The Black and Decker - 12-Cup* Programmable Coffeemaker and its clock are very easy to set up. It is more compact than my other 12-cup coffee maker, and I can pour from the carafe without any spilling. The carafe is lightweight and balanced nicely, but the glass is quite thin. Brewing starts immediately upon pressing the on/off button, and within 4 minutes there is approximately 2 cups ready for me to Sneak-A-Cup. When I do sneak a cup, there is a lot of steam and some coffee does drip (not a lot). Brewing half a pot (6 cups) takes about 7 minutes. The coffee is steaming hot and stays hot long enough for me to finish off the half pot that I usually brew. The manual indicates that the carafe and the basket can be purchased as replacement parts if necessary. This is a decent coffee pot for the price point.