Keurig K550 Coffee Maker Single Serve 2.0 Brewing System with Top Needle Cleaning Maintenance Accessory and My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter, Platinum

It took me a few months to purchase this machine because I read so many bad reviews about it. I finally pulled the trigger about 2 weeks ago and bought one. It was promptly shipped and I received my purchase almost a week before the scheduled delivery date. I am giving this machine a five star rating because it is an amazing piece of equipment that brews an excellent cup of coffee. The reason that there have been so many negative reviews of this machine is because of the fact that it only brews licensed Keurig cups. I understand that people are frustrated with that feature, but I think it is immature and inaccurate to ignore all of the great features of this machine because we are mad at Keurig. We all know now that the machine only brews licensed Keurig cups, so let's look at the actual machine.The water reservoir on this model is amazing. With my old K65 Special Edition it felt like I was filling the reservoir constantly. The K550 seems to endure even my roughest mornings, where I require multiple cups to get my day started. I also like the fact that there is a filtration system included, and that it was so easy to install.The operation of this model seems to have improved from a quality stand point. It is much quieter when it brews a cup, whereas my K65 was very noisy. The brew seems to be more consistent and I haven't experienced any coffee grinds making it into my cup, which would sometimes occur with the K65.The bells & whistles are amazing. This model has 16 different touch screen backgrounds to choose from, and the LED that lights up the water reservoir can be set at four different colors. I also like the option of making a strong cup of coffee, and there is a noticeable difference when you use this option. The clock has a digital or analog option, and there is a night light option which I thought was pretty cool. I haven't used the carafe yet, but I like having that as an option as well.If you are looking for a sleek, stylish Keurig that makes an excellent cup of coffee and doesn't skimp on bells & whistles, then the K550 is the model for you. I am absolutely happy with my purchase, and I wish I would've made it sooner. Also, I just discovered the deals on Keurig cups at Keurig.com and I must say that I will be purchasing all of my coffee from them as well. Thanks, Keurig, for the free pods for this review.

After reading the reviews--so many of which were negative, I was *extremely* hesitant about buying ANY Keurig, especially the 2.0 with all its new "use only OUR K-Cups" feature. I like my own brands and I certainly don't want to overpay for a pre-packaged little cup. Another complaint I saw frequently was that Keurig made a reusable filter for the single serving but not one for the carafe. I don't see much point in using a carafe for a coffee maker that was designed to make a fresh cup every time, but if it came with a carafe, by gosh, I wanted a filter for it! My thought has always been that Keurig was an overrated vanity piece, TBH. But hey, it was my birthday. A milestone birthday. Soooo... once I found the di Oro filters on Amazon that were guaranteed to work with the 2.0, I thought I'd take the chance and give Keurig a shot.Long story short: I have not been disappointed. After a very short learning curve, going from a Cuisinart with an insulated carafe (when they were new and made better) to this gizmo, I soon learned how to get my coffee to the strength I like, and the proper way to fill my travel cup just the way I want it. It's been called "too noisy" but I don't find it so. Yes, the pump makes a little noise, but it's not bad and I got used to it in no time.My husband likes hot tea, and the K550 model has the hot water on demand feature that he loves. The 80-oz water reservoir is convenient and easy to refill, and it gets refilled daily. Hubby is still mostly "old school" with his coffee (that is, too lazy to fill the di Oro filter), but our Keurig is getting a lot of use. So far, I really have no complaints.

**UPDATE** ordered a replacement on the chance I had a defective unit. Surprise!! The "new" unit "same model" has a completely different menu than the first one. I didn't know which one is the newest version so I called Keurig help and they were NO help. