First the blende dies and then the coffee maker...

[pinkytoe]

I guesss I will blame it on sunspots, but both of these appliances went out this past week. Both were less than two years old and cost in the $75 range. I am beginning to think price makes little difference. The iron I bought for $8.00 at Walgreens five years ago is still going strong. I have replaced the blender but need to find a coffee maker ASAP...any suggestions?

[loosechickens]

it's frustrating, isn't it? The ones you pay big bucks for often fizzle, then something that you got at a thrift store or yard sale for pennies lasts another twenty years..

We just boil water on the stove and pour it through a coffee filter. We used to have a Melitta filter, but in 1993 when our van was stolen in Mexico, the filter went too.....we didn't have an option, so we took a little plastic deli cup and my sweetie heated a nail in the fire and burned a hole in the bottom. It was just the right size to put the coffee filter in, and sit over the cup for it to drip through. To this day, we still have that little deli cup, it still makes coffee just fine with a filter stuck in it, and although we no longer use it on a daily basis, as we mostly drink tea now, it's still there working after about 17 years.....the "no cost" solution. It works, so we've never felt the need to change it, although when we make a cup of coffee for a visitor, it elicits laughs and an explanation of how it came to be our "system" .

[JaneV2.0]

I have an ancient, cheap Mr. Coffee that's still working perfectly, though I've had to buy replacement carafes at the thrift store. I have a permanent cone filter setup that should last forever, as well. It does seem that modern appliances have a suspiciously short lifespan. You could consider solutions without moving parts, like a French press.

[puglogic]

We use a french press and it's great. Metal and glass, doesn't need power (except to heat the teakettle). But if I were to want a coffeemaker I'd probably also look for an older model.

[H-work]

We often have power surges in our small rural town. That'll take out a whole slew of things at one time. We make sure to put important things (like computers) on battery back ups (Costco has a nice one around $100). Maybe you had a power surge and didn't know it. Or it's just the overall poor quality of electronics today. You're right, the expensive models leak and die and fail and fall apart just as easily as the cheaper models. The expensive ones just *look* better quality, it's often an illusion.

I try to get most household items 2nd hand. So I don't pay more than $5 for a coffee maker, toaster, vacuum, etc. When they die, I'm not out much.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Yea the more expensive ones are no better than the cheaper ones. The plastic ring for the bottom of my cheap blender broke, hence I can't use the blender, but I feel bad buying a new one. So I guess now I'm on the hunt for a plastic ring (maybe I can order from the manufacturer).

[JaneV2.0]

...
I try to get most household items 2nd hand. So I don't pay more than $5 for a coffee maker, toaster, vacuum, etc. When they die, I'm not out much.

My favorite toaster ever (a handsome and apparently new Oster) cost $6.60 at Value Village. Since I use it rarely (Udi's gluten-free bread--not bad!), it should last indefinitely.

[puglogic]

I got an older bread machine on Freecycle and the thing has gone through a zillion loaves of bread without complaint. We seemed to have moved into the decade of cheap and disposable. A shame. P.S. I like Udi's too, and I'm not even gluten-intolerant. :) Here in the Land of Udi (CO)

[Fawn]

I have had the same 4 cup $10 electric coffee maker for...um, maybe about 8 years. My brother and his wife has used a carafe and filter system for 25+ years. I would go with the French press system, but it leaves too much sediment in my coffee for me. I like the wasteful paper filters for this reason.
I like loosechickens solution, paper filter with makeshift carafe.