When the latest group of Hamilton Brew Stations came out they sounded like they would be a big hit. They offered coffee that would stay inside and could be served right into a cup or mug or larger container. It also offered coffee that would stay hot because of the insulated coffee container that remained in the coffee maker itself. Some offered coffee before the whole brew session was finished while others offered programming and digital settings.

However, as we look at the reviews they are quite dismal. The Hamilton Beach 48465 Brewstation Summit Ultra 12 cup Programmable Coffeemaker has had 5 reviews posted with 1s 3s and 5s yielding a 3 with one vender and a 1 with another. The one-hand dispensing for quick fill-ups from an insulated tank that has a gentle heater so it will taste fresh and hot for hours plus its versatility of brewing more than coffee didn’t even seen to raise that much attention. Where the coffee was delivered was the greatest concern; too far back, thus too close to the coffeemaker.

The Brewstation 48464 Summit 12cup, Hamilton Beach 47374HB Digital Brew Station, Hamilton Beach 47665 BrewStation Plus and the Hamilton Beach 10 cup Brew Station have not had any reviews while the Hamilton Beach Brewstation 48274 received a large number of reviews. Most talked about the stays hot feature and the quality of the coffee taste. These reviews ended up with a 4.8+ rating.

The Hamilton Beach 12 cup Commercial Coffeemaker has received 11 reviews, but they have been negative, sorta?! They biggest complaint, from 6 people, was the time they lasted, which was only 7 months. The better part of this news is Hamilton agreed to replace all the coffee makers that did not last and they would receive the same guarantee as the original coffee makers.

The Hamilton Beach 47214, 12 cup, received 37 user ratings with a total star rating of 4. +.

Many liked the idea of the quick dispensing right into the cup and the thermal insulation feature that kept there coffee hot for four hours.

Another BrewStation, the Hamilton Beach 47454, received 93 reviews that gave this coffee maker a 4+ rating overall. 76 people rated it a 4 or 5 with comments like: "love it, love it, love it!" On the negative side, it didn’t last long.

With all these mixed reviews how do you judge a BrewStation? Look for the features that you want first. Then, you might want to look to the reviews. Anther important part of looking at the reviews is to see when they were written. Some may be three, four or even five ago.

Coffee maker companies, including Hamilton Beach, are constantly updating there coffee makers, which makes older reviews not having much value. Also, remember to look to the length of the warranty. What does the warranty cover? And how good is the company to work with when you have a problem. Those who got a new BrewStation without any hassles in today’s market is a great selling point and a true bonus. At this writing, I have noticed that a number of the original brew stations have been discontinued. It is you, the consumer, who decides which brew stations are best and any company will respond accordingly.