 Don't be seduced by the low price. Strengths: Uses pods (presumably that's why your buying it)Will accommodate taller cups. Price (which ultimately is it's undoing; see full review below)
Weaknesses: Quality is by far the worst in it's class. Does not produce Creme layer that superior machines do. Poor coffee selections (unless you happen to like Folgers/Millstone)
Summary: I purchased this item after wanting to try something different than an "ordinary" coffee maker. I had heard about the pod type machines from a co-worker who has the Philips Senseo. Well, I was "seduced" by the low price of the Black and Decker; $20.00. I figured for that price, it was worth a try. I took the first one back after about a week because it was leaking water on the counter. The second one lasted about two weeks before a plastic part (the whole thing is plastic) separated from another plastic part, because of the failure of plastic rivets. With the way these machines are made in China these days, it would probably cost Black and Decker pennies to upgrade their machine to an acceptable level. By the way, in between machines, I looked up reviews online and realized that virtually everyone else had similar experiences with their Black and Decker pod machine. I figured that the gamble on the cheap machine had not paid off this time and brought it back and shelled out $70 for the Senseo. The Senseo is in another class both in design and quality. Part of the added benefit of using such a machine is the foam or creme that is created on the top of your coffee. The Black and Decker does not do this. The only caveat to the story if any is that the Philips pods are not as abundant as the Black/Deckers. I believe that the maker of the B/D was flooding the market with the cheap machines to create a huge customer base which would in turn create a huge demand for B/D pods, which could squeeze Philips off of grocery store shelves, which comes at a premium. The silver lining is that the B/D pods (if you like them)are about the same size as the Philips pods and do work in the Senseo. There are also pods (Senseo and Senseo aftermarket, including gourmet) online that can be conveniently shipped to your door. My advice is to spend a little more (even $50 more-(UPDATE:now $50 w/free shipping on Amazon) and get the Philips or one of the other highly rated pod makers on the market. Even if you get"lucky" and get one that doesn't break (it could happen), your overall satisfaction with this machine will be low as this is probably the lowest rated pod maker on the market at this time.
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