Black & Decker Spacemaker Coffee Maker

Digital 12 Cup ODC450

Posted by Dan

Black & Decker Spacemaker Coffee Maker This coffeemaker began with a reasonable idea: Move the appliance up and off the counter to make better use of limited space. Unfortunately, this version has too many problems to recommend as a solution to the lack of counter space.

Black & Decker has been making reliable and popular gadgets for many years; their kitchen line has some admirable appliances getting good reviews from consumers. As an innovative company with roots more in power tools and machinery, they seek some out of the box solutions that may have missed other, more entrenched brands. The Spacemaker line is a fine example. Turn your kitchen cabinet bottoms into more counter space for appliances! A genius idea. This has apparently presented a host of design and usability challenges that haven't thoroughly been worked out with this particular coffeemaker.

The unit itself has the features one would expect: 12-cup capacity with programmable timer, hotplate with auto-shutoff, and a "Sneak-a-Cup" feature. Nothing out of the ordinary for a coffeemaker. The problems, though, as reported by many dozens of consumers, include: leaking filter basket and carafe, difficulty mounting under cabinet, clock/timer problems, and short working life. Black & Decker has since updated the unit with a complete redesign that hopefully has addressed the issues with this one. Its too early to tell, although I really like the design of the new model. Good luck B & D, to you and your future customers.