A few months back I went a quest for the "perfect" coffee pot. I purchased 3 in 4 months including one "highly rated" one that cost more than $150 bucks that turned out to be junk. I finally settled on this one (one of the highest rated makers on Amazon), and it has been great. I paid $70. At $49.99 it is a steal; at $39.99 AR it is highway robbery. Would it be silly to buy a backup coffee pot?
Black and Stainless Steel is the only model at this price.
LINK
If you are interested, here the review I wrote on the maker for Amazon:
After going through 2 thermal carafe style coffee pots that just did not keep coffee hot and fresh(including the very expensive and highly reviewed Newco OCS series which turned out to be junk), I have finally found the perfect coffee pot.
Maybe I am just not a coffee snob, but I want my coffee maker to have a traditional glass carafe and a nice warming plate. I only drink coffee in the mornings over a few hours and my needs are simple: I want tasty, scalding hot coffee that can stand up to added cream without having to microwave it (always had to do this with the carafe-style pots)and that stays hot over a 2-3 hour period. This maker does all that with the added bonus of being programmable for start and auto shutoff, possessing a neat 1-4 cup setting that super-heats the water (I use this setting all the time), and having an adjustable warming plate to keep the coffee hot (I leave mine on 'high'). All this and it looks cool too.
If there is any issue, it would be that the lid is a little hard to get on and off and their is a lot of condensation if leave the top closed all day, but this is really minor.
Cuisinart has a real winner here. Do yourself a favor and forget about spending lots of money on so-called gourmet or purist coffee makers that can cost 3 times as much and skip all the hassle I went through buying and returning two other coffee makers. You have found your ideal pot and at this price, trust me, it is a bargain.