Kmart's Black Friday coffee maker special: Better deals elsewhere

Kmart is offering a Black Friday sale on the Hamilton Beach 10-cup programmable Hamilton beach BrewStation, advertised in their leaked circular for $19.99. This coffeemaker normally sells for $39.99 on the manufacturer's site and at most major retailers. Surprisingly, we found it for much less - a whopping $13.99 - at Amazon.com (sold by Todays Concept).

Price aside, let's talk about the quality of this Hamilton Beach coffee maker and see if it's worth purchasing. The Hamilton Beach 10-cup programmable BrewStation offers some convenient features, like a two-hour automatic shutoff, a programmable clock, and a thermal insulated tank to maintain freshness. What sets this model apart is that it doesn't brew a whole pot into a carafe. Rather, it brews 10 cups at a time, but holds coffee in reserve for on-demand dispensing.

Reviews of the BrewStation are pretty mixed. It receives poor feedback on Amazon.com, where 26 owners weigh in to give it a low overall rating of two stars. Many owners say their units stopped working entirely or began leaking after less than a year of use. The BrewStation ceives better reviews at Walmart.com, earning a four-star rating after close to 100 owners have weighed in. However, we still see numerous complaints of breakdowns. A similar model, the Hamilton Beach BrewStation Deluxe 47454, is covered in our report on coffee makers and it isn't well-received. We found reports of durability issues, leakage, and an unpleasant taste imparted by plastic parts.

Our verdict: The price is pretty good, but the reviews are not. You're better off spending a bit more money for a higher-quality coffeemaker. Check out our best-reviewed coffee makers for some recommendations.