5 Of The Most Common Complaints Customers Have About OXO Coffee Machines

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If your coffee machine is giving you problems, your first instinct might be to follow some tips for how to clean the coffee maker to try to fix the problem. However, some problems can't be cured with a simple cleaning. Even if you own a popular OXO machine, you may run into some problems that require extra troubleshooting to fix or that are simply an unwanted part of the machine's design.

Some of the most common problems that OXO coffee machine owners report with certain models include malfunctions of the the burr-carrier: because the burr-carrier and grinder are often one piece, you may be forced to replace the entire piece when the plastic burr-carrier wears out. Other common complains include: that the water reservoir that is not removable from the machine, messy results from overflowing coffee and grounds, seeing the thermal carafe wear out and fail to keep the coffee hot, and model prices that are more expensive than you may expect to find.

Based on these issues, you might think OXO is one of the popular coffee maker brands to avoid. However, many coffee lovers report minimal issues with certain OXO models, which can deliver a fast cup of joe that tastes great. Some OXO models even carry certification from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), which is a non-profit coffee trade association that works to advance specialty blends by creating standards for the industry. However, living with the common problems that OXO machines experience can be frustrating for owners.

OXO sells some coffee maker and grinder bundles, allowing you to grind your own beans, such as the 12-Cup Coffee Maker and Conical Burr Grinder Bundle for $368 on the OXO website. Unfortunately, customers often report problems because the manufacturer uses plastic in key stress areas of the burr-grinder part of the machine (which grinds the beans between two revolving surfaces). The burrs that do the actual grinding consist of stainless steel in the OXO machine, but they're attached to plastic that holds them in the tracks, and the plastic parts tend to wear and need replacement, even if the burrs remain usable.

You can easily purchase a replacement burr from the OXO website for $20, but, because of the design, you have to buy the burr and holder together. For comparison, you can purchase a plastic ring burr holder without the burr for some Baratza grinders for $11. Even with the replacement part, some users still report the unit generating poor grinding results. "Requested a replacement burr due to [the] machine getting jammed quite frequently, but it's still gotten jammed since [the] replacement part [arrived]," one reviewer said.

When filling some OXO coffee makers, you may experience frustration with the water reservoir. With the OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker ($198), for example, you cannot remove the reservoir to carry it to the sink for filling. A few other OXO coffee machines have the same design issue, including the 9-Cup and 12-Cup models. To fill the water reservoir, you can fill a measuring cup or carafe with the desired amount of water and pour it into the machine, but you need to make sure you have room under a cabinet to lift the lid on the OXO machine to gain access to the reservoir, especially if it's a tall machine.

Not having a removable water tank also makes it more challenging to clean the reservoir. "It's very difficult to maneuver a brush inside the reservoir tank to clean the sides," one Reddit user said. They noted that the recommended cleaning process of running fresh water through the reservoir doesn't remove accumulated grime.

If you've spent a lot of time and effort setting up a creative home coffee bar that allows you to relax with your favorite brew, the last thing you want is a messy coffee brewing process that causes stress. Unfortunately, for users of some OXO coffee machines, particularly the 8-Cup model, the machine's design may lend itself to spilled coffee grounds and overflowed liquid. A few users report that the 8-Cup machine sometimes unexpectedly releases coffee, leading to a mess if you've already removed the carafe. One Reddit user said the machine began showing this problem about a year after purchase. "I'm a big fan of OXO stuff," the user said. "But I'm getting tired of cleaning up spilled coffee."

One Amazon user said making stronger coffee by adding extra grounds often leads to overflowing grounds and a mess. Another user said failing to line up the carafe just right can cause spilled grounds. "It can make a mess of your counter, as it did ours when we used it the first time to make a full pot of fine-ground coffee," one Amazon reviewer said.

The OXO Brew 9-Cup Drip Coffee Maker ($250) uses a stainless steel, double-walled carafe to hold your coffee after brewing. (The 8-Cup and 12-Cup models also use this design.) This design should keep your beverage hotter for a longer period because it reduces the amount of heat that leaks away through convection and conduction. Using a glass carafe with a hot plate instead may eventually cause a burnt taste in the coffee.

However, some OXO users report problems with the thermal carafe's design. After people own the carafe for a while, some complain that it loses its ability to retain heat in the beverage. One Amazon reviewer said the machine heats the coffee properly, but the carafe is not designed well. "It shoots it into a thermal carafe with an open top so it will not keep things hot as long as it could," the reviewer said. Broken lids on the carafe represent another common customer complaint. One reviewer said the lid's design prevents you from pouring out all the coffee, "meaning you have about 2 ounces of old coffee in every pot."

Considering you can find many types of coffee machines for less than $100, some of the OXO models may give you pause when you see the price tag. Amazon carries several OXO coffee machines that cost roughly $180 to $350, placing them in the mid-to-high area of the market in terms of cost for drip coffee makers. As long as the OXO machine works well, you'll probably still feel like you're getting a good value. When you encounter some problems, though, it can leave you feeling like you wasted your money, especially if you chose it instead of the sub-$100 machine you were also considering. "For $200, I shouldn't have to replace an entire coffee maker every 16 months or so," said one Amazon customer reviewer who experienced a premature breakdown.

Even though some people may believe OXO coffee makers are a good value because they deliver excellent performance, others feel like the above-average price is not justified. One Amazon reviewer disassembled a malfunctioning OXO machine and found cheap components causing poor performance. "I'd expect that from a $20 coffee maker, but not from one that cost 10 times as much," the reviewer said.