Reddit mentions of Mr. Coffee 12 Cup Programmable Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe Option, Chrome

$150+ for a coffee maker seems like they have to be doing alright on the makers. I just bought a new drip machine with a clock, timer, two strengths settings for $20 (it's $30 now).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047Y0UQO/

Wow, that picture made me shudder.

Well, if it's an automatic machine you're looking for, this might be up your alley. It has a built-in filter, so maybe it might help with the water a bit.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVMC-SJX33GT-Programmable-Coffeemaker/dp/B0047Y0UQO/ref=lp_289745_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1408075240&sr=1-1

I need a drink after looking at that. And I don't mean coffee. You said your budgets $30ish I'd go with the mr coffee one kaffeinefix posted. It has a built in water filter so that'll help improve taste from your tap water.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVMC-SJX33GT-Programmable-Coffeemaker/dp/B0047Y0UQO/ref=lp_289745_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1408075240&sr=1-1


There also this one, it doesn't have the water filter but it has good reviews

http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-49467-Coffeemaker-Digital/dp/B0097D2YE6/ref=sr_1_26?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1408076928&sr=1-26

I have a ninja coffee bar and it makes very tasty coffee, though not a lot at a time. I have found that filling to the max fill line for a full pot leaves some water in the reservoir. I now fill the carafe to the bottom of the plastic and fill the reservoir form there instead of relying on the markings (unless I'm not doing a full pot). I also don't really care for the way it pours. It tends to spill around the sides of travel mugs and my Stanley thermos if I dont pour slow and carefully. I look past this because of the great tasting coffee is produces. It's only 10 cups or so as well, and you said they drink A LOT, so a 12 cup model would be more their style. This Mr. Coffee makes some decent drip coffee for a cheapo coffee maker. I'm pretty sure it's cheaper at your local walmart.

Yet another reason why to not buy a Keurig.

Unless you've been regularly cleaning your drip maker for the past 15 years I'd scrap it and pick up a new drip maker.

I can't recommend the Mr. Coffee enough http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVMC-SJX33GT-Programmable-Coffeemaker/dp/B0047Y0UQO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393806339&sr=8-1&keywords=coffee+maker

For whatever reason /r/Coffee hates drip makers, but honestly, if you know how to use them they make a pretty great cup of joe.

1. Get a new coffee maker
   
2. Measure out the water, 6oz to 2 tablespoons of grounds
   
3. Pour the water in, grind your beans, and put the grounds into your filter
   
4. Remove the coffee pot from under the coffee maker
   
5. Close the lid and let the water drip onto the beans until the filter is about half way full with water
   
6. Mix the water around, make sure all the grounds get soaked, this allows for the best extraction
   
7. Fill the bottom of the coffee pot with water, just enough so that when the coffee hits the pot it's hitting water and not the actual glass (This prevents the "burnt" taste that's always associated with drip makers)
   
8. Put the pot under the filter and let that sweet coffee flow through
   
9. Let all the water run through the machine
   
10. At this point you can either drink the coffee fairly soon, or put it into a thermos. Leaving it on the hot plate tends to leave the coffee tasting burnt after a while, and nothing is worse than burnt coffee.
    
    It should go without saying that you NEED to be using fresh beans, can't get any? You can find an air popper for around 5 bucks at your local thrift shop, green beans from multiple sources online, and you can roast a batch of beans in about 20 minutes. You also need to be grinding your beans directly before putting them into the filter. Not to mention it's a good call to use filtered water, and to clean your machine at least once a week.
    
    If you prefer the taste of a French Roast you should look into getting a mesh filter and using that rather than a paper filter. Mesh filters filter out less oil than paper ones and will give a different flavor.

This is just my humble opinion especially based on your criteria...

This automatic drip coffee maker was the Consumer Reports Best Buy last year for under $40 (might can find it cheaper now) & it is a best seller on Amazon. The reason I like it is that it has the ability to reach 195° to 205° F for five or six minutes, the industry standard for optimal brewing.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVMC-SJX33GT-Programmable-Coffeemaker/dp/B0047Y0UQO

Considering bang for buck, ease of use & amount of coffee produced, I'd probably go with Wired Magazine's 7 out of 10 recommendation.

http://www.amazon.com/Capresso-560-01-Infinity-Grinder-Black/dp/B0000AR7SY

So what I like to do is go on Amazon and search and usually I look at the top rated item. This is no referral code or anything cheesy like that. But read the reviews, look at the similar items and decide amongst them. I have the hamilton beach one listed amongst the similar items, but it is a bit more. Most of these will last for a while, at least until you're ready to move on to something different.

edit: I actually have this sitting idle in my kitchen. I was going to donate it to goodwill but if you want it, it's yours.

Ok thanks. I bought http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047Y0UQO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 .