Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker Review

TL;DRThe Short Answer: Is the Mr Coffee 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker Worth It?

Leave this Mr. Coffee on its default setting and the coffee can taste weak; switch to Strong and it gets good. The BVMC-JPX37 is a 12-cup drip machine with Delay Brew so it can start before you wake, a Grab-A-Cup pause for pouring mid-brew, and a two-hour auto shut-off. Durability and leaking are the complaints that come up most, so it suits someone who wants simple programmable coffee more than an appliance built to last decades.

NoFussDeal rates the Mr Coffee 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker 4.1 out of 5 at $99.00. Last updated September 27, 2026.

Key Facts

Capacity: 12 cups
Product Dimensions: 9"D x 13.5"W x 15"H
Wattage: 6.75 watts
Voltage: 120 volts
Material: Stainless Steel
Item Weight: 4 pounds

What Stands Out

12-cup programmable drip coffee maker with Delay Brew
Brew Strength Selector; the Strong setting is the one to use
Grab-A-Cup Auto Pause lets you pour before the brew finishes
2-hour automatic shut-off
Reusable filter in a lift-out basket, so no paper filters needed

Strengths and Drawbacks

What works

Makes good, strong coffee on the Strong setting
Delay Brew lets it start on its own in the morning
Grab-A-Cup Auto Pause for pouring before the brew finishes
Two-hour auto shut-off
Separate water opening avoids spills into the filter basket
Reusable filter, so no paper filters to buy
Good-looking stainless-accented design

What does not

Default strength can taste weak
Durability and leaking are the most common complaints
Ready beep can sound before dripping has finished
Water level window sits toward the back
Bright lights and a loud beep can grate in a dark, quiet kitchen

Features in Depth

Brew Strength Selector: The Setting That Fixes a Genuinely Weak Default Brew

Brew Strength Control Regular or Strong selector Coffee Quality Good and strong Default Setting Can taste weak; use Strong

Mr. Coffee promises a Brew Strength Selector that lets you choose your desired flavor intensity. That claim holds up, but not quite the way the marketing copy implies. The machine is well designed, stylish and compact, yet it can make very weak coffee on its default setting, and the Strong Brew setting is what saves it: brewing slows down a little, but the cup comes out much stronger and tastier. That is worth saying plainly: the Brew Strength Selector isn't a nice-to-have flourish here, it may be closer to a required adjustment for anyone expecting a normal-strength cup straight out of the box. Set that way, it makes good, strong coffee, and the stronger brew option is one of the best reasons to like it. Paired with Grab-A-Cup Auto Pause, which lets you pull a cup mid-cycle, the practical routine is simple: set it to Strong, and interrupt the pot freely once it's running.

$99.00 4.1/5 Check price

Stainless Steel Design, and the Value Question

Exterior Finish Stainless Steel Design Very nice looking Value for Money Depends on lifespan

Mr. Coffee finishes this machine in stainless steel in a Modern style, pitching a 'Modern design with stainless steel accents', and the look delivers: it's very nice looking and easy to use, and for anyone replacing a years-old Mr. Coffee the updated appearance is a bonus on top of excellent coffee. It also makes a sensible step up from a basic pot that has finally stopped working. The value question is less settled, even though the coffee, the ease of use and the design all hold up well. The machine does its jobs at the counter, brew, pause and shut off, without fuss; whether the price is right for a 12-cup drip machine with a reusable filter and a 4-pound body depends on how long yours lasts. Most people are happy with it, with a real minority who are not, and durability is what separates them.

$99.00 4.1/5 Check price

Grab-A-Cup Auto Pause and the 2-Hour Shut-Off: Convenience That Works

2-Hour Shut Off Automatic after 2 hours Ease of Use Simple to run Brewing Speed Varies; slower on Strong

Two of Mr. Coffee's four headline features are built around not having to babysit the machine. Grab-A-Cup Auto Pause stops the brew cycle if you need a cup before the pot finishes, useful on a rushed morning, and part of why it's so easy to use. The 2-Hour Shut Off turns the coffee maker off automatically so you don't have to, a basic safety and convenience feature rather than anything elaborate, and for anyone who wants a plain drip maker with a couple of useful features, it's welcome precisely because it stops the carafe from burning. Delay Brew lets you program the pot to start when you want it, and the filter basket lifts out for easy filling and cleaning. It can brew remarkably fast and keeps the coffee hot, but speed varies and the Strong setting slows it, so treat fast brewing as a bonus rather than a promise. The separate water opening means you won't spill water into the filter basket. It runs fully automatically on standard 120-volt power with a reusable filter, so there's no paper or pod habit built into the convenience story here.

