Black & Decker DLX1050 coffee maker

Coffee machine carafes can be problematic; too many models drip when they pour, and break easily and require regular replacement. The conspicuous absence of these issues is just the first of the many things about my Black & Decker DLX1050 coffee maker that make me smile! I had begun to think that a dripless pouring-design was an impossibility, but this machine’s glass carafe truly doesn’t piddle on my counter every time I top off my coffee mug.

Along the same lines, I didn’t believe—until becoming acquainted with this model—that a glass carafe could truly survive life in my household for more than a year, but this “DuraLife” carafe is living up to its name, having already weathered several of the knock-about incidents which previously would have sent me to the store for a replacement.

Black & Decker DLX1050 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker with Glass Carafe

Black & Decker DLX1050 coffee maker product features:

12-cup capacity

Soft-touch control panel

Programmable timer for automatic brewing

Pause-to-Pour function prevents messes when you remove the carafe to pour

Automatic shut-off for safety

Removable permanent filter basket included

2-year limited warranty

I love the look of this sleek black unit on my kitchen counter, and I must say that the Black & Decker brand lives up to its reputation for durability and staying power. In fact, it’s probably a telling indication that this coffee pot was purchased as a gift for me from my husband, who doesn’t know which end of the kitchen is up, but has a shop full of Black & Decker tools. Faced with the intimidating aisles of kitchen appliances, he gravitated toward the one thing he knew—and boy, am I glad!

The aged and ailing machine which he was shopping to replace had none of the perks (if you’ll pardon the pun) of the Black & Decker DLX1050, and I feel perfectly spoiled by this sleek machine’s slick options. The soft touch buttons of the digital control pad are mercifully easy to wipe clean, and the programming itself is very straightforward (my husband would be proud —I didn’t even need the user’s manual to operate it the first time). Now I have the machine set a few minutes ahead of our alarm clock, so it greets us every morning with the aroma of coffee that’s ready to pour.

I should also mention that on those occasions when I’m up ahead of the machine, I can override the pre-set timing with one button touch, and its brewing time is fairly quick, at about ten minutes. And—since I’m not a patient soul—I also enjoy the fact that it pauses the brewing when I pull out the carafe to pour before the full pot has finished brewing. No drips!

The water reservoir on the Black & Decker DLX1050 coffee maker is located under the lift-up top of the machine, so I’ve positioned it near the sink where I can easily fill it up with the dish-spraying nozzle, keeping an eye on the handy water-level indicator on the side of the machine. And the removable metal filter is also easy to use; I just dump the old grinds, give it a quick once-over with the same sprayer nozzle, and pop it back in, ready to go. Both the metal filter and the glass carafe can be run through the dishwasher, and I occasionally add a dollop of baking soda and vinegar into the bottom of the carafe to take care of that coffee-stain build-up that my dishwasher doesn’t quite prevent. Just a few minutes of fizzing, and it sparkles like new.

Since my Black & Decker DLX1050 coffee maker was a gift, I’m not “supposed” to know what the price tag was… But just between us, this machine was a steal! And it’s holding up so well, I think it will be a long time before my husband has reason to face the dreaded kitchen-appliance aisle again.