(checked 2026-10-10)The listing pools the stainless steel and matte black versions (about 3,600 ratings).
An expert favorite for its auto-brew timer and the best heat-holding carafe in Serious Eats' test. But 22% of its Amazon ratings are 1-2 stars, and owners describe lukewarm coffee, a rubbery or chemical taste, and units that stop working.
Top complaints
- Owners say coffee isn't hot enough
Temperature is a mixed aspect in Amazon's review summary (611 mentions). Several lowest-rated Walmart reviews say the coffee comes out lukewarm or goes cold in the carafe. This conflicts with Serious Eats and Wirecutter, whose carafe tests found it held heat best.
- Rubbery, chemical or bitter taste
Several 1-star Walmart reviews say the coffee tastes of chemicals, rubber or dish soap, and blame the internal rubber mixing tube. A Wirecutter reader says two units both brewed very bitter coffee. Wirecutter itself found the coffee pleasant but less nuanced than its other picks.
- Reliability and fussy cleaning
Reliability is mixed on Amazon, with some owners saying it stopped working after a few weeks, and a Walmart reviewer says it quit just after the warranty. Wirecutter says the narrow carafe needs a bottle brush and coffee gunk builds up in the lid's crevices.
What owners love
- Auto-brew timer
It's the only Wirecutter pick that can brew automatically before you wake up, and Serious Eats found setting tomorrow's brew easy.
Source: Wirecutter, Serious Eats - Best carafe in expert tests
Its carafe kept coffee the hottest in Serious Eats' hold test, and Wirecutter found it hotter than the other picks after four hours.
Source: Serious Eats, Wirecutter - Hot brew, helpful service
Serious Eats measured a consistent 200°F-plus at the showerhead. Wirecutter staff found OXO's customer service helpful under the 2-year warranty.
Source: Serious Eats, Wirecutter
- You're sensitive to off-tastes from plastic or rubber parts
- Your upper cabinets are low (it's about 17 inches tall)
- You want the most nuanced cup for the money
- Waking up to coffee (auto-brew timer)
- Keeping a pot hot for hours in a thermal carafe
- People who like a clock and a descale reminder
Scores (tap for why)
What experts say
- Wirecutter (NYT): Best for convenient features (auto-brew, clock). Its flaws: coffee less nuanced than the top picks, controls that aren't immediately intuitive, a tall body, and a carafe and lid that are fussy to clean.
- Serious Eats: Best programmable pick, with the best heat retention. Cons: a conical basket that's less versatile than flat ones, and only 9 cups.