has no window, so you have no idea how much coffee is in it.

This product is absolutely not acceptable. Forget it and find a coffee maker that's ergonomically designed and designed for disabled users.

I'd give this 4 - cup Cuisinart coffeemaker a big ZERO. The design flaw is inexcusable - it drips. The pour spout on the carafe is so tiny that you can not possibly pour a cup of coffee without dripping coffee on the countertop. Not only that, when you try to fill the reservoir - water goes everywhere. The little rocker on/off switch is hard to maneuver with one hand - you have to hold the machine down with one hand and turn the maker on with the other. Cuisinart can surely beat this!

This coffee maker is to be avoided; it makes an evil-tasting and smelling, chemical/metalic tinted brew. It was taste-tested compared with our 20 year old Krups maker of the same size, using the same water, coffee, grind and filter brand. We tried 3 pots but they all turned out the same---bad, undrinkable.Cuisinart DCC-450BK 4-Cup Coffeemaker with Stainless-Steel Carafe, BlackChevy Chase

I had a very nice Braun 4-cup coffeemaker until a few weeks ago when I broke the carafe. I briefly tried a Black & Decker DCM18 Brew 'N Go Coffeemaker, and although the coffee was good, hot, and easy to make, it was quite noisy and just didn't make enough coffee at one time. Then I bought a Cuisinart DCC-450BK 4-Cup Coffeemaker with Stainless-Steel Carafe, Black. I really like the visual indicator of how much water is in the tank--you can see exactly how much water to pour in because the indicator is staring you in the face as you're pouring in the water. I've discovered that it's better to pour in the water, put the filter and coffee in, and then close the top *before* placing the carafe on the hotplate. I use paper filters. If you put the carafe in place first, the filter/coffee holder may not get seated properly. The pouring spout on the carafe is terrific--no spills. However, I sort of miss having a glass carafe to be able to see how much coffee is left in the pot (but I guess I won't break this one), and because there is a substantial plastic lip around the inside of the top of the carafe it's difficult to get the last drops of coffee out. Finally, I also like the on/off rocker switch and the fact that it goes off automatically after about 30 minutes--no more smelly burned coffee left in the pot!!

Oh, and the coffee is good and it's hot.

This is a great little coffee maker if you like small and simple. I'm the only coffee drinker in my family and only needed a 4 cup maker. I love the stainless steel carafe- it is very easy to wash and and there is no worry about breaking it. I also like the feature where you can remove the pot while brewing and the operation stops until the pot is put back on. I started brewing once without the pot in place (LOL) and there was no mess because the water never came out. The auto shut off after 30 min is another great safety feature, since I'm guilty once or twice of leaving a coffeemaker on only to have the liquid boil down to nothing.