I have had my Bunn model VPS since about 1988. I still use it many times a day, and a lot of folks really enjoy the coffee it brews, and the hot water too. I've been a government office worker for a long time, and we drink a LOT of coffee. I have used mine to make a ton of coffee for military folks too. Some poor fellows had to switch off to decaf due to blood pressure, and the tea drinkers always want their pots of hot water throughout the day as well, so I just rinse out the filter holder and make hot water as needed between brews of coffee. Mine is the same model as the newer VPS, but it looks different now. Over the years I have had to replace the glass pots: some folks just can't listen and leave an empty pot sitting on a hot burner, or they never heard of "thermal shock" and they run cold water into a hot pot. I also needed to replace the gasket between the fill tray and the pipe that goes down into the canister, it's obvious when it leaks and the silicon gasket needs to be replaced. I have replaced the lights, and the thermal cut off swtitch as well. But remember, I am talking about 24 years and a massive amount of brewed coffee. I have not had to replace the heating rods (yet). I've disassembled mine a few times, and used a steel wire brush head on a drill to buff out the stainless steel parts, and if any rust spots formed on the back plate, I went over them too. I painted it different colors over time as well --but I never paint the stainless steel parts of course. Someone said why don't I throw it out and buy a new one? I was appalled and offended. This is my Bunn brewer, not some cheap plastic "disposable" home brewer. After I recently cleaned it up and brought it back in, someone actually thought it was a new machine. It looks really good for it's age. I know I'll be using it into retirement as well. I plan to pass it on as a family heirloom like our kitchenade mixer, rainbow vacuum, a quilt, or a Henry rifle. All I have to say is I hope they have Bunn coffee machines in Heaven, or I'll be really sad (and grumpy without my morning brew). I also have a Bunn at home, but it is just a plastic single pot unit. I am not a fan of plastic, but I can understand the reasons they use it. Since I drink my coffee at work, I mainly use my home unit to make hot water for tea, soups, to get a head-start on boiling corn, crabs, potatoes, soup, or to make hot water for my verticle water smoker, or to clean something; nearly-boiling water does a great job for cleaning up the metal insides of a microwave without using harsh chemicals. I have had lots of other machines over the years, everyone loves my old Bunn machine. No, nobody paid me to say any of this; I don't know anybody that works for Bunn either. If I did, I would want to shake their hand though.
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