This review is for the Moccamaster 53934 KBGV Select. I am a craft coffee roaster...I roast my own coffee purchased from all over the world. I want a coffee brewer that does justice to the effort that I have put into buying and roasting my green coffee beans. If you're like me, you're not just wondering if the Moccamaster is a good coffee maker, but you are wondering if it is the one to buy...is it worth the money? With that in mind, I will talk about the Moccamaster 53934 KBGV Select and compare it to a competing coffee maker in hopes of being of assistance in making your decision; but I won't go into great detail so I'm not repeating marketing hype. The Moccamaster 53934 KBGV Select is a really pretty machine. It looks just like it's pictured on Amazon. I bought the teal model. So, if you like the looks in the pictures, then you'll like the looks of the machine. It meets the SCAA gold cup standard for brewing, and so it does make very good coffee. It takes a standard #4 cone filter which are easy to find. It has a switch that can be set to either half pot or full pot (the primary reason I bought this particular model). The carafe is glass and it is thin; nothing wrong with that but don't dink it on the counter or the sink as it will likely crack. Having said that, I think that coffee brewed in glass tastes a tiny bit better....maybe. I can tell very little difference between coffee brewed in glass and that brewed in stainless. By all accounts, the internal working of the coffee maker are excellent and should be expected to last a long time. In short, it a good coffee making machine and it brews good coffee. Now the cons: The lid over the water reservoir and the lid over the coffee filter are both loose pieces. No big deal, but when you are filling the water and putting coffee in the filter, you have to kind of juggle those loose lids and find a place to put them on the counter that is out of the way. Not a deal breaker, but be aware that this adds just a bit of "busyness" to the coffee brewing process. Also, the power switch which initiates the brew keeps the hot plate on will stay on for like 100 minutes if you do not remember to turn it off, even if the carafe is not on the machine. I would think a machine of this quality would have some kind of sensor to turn the hot plate off if the carafe is not on the machine. One final note; I purchased my Moccamaster 53934 KBGV Select during Prime days for $245 instead of the normal $349...the lowest price ever offered by Technivorm. I have always wanted a Moccamaster, but without that $104 savings? I would not have purhcased it. $349 is too much for a household coffee maker. For that matter, so is $245. I also own the OXO 9 Cup maker with a stainless thermal carafe. It is an attractive, modern looking machine. It also is a SCAA gold cup standard coffee brewer that can make a half or whole pot. The carafe is virtually indestructible and keeps a full pot of coffee very hot for a long time (1.5-2 hours). Both the water reservoir lid and filter housing lid are hinged permentantly to the machine so they are never in the way or taking up counter space. Are the internal working as highly engineered and constructed as those of the Moccamaster 53934 KBGV Select? Probably not. But, I've had my OXO for three years and it works flawlessly every time. OXO engineers their products well and I expect their machine to last a long time. The OXO does not have a hot plate so no issue like that of the Moccamaster. One neat thing it does do; it senses if the carafe is in place and if it is not in place you cannot brew. Nice safety/convenience feature, I think. Cons: none really, unless you consider a stainless carafe a con. I do not. There might be a miniscule difference in taste (one that cannot be quantified), but I cannot definitively say there is. I have been drinking my own roasts for the last three years brewed in the OXO. Every good roast has tasted good; every poor roast has tasted poor. But, that's on me the roaster....not on the brewer. At just about $200 full price, the OXO is a bargain compared to the Moccamaster. If you chose to buy the Moccamaster 53934 KBGV Select you've got a very good machine. If you pay $349 for it, I have to say that you spent a lot more money for a coffee brewer than you needed it. If you really want the Moccamaster, buy it and be proud of it. You'll like the coffee. If you want a very good coffee maker and you don't absolutely have to own a Moccamaster, be a better steward of your money and buy the OXO for about $200 or less. You won't be dissapointed with either brewer, but you might be disappointed with yourself for spending more than you need to for a good coffee maker. FYI: 1)The Moccamaster 53934 KBGV Select is about 14" tall and the OXO is about 15"...if this matters to you. 2) I use the Melitta Bamboo #4 filters on both machines because they don't impart a papery taste to the coffee...IMO. Hope this help you!
