Best Cheap Coffee Makers

For its very low price, many reviewers opine you can’t go wrong with the compact, fast, and easy-to-use Black & Decker Brew ‘n Go (starting at $18; available on Amazon). Pour water into the reservoir, put the filter in the basket, and add coffee. The appliance then brews directly into a 15-ounce thermal travel mug. (If that's more than you typically drink, you can always make less by cutting down the amounts of ground coffee and water.)

Black & Decker claims that the Brew ‘n Go DCM18 brews at the optimal temperature, although the manufacturer doesn’t say what that temperature is. In reviews, many users report that the resulting coffee is quite hot enough, and others find it necessary to use hot water in the machine for that ideal temperature to be reached.

While some users appreciate the permanent filter that comes with the unit, others use paper cone filters for easier cleanup and to ensure that no grounds get through or clog the machine. Some reviewers, including one posting on Amazon, also maintain that paper filters help slow down the brewing process and produce a stronger cup of coffee. If even that is too much work, the Brew ‘n Go takes soft coffee pods (the kind that are meant for non-pressurized pod brewers, such as Senseo brewing systems). It also doubles as a hot water dispenser for tea, oatmeal, or instant soup.

Cleanup is simple: Only the filter and filter basket need to be cleaned. The machine is less than 7 inches wide and a bit more than 10 inches high, a size ideal for apartment kitchens, say reviewers on Overstock. Many reviewers posting on the manufacturer's website say they've had Black & Decker Brew ‘n Go coffee makers last for years, but others say their machines failed to outlive the one-year warranty.

It may be less convenient than an automatic pot, but unlike almost all drip coffee makers, the super cheap Melitta 10-Cup Pour-Over Coffee Brewer (starting at $13, Amazon) has almost perfect ratings in consumer reviews.

It comes with a large plastic cone for holding paper filters, which is placed over a glass carafe -- bare-bones and efficient. This model is simple to use, it's durable, and the enthusiasts at CoffeeGeek say it simply makes some of the best coffee you can drink. As users repeat in reviews, the key to the Melitta’s success is that it offers control over the coffee-making process. Java Jenius explains that pouring all the water through the filter at once makes a weaker but smoother coffee. Pouring carefully and slowly yields a stronger brew. This method of using just-boiled water and saturating the grounds ensures that the flavor is fully extracted from the coffee, says an expert writing at Serious Eats.

Many Melitta adherents came to this model after becoming disgusted with the death rate of automatic drip machines. One Amazon reviewer, for instance, claims to have gone through one every two years. Another did a back-to-back taste test with an expensive automatic drip machine and found that the taste of the coffee from this little low-tech device was less bitter, smoother, and far superior. On the Walmart website, a reviewer notes that it’s useful to have around during a power failure.

There are some drawbacks, of course, to using a pour-over model. For one, it's labor intensive. You have to boil water and stand over the brew cone to pour the water, whether you stir it or not. Also, there is no heated plate on which the carafe can sit -- although coffee could be brewed directly into an insulated pot instead. Finally, canned coffee bought at the supermarket will not turn out that well with the cone-shaped Melitta, which requires more finely ground coffee.

These drawbacks aside, you can’t buy a better coffee maker for the money -- or even for a lot more money.

If you are a coffee purist who grinds or even roasts your own coffee, then a cheap automatic drip pot will almost assuredly not be for you. For a distinctive cup from carefully nurtured beans, a Bodum Chambord 8-Cup French Press (starting at $31, Amazon) is for many coffee lovers the best means to the perfect brew. The coffee gurus at Java Jenius say the reason coffee from a French press is so incredibly flavorful is that both the amount of coffee and the steeping time can be individually determined.

Unlike automatic drip machines, the procedure for making French press coffee is a bit complicated. The coffee enthusiasts at CoffeeGeek suggest pouring almost-boiling water over coarsely ground coffee in the pot, stirring the resulting mix with a chopstick about six times, putting in the filter assembly, steeping for 3 to 4 minutes, and then pressing down the plunger. Why are people willing to go through all this just for a cup of coffee? The coffee geeks say it delivers a richer cup of coffee than any other method, and hundreds of consumer reviewers agree.

The Bodum Chambord French Press is the original design, consisting of a glass carafe surrounded by a chrome-plated steel frame and locking lid with a plunger that has a mesh filter. This is not like the paper filters that go in automatic coffee makers -- it allows sediment into the coffee. But Serious Eats asserts that this highlights the aromas and makes coffee-drinking a full sensory experience. Bodum Chambord reviews from Starbucks stress that the French press is easy to use and to clean. And it always works, unlike automatic pots. The 34-ounce size (which makes about 8 4-ounce cups) is just under 10 inches tall.

While many users wax rhapsodic about the Bodum Chambord French Press, there are a few downsides to it. The first is that coffee sitting in the pot will continue to steep and get stronger, so it's best to move whatever coffee you’re not drinking into an insulated carafe to keep it hot. In addition, there will be some sediment when you get down to the last cup.

That said, there are legions of people who say they will never go back to a drip coffee maker once they have tasted coffee made in a French press.

