Over the years I had grown used to dealing with nasty, yucky burnt coffee from my Cuisinart coffee maker. After going over to a friend's house and having a decent cup of coffee, I was reminded just how bad my coffee was at home. I then undertook what became a long search for the best coffee maker on the market that I could afford. Based on tasting the coffee from a thermal carafe, I knew I wanted one, and in the end I was more concerned with quality than I was with a large price. I then came across the MT-500, and was immediately impressed by all of the positive reviews and experiences people have had with this machine.

I spent a lot of time reading all sorts of reviews, and then I came across this machine. I settled on it after deciding that it was within my price range, and the reviews painted it in a positive light. From the beginning I have had no problems of any sort. From the first cup the coffee has tasted excellent, and it still tastes good over a year later. In fact the coffee still tastes great and is easy to drink after more than three hours, although the instruction manual does point out that you should get rid of the coffee after two hours. This is probably because of the thermal carafe, and the fact that it's kept at a stable, consistent temperature during and after the brewing process.
There are however issues. The design of the carafe lid and brewing funnel can use some work. You have to put the funnel into the housing, and the valve has to open when you place the carafe under it. If you don't do this you'll have coffee all over the place which is not fun. Also the carafe only allows the coffee to pour very slowly, even if you have it on the wide open setting. But besides these two annoyances, this is an excellent coffee maker that gives you a fresh brew every time you use it.

So overall I rate this item four stars, because although it does have its issues, it is a good coffee maker with minimal flaws. I would definitely purchase another.