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Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal Coffee Maker vs Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker
Which one has the downsides you can live with?
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The short answer
Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal Coffee Maker ranks higher (#3 vs #4 of 10) and scores better on coffee quality, carafe & keeping warm. Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker wins on ease of use, easy cleaning.
The biggest complaint about the Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal Coffee Maker is expensive for a coffee-only machine; for the Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker it's stops brewing or leaks over time. Pick the one whose catch bothers you less.
Good for: Keeping a pot hot for hours without a hot plate
Its catch: expensive for a coffee-only machine
Check price on AmazonGood for: The best coffee under about $100
Its catch: stops brewing or leaks over time
Check price on AmazonPaid links. We don't list prices — they change daily. Neither one feels right?
Side by side
| Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal Coffee Maker | Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker | |
|---|---|---|
| Rank in coffee makers | #3 | #4 |
| Price tier | $$$ | $$ |
| Type | Drip | Drip |
| Amazon 1–2★ share | — | 10% |
| Overall score | 4.2 | 3.6 |
| Coffee quality | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Brew temperature | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Easy cleaning | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Carafe & keeping warm | 5.0 | 2.5 |
| Durability | — | 2.5 |
Price tiers: $ under $80 · $$ $80–200 · $$$ over $200. Highlighted = clearly better (a score gap of 0.3 or more, or a 1–2★ share at least 3 points lower). Scores are explained, with sources, on each product's page.
Top complaints
Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal Coffee Maker
- Expensive for a coffee-only machine
Tom's Guide says it is quite expensive and still feels expensive for a 'one-trick-pony machine', with fewer features than the Fellow Aiden. TechRadar lists it at $349.95 for the thermal version.
Source: Tom's Guide review, TechRadar review - Poor instructions and small tank handle
Tom's Guide calls the user manual 'shockingly bad' and needed several tries to work out cold brew. TechRadar says the printed instructions could be clearer and the water-tank handle is too small to carry a full tank.
Source: Tom's Guide review, TechRadar review - Big footprint, hand-wash only, 2-year warranty
Tom's Guide says it is about 16 inches tall and almost 15 inches wide and didn't fit its tester's home kitchen; no parts are dishwasher-safe; and the 2-year warranty trails Fellow's and Braun's 3 years and Aarke's 5. TechRadar instead calls the footprint very small.
Source: Tom's Guide review, TechRadar review
Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker
- Stops brewing or leaks over time
Reliability is mixed in Amazon's summary (1.5K mentions, some owners say it stopped brewing), and durability is a negative aspect. Wirecutter readers say their units died after 9-14 months or leaked from the bottom within about three years.
- Carafe breaks; screw-on lid
Amazon's summary says owners report the carafe breaking after about 10 months. Wirecutter disliked the screw-on lid with a built-in 'Flavor Straw', which is less convenient and harder to clean than a flip-top.
- Hot plate and interface quirks
Wirecutter found coffee turned a little acrid after two hours on the warming plate and that the machine doesn't remember your last settings. Serious Eats found its coffee leaned bitter next to Zojirushi's. A Wirecutter reader says the end-of-brew beep is loud and can't be turned off.
Who should pick which
Pick the Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal Coffee Maker if
Keeping a pot hot for hours without a hot plate
Very fast full pots (60 oz in about 3 minutes)
People who want to tweak bloom and temperature, or try cold brew
Skip it if: You want the cheapest good drip maker; You have little counter or cabinet space (about 16 inches tall); You want a proven long-term track record
Pick the Ninja 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker if
The best coffee under about $100
Filling the tank at the sink
Delay-brew mornings
Skip it if: You leave coffee on the burner for hours; You want a thermal carafe; You want something that reliably lasts many years
We don't list prices — they change daily. Paid links.
Neither one feels right?
If both catches are deal-breakers, start here.
Wirecutter's top pick for nuanced, very hot coffee and an easy-to-fill removable tank. But it has only a 1-year warranty, Serious Eats found the build a little chintzy, and some Amazon owners report carafes that cool quickly and units that fail early.
Its catch: short warranty, durability doubtsA third option · #10Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee MakerSerious Eats' most foolproof brewer, with guided, pour-over-style brewing. But Wirecutter found its automatic mode flat and slow, both found the carafe loses heat quickly, and 30% of its Amazon ratings are 1-2 stars.
Its catch: carafe loses heat fastAll 10 comparedSee every coffee maker, rankedEach one's biggest complaint at a glance, with the full ranking.
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