This stylish, programmable coffee maker boasts myriad features rare in the budget price range. One advantage it has over similar 12-cup pots is a specific setting for brewing only one or two mugs of coffee. Black & Decker CM1650B reviews say this turns out a better, more robust brew than a conventional 12-cup cycle if you're making a small batch. Other features include a charcoal filter that purifies the water and a brew-strength selector that makes a stronger cup without requiring the user to add more coffee -- a money-saving perk that also keeps the coffee from turning out too bitter. The machine comes with a permanent (basket) filter, although some users posting reviews at Walmart actually prefer to use paper filters for easier cleanup.

Admirers of the Black & Decker CM1650B (starting at $50, Amazon) say it's easy to use and turns out good, hot coffee. Some like the looks of the clock, saying they can see it from across the room, but others report that it's stopped working -- an unforgivable sin in the eyes of those who count on a programmable pot to have coffee ready when they wake up.

Still, this coffee maker wins over many consumers posting Black & Decker CM1650B reviews at Amazon with its convenient features. These include Sneak-A-Cup, which stops the brewing process long enough for coffee drinkers to pour out their first cup. Like other coffee makers with glass carafes, this one has a heating plate to keep the coffee warm. Unlike most other budget pots, however, it lets users adjust the length of time that the heater stays on, to between one and four hours.

While a few consumers have found that the so-called Perfect Pour carafe can get pretty messy, we found far fewer complaints about dripping in Black & Decker CM1650B reviews than for others in its price range. Few consumers posting reviews seem to have owned the coffee maker long enough to report on its durability, although at least one user comments on its sturdiness at a consumer products testing site.

With its remarkable batch of features, the Black & Decker CM1650B seems a good value for the price.

This single-serve coffee maker (starting at $35; available on Amazon) is called The Scoop because users fill an included scoop with their choice of ground coffee rather than inserting a pod. Users measure out coffee grounds with the mesh scoop filter and place it directly in the coffee maker. The next step is to pour water into the reservoir from any 8- to 14-ounce mug, select regular or bold, and wait less than two and a half minutes for a cup to brew. A little platform turns upside down to raise smaller mugs closer to the pouring apparatus.

The bold setting should be used, says the manufacturer, when filling the scoop with premium coffee with a finer grind. The water will sit in the grounds somewhat longer, extracting more of the flavor. Even on this setting, though, some users say too much coffee is needed to make a strong cup. In reviews on Target.com, users say the coffee comes out plenty hot.

Cleanup is a snap, according to reviews. There are just three moving parts: the scoop, the second filter, and the filter holder. All these rinse out very quickly under the tap, or can be put in the dishwasher. One user notes in a review on Walmart.com that it's important to clean this machine after every use, as the mesh on the steel filters can easily become clogged with coffee residue. Hamilton Beach suggests using a vinegar and water solution once a month, and then running a few cycles of plain water. Some reviewers warn that a fine grind of coffee sometimes leaves grounds in the cup after brewing. Adding a paper filter can fix this problem.

This is a simple machine that shuts off automatically after a cup is made. Its main advantage, as far as users are concerned, is that it takes ground coffee -- no pods -- so it's not wasteful or expensive. At just 8.67 inches high and 6.7 inches wide, The Scoop Single-Serve Coffee Maker also has a smaller-than-average footprint that its adherents appreciate. It comes with a one-year limited warranty.

It’s difficult to find a single-serve coffee maker that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg and yet provides a hot, rich-tasting brew. The many fans of the Capresso On-the-Go Personal Coffee Maker (starting at $40; available on Amazon) believe they have had this seemingly unattainable wish fulfilled.

The Capresso On-the-Go Personal Coffee Maker has a permanent filter that fits into a small basket, and getting the coffee brewing is as simple as measuring a few tablespoons of coffee and using the included stainless steel travel mug to fill the water reservoir. The cycle is complete in less than four minutes, fast enough to satisfy coffee lovers in a hurry, but long enough to gain some strength from the coffee grounds. Users appreciate that they can add their own coffee, ground the way they prefer it, and in an amount that will procure the perfect cup. An Amazon reviewer was so amazed by the flavor that it inspired the purchase of a coffee grinder and gourmet beans, and a whole new world of coffee drinking opened up.

It is also possible to use soft pods with this machine, but in general, reviewers say the resulting coffee isn't as good as they get with grounds. Indeed, the experts at Seattle Coffee Gear recommend using freshly ground beans, which worked best in their testing.

The movable parts (mug, filter, and filter basket) are all dishwasher-safe and need to be cleaned after each use. One downside, which no reviewers cited as a deal breaker, is that some condensation drips out of the coffee maker after the brew cycle is finished. And some grounds find their way into the mug, users complain, particularly when using a fine grind.

A few people lament on Amazon that the Capresso On-the-Go was short-lived, but many reviewers, both on that site and Bed Bath & Beyond, praise the machine for being well worth the money. They contend it performed as well as, if not better than, much higher-priced and more popular single-serve models. Others are also happy with the small footprint, which is just a little bigger than the mug that comes with it.