HAMILTON BEACH BRANDS INC 40540 Aluminum Dispensing Coffee Urn -40 Cup Review

We purchased this unit from Bed Bath & Beyond as a replacement to the Hamilton Beach 40515 (HB) coffee urn (which was better in our opinion).

This unit looks pretty, and it holds >40 cups of water just as the HB did, but instead of being tall and slim, it is a short and fat unit.

The cup dispenser uses a pressure-release mechanism rather than a lift valve which at first glance seemed better because we can just put pressure on it with the coffee cup in hand rather than lifting a latch, but we were mistaken.The unit's pressure dispenser is placed at an angle, so it only dispenses full force when the bottom of the dispenser is pressed; when placing the coffee against the top of the unit, nothing comes out.

The problem with this is that the unit is so short, nothing larger than the small coffee cups will fit under the unit to allow it to dispense.This is a problem since most of our coffee cups are not the small ones.If you can fit the coffee cup under the dispenser to get it to dispense, you also have to be careful because unlike the spout-type dispensers, if you're not careful and there is not a sufficient amount of water in the unit, you'll knock it over and burn everyone around you including yourself when you reach to touch the burning hot unit with your bare hands to prevent it from falling and spilling.

Other than that, there is no way to see how much water is left in the unit, and the first day after using it with guests, it ran out of water and burned the bottom.Were there an indicator, we would have seen that we were running low on water and the bottom wouldn't have burned, possibly damaging the unit.Other units have either an indicator where you can see the water level, and others even have an automatic shut-off when the water level gets low and this unit has none of these features.

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Product Description:
Hamilton Beach, 40 Cup, BrewStation Aluminum Dispensing Coffee Urn, Cup/Minute Brewing, Boil Dry Shut Off, Removable 3 Prong Plus.

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Sunbeam 6131 Hot Shot Hot Water Dispenser Review

Sunbeam 6131 Hot Shot Hot Water Dispenser, Black

We have used a Hot Shot for many years, replacing the first two because they eventually stopped heating water sufficiently (only up to 160 degrees F).Since they had become a mainstay in our kitchen, used several times a day, we were eager to replace the last one, and ordered the sleek new black model, which is of a somewhat different design than the original.

The first one we received from Amazon leaked considerably if we didn't use up all the water that had been heated, so we sent it back (Amazon paid for the entire return postage and sent us a new one at no extra cost).The second one leaked just like the first one, through the dispenser spout, when water was left to sit in the heating chamber.We never had this problem with the older model.

I am giving it two stars instead of only one, since some people may not mind being sure to empty the heating chamber after each use.(If it didn't leak, I would give it 4 stars -- and 5 stars, if it were also tall enough to accomodate taller cups).

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Product Description:
HOT SHOT - Hot Water Dispenser. Heats 16 oz of water fatser than a microwave. Auto Shut off, Cord storage. Great to make a variety of foods such as hot cereal, hot noodles, hot beverages, baby food and more. Ideal for home,office or travel.

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