$99.00 4.1/5 Check price

Durability and Leakage: The Weak Spots

Durability Main weak spot Leakage Recurring complaint Item Weight 4 pounds

Not everything about this machine is rosy, and the negatives are worth stating plainly. Durability and leakage are the two real weak spots, and reliability, value and brewing speed are all less consistent than the coffee. The long-term picture varies: one machine lasted about six years before the heating element failed, still a good run for the money, while an older Mr. Coffee was only retired because its hot plate had started to crumble. Smaller quirks come up too. The machine and the used grounds can stay wetter than expected, with a fair amount of vapor while brewing, the lights are a little bright in a dark kitchen and the ready beep can be loud. The beep may also sound several minutes before the last of the water has dripped through, and the water level window sits toward the back where it is harder to see. The unit weighs 4 pounds, model BVMC-JPX37, with a reusable rather than paper filter.

$99.00 4.1/5 Check price

How We Scored It

Based on: The manufacturer's published specifications and the product's live Amazon listing.
Owner rating: 4.3 out of 5 on Amazon, recorded September 27, 2026
How we score: We score each thing that comes up most in owner feedback on the Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker. Eight things come up most in owner feedback: three draw praise, three split opinion and two draw mostly complaints. Its ratings average 4.3 stars (68% five stars, 14% four, 8% three and 10% one or two), so every score starts at 86, that average on a 100 point scale. Where opinion is split, we take off 6. Where it draws mostly complaints, we take off 12. Then we read six owner reviews in full (every one we found gave it four or five stars) and move the score up to 5 points either way depending on how the owners who mention it rated the product. Our overall score starts from the same 4.3 star average and loses 0.1 for each thing that draws mostly complaints, with 0.1 more when at least a tenth of ratings are one star, never more than 0.3 in all. Here that takes off 0.2, which gives 4.1. Read our editorial standards

Coffee Quality

Mr. Coffee lists the coffee maker type as Drip Coffee Machine and the coffee input type as Ground Coffee. All of the six owner reviews we read mention it. All of them gave the product four or five stars. Score 91: we started at 86 and added 5 because the owner reviews that mention it are positive.

91Positive

Ease Of Use

Two of the six owner reviews we read mention it. All of them gave the product four or five stars. Score 91: we started at 86 and added 5 because the owner reviews that mention it are positive.

91Positive

Reliability

None of the six owner reviews we read mention it. 18% of all ratings are three stars or fewer, which is where complaints like this usually sit. Score 80: we started at 86 and took off 6 because opinion is split.

80Mixed

Brewing Speed

Three of the six owner reviews we read mention it, and those owners gave the product four or five stars, so the complaints come from the wider group of buyers. None of the reviews we read say what goes wrong, so this score rests on the buyer ratings. 18% of all ratings are three stars or fewer, which is where complaints like this usually sit. Score 80: we started at 86 and took off 6 because opini…

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80Mixed

Durability

One of the six owner reviews we read mentions it, and that owner gave the product four or five stars, so the complaints come from the wider group of buyers. None of the reviews we read say what goes wrong, so this score rests on the buyer ratings. 18% of all ratings are three stars or fewer, which is where complaints like this usually sit. Score 74: we started at 86 and took off 12 because it draw…

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74Needs Improvement

Leakage

None of the six owner reviews we read mention it. 18% of all ratings are three stars or fewer, which is where complaints like this usually sit. Score 74: we started at 86 and took off 12 because it draws mostly complaints.

74Needs Improvement

Owner Satisfaction

68% of ratings are five stars and 14% are four. 8% are three stars and 10% are one or two. The spread skews positive, but enough ratings sit low that the drawbacks below are worth reading. Score 86: its 4.3 star average on a 100 point scale.

86Mostly Positive

Value for Money

Two of the six owner reviews we read mention it, and those owners gave the product four or five stars, so the complaints come from the wider group of buyers. None of the reviews we read say what goes wrong, so this score rests on the buyer ratings. 18% of all ratings are three stars or fewer, which is where complaints like this usually sit. Score 80: we started at 86 and took off 6 because opinion…

Read the full note (410 characters)

80Mixed

Specifications

Size and weight

Capacity: 12 cups
Product Dimensions: 9"D x 13.5"W x 15"H
Item Weight: 4 pounds

Power

Wattage: 6.75 watts
Voltage: 120 volts

Materials and warranty

Material: Stainless Steel

What Buyers Say

Based on 667 Amazon customer ratings, averaging 4.3 out of 5, recorded 12 September 2026. See the reviews on Amazon

5 stars		68%
4 stars		14%
3 stars		8%
2 stars		3%
1 stars		7%

★★★★★

Amazingly Fast

Liquid of the Gods is a must before work and this coffee maker delivers! Fast really doesn't describe it. Keep the coffee hot and one can steal a cup while it's brewing.Cons: see through wat… Read it on Amazon

Karen · February 14, 2024 · Verified

★★★★★

Lasted about six years - Great upgrade from a $20 pot, but not perfect

Purchase this coffee pot as an upgrade from our $20 pot that finally stopped working. Overall, we are happy with the product. The coffee maker itself tends to hold a lot of moisture after th… Read it on Amazon

Desiree B. · November 20, 2016 · Verified

★★★★☆

Use the Strong Brew setting for best results

This coffeemaker is well-designed, stylish, and compact. But unfortunately makes very weak coffee in its default setting. Its saving grace is the Strong Brew setting. It slows down the brewi… Read it on Amazon

S. Vogt · January 19, 2017 · Verified

★★★★★

Excellent, Moderately-Priced Coffee Maker

Although my years-old Mr. Coffee still works perfectly, the hot plate has started to crumble, so I've invested in a new Mr. Coffee. As expected, the new version also brews excellent coffee, … Read it on Amazon

ManifestYourDream · March 6, 2024 · Verified

★★★★★

Great features

I wanted a basic drip coffee maker with a couple of features. It serves. It makes a tasty cups of coffee and turns itself off after two hours (so I don’t burn the flask). The added filter fo… Read it on Amazon

Teresa Freeman · June 27, 2022 · Verified

★★★★★

Ease of use.

This coffee maker is very nice looking and easy to use. I like that you can choose to make a stronger brew. Also you can set the timer to turn it on when you want. Just hope it has a long li… Read it on Amazon

AeroNut · April 15, 2024 · Verified

Setting It Up

Wash and Flush

Wash the carafe and the lift-out filter basket in warm soapy water, then run one cycle of plain water to flush the machine before brewing coffee.
Set the Clock

Plug the machine in and set the current time using the controls described in the manual. The clock is what Delay Brew runs from, so set it first.
Add Water

Pour water into the separate water opening rather than over the filter basket, filling to the cup level you want. The level window is on the side toward the back, so check it from an angle.
Add Coffee

Lift out the filter basket, fit the reusable filter and add ground coffee. Start with your usual amount per cup and adjust after the first pot.
Choose Strength and Brew

Select the strength setting before brewing. The regular setting can taste weak, so use Strong, which slows the brew slightly for a fuller cup. Brew now, or program Delay Brew so it starts at the time you choose.
Pour

You can pull the carafe mid-brew and Grab-A-Cup Auto Pause will stop the drip; put it back promptly. The ready beep can sound a few minutes before dripping fully stops, so wait a moment before pouring the last of a full pot.

Common Questions

Does the Brew Strength Selector actually fix weak coffee, or is that just marketing?

It appears to. This coffee maker can make very weak coffee on its default setting, and the Strong Brew setting is its saving grace: it slows the brew slightly but makes a much stronger, better cup. Good, strong coffee is what you get once you use the stronger setting rather than leaving it on default. Treat the Brew Strength Selector as close to a required adjustment, not an optional extra, for a normal-strength cup out of this machine.

Can I set it to have coffee ready when I wake up?

Yes. Mr. Coffee builds in Delay Brew, so you can program the pot to start brewing at the time you choose, which makes it easy to have a pot waiting when you get up. Once the brew finishes, the 2-Hour Shut Off switches the machine off by itself. The ready beep can sound a few minutes before the last water has dripped through, so give it a moment before pouring a full carafe.

Is this coffee maker reliable, and does it leak?

Durability and leakage are its weakest points, and reliability is uneven, so they deserve real caution. Lifespans vary widely: one machine lasted about six years before the heating element failed and still felt like a good buy, while an older Mr. Coffee was retired after its hot plate began to crumble. Most people are happy with it, but durability problems look like a real, if minority, pattern rather than isolated complaints.

What comes in the box, and what does Grab-A-Cup Auto Pause actually do?

Mr. Coffee lists just the coffee maker and a manual in the box, with no extra accessories bundled in, though the filter is reusable rather than paper, so no ongoing filter purchases are required. Grab-A-Cup Auto Pause stops the brew cycle if you need a cup before brewing is finished, so you can pour mid-brew, and the machine is easy to use.

Is it good value for the money?

It depends on how long it lasts. The coffee, the ease of use and the design all hold up well, but durability and leakage complaints are the main drag on value, and a machine that fails early is poor value however good the coffee. If you want a good-looking machine with a strong-brew option and a timer, it earns its place; if long-term reliability is your priority, weigh the durability reports first.

Does the 2-Hour Shut Off mean I can't brew a bigger pot or leave it running longer?

No. The 2-Hour Shut Off is a safety and convenience feature that turns the machine off automatically after two hours, not a limit on the 12-cup brew cycle itself. For anyone who wants a basic drip maker with a couple of useful features, switching itself off after two hours means the carafe never burns. It runs fully automatically on standard 120-volt household power.

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