There are two types of people in this world, those who like thermal carafe designs, or those who'd rather use a glass carafe with a hot plate, and most coffee makers make each model with either option. Thermal carafe designs are usually more expensive, are durable if dropped, and will keep coffee hotter for longer. Glass carafes are more fragile, but less likely to interfere with the taste of your coffee, like stainless steel can, and will be accompanied by a hot plate. If your model has a hot plate, consider how long it keeps coffee warm and whether it shuts off automatically. Sometimes, hot plates can burn the coffee is left sitting too long.