Cheap doesn't always mean Cheerful. (Proline CM3W Filter Coffee Maker)

Member Name: Nar2

Product:	Proline CM3W Filter Coffee Maker
Date:	02/07/08 (287 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Its cheap and produces warm/mild coffee.

Disadvantages: The worst plastic quality, leaks, drips, makes a loud noise, weak element.

In 2004 I purchased the Proline CM3 coffee maker for myself at a very good price of £12-99 from Comet and was surprised until very late on this year to see Woolworths still sold it as part of their Elevation/Worth It! Series for an even cheaper price of £9-99. It did seem a cheaper proposition at the time since I had smashed my parents' glass cafetiere and so my Proline came to reside at my parents.


The model in question is the CM3W model, the "W" possibly referring to its white colouring. A friend of mine used to own the same model but in black of which she had bought from one of the mail order catalogues - larger high street shops only seem to sell the white one although it no longer available to buy at Comet. Colour aside, the plastic bodied machine is made of cheap plastic - the swing out cup can be taken out by applying a strong hold on the machine and popping out the hinges and there is a Nylon washable and permanent mesh filter cup which is a good size which fits into the basket holder.


The capacity of the machine can take 10 cups full of water, although I have never met anyone who has gone to all the trouble of measuring water by cups to ensure that the water can fill the capacity suggested. Roughly 10 cups for me mean about 6 mugs worth of coffee, which is enough for anyone by my reckoning. However the first machine was broken when I took it out of the box, and had to be returned to Comet as well as managing to break the hinge when trying to fill the water into the machine! Comet replaced the machine happily and I thought that was that. As for controls there is only one; a green neon switch at the side which switches the machine on and keeps lit to show that it is on; not the most modern things you'd find on a coffee machine but necessary. There is a 900 watt element but this isn't enough to heat water given that most kettles these days come with a starter of 2000 watts.


As for its true purpose, the machine does make filter coffee but it can be slow waiting for the machine to gurgle (and does it loudly); its not a modern cappuccino or espresso coffee maker so it won't feature a milk steamer or anything modern like that.

Firstly, if the glass jug is not resting on the hotplate completely, droplets of coffee from the filter can make their way down to the back of the machine causing the jug to stick to the hot plate and burning coffee liquid will make its way onto the hotplate; here my parents Morphy Richards coffee maker is so much better in this respect. Thank goodness the jug on the Proline is dishwasher safe but as it has a steel ring which is part of the handle stuck to the rim of the jug it is impossible to use in the microwave. After a long period the plastic lid of the jug also dulls with coffee stains and this has proved difficult to get rid of. I have tried bleach but once the coffee jug lid has dulled, it is impossible to return its colour back to true white. There is an anti drip valve located just below the filter cup but it only works occasionally as opposed to always and the filter cup will drip unless you slowly and gently remove the jug without disturbing the filter cup. The slightest bump against the cheap filter cup will produce a couple of drops!


The hotplate only heats up if the machine is making fresh coffee. It will keep the jug warm after the coffee making process has finished but because it has a thermostat, it has no keep hot facility. It will keep the coffee warm but the coffee in heat strength is quite lukewarm as a result. The hotplate itself is apparently non-stick but has the poorest lining on it. The quality of the end result is warm filter coffee rather than hot.


Generally the quality of build and plastic is poor - you get what you pay for in this respect. This is evident from its lack of design that has gone into the making the machine. In particular, the flip up lid to put the water in doesn't seem to fit flush with the rest of the machine and the nylon filter, though easy to clean is not a good design because at the bottom of the filter it still leaves coffee in the middle where the sides of the filter come down to. When we were using the machine between two and three times a week, we discovered that the pipe that leads to the filter basket was coming away from the water unit at the back of the machine. This resulted in the lack of the sound of water as it gurgles in the machine.


It is not possible to take the top off to inspect the tube or water tank until you dismantle the hinge basket off its carrier, turn the machine on its side (making sure the jug has been taken out and all the water has been poured out as well as drying the unit thoroughly and leaving it to cool to ensure no burnt fingers on the tubing inside) and undo five of the tinniest Philips style screws ever to take off the top cover on the machine. Once you have done this, and with a little bit of effort of pushing the plastic grip like teeth off the edges, you have to prise the top off without dangering yourself or causing a crack in the poorly thinned plastic that covers the machine. The first time we did this, we discovered a huge clump of coffee grinds which had found its way into the top of the lid. This does not inspire confidence when the steam and the water the machine produces should be able to filter out.


There are no perforations OUTSIDE on the top of the machine either and this is probably why grinds of coffee have made their way under the lid through the perforations INSIDE at the top of the lid. I was really shocked about this and questioned the hygiene risk to Proline which fell on dumb ears! Once inside, the area where the water goes, you have to be careful not to cause harm to yourself whilst trying to fix the tube back onto the water carrier tube, which is a solid plastic tube and has quite a rough edge to it. This is why the rubber tubing which transports the water from the tank to the filter basket spilt in two. The area of the water tank is silly too as it is quite difficult to get your fingers into the water tank to apply the rubber tube onto the solid water pipe.


In terms of styling the Proline CM3W takes up more space than my food processor. It is quite bulky unless you site the machine with the tank facing towards the wall and the water cup gauge - a handy point - to the left as it will appear more compact than it really is. The power cord which is supplied is a mere 0.3 metres in length so you do need a plug socket very near to the machine. My parents couldn't wait to get rid of it when they had been given their Morphy Richards filter coffee maker and once again came to stay with me for a couple of months. However it was not to last any longer than just that couple of months;


The last straw of ownership came one day when I decided that I wanted a whole day's worth of coffee. So I went through the directions, filling the machine up and went to switch it on. Only the Proline CM3W had other ideas. I went to press the on switch and the pilot light button came away from its housing on the machine. I looked at it carefully to discover that the assembly for it also came away from the machine. So you get what you pay for sometimes, and although no longer on sale in the high street, if you fancy a cheap filter coffee maker there are so many other machines out there to consider. If I don't get fresh coffee instantly, I'm like a dog chewin' a wasp! if you see this model on Gumtree or EBay, do yourself a favour and consider something else. Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2008

Summary: No wonder Comet and Woolworths don't sell it anymore.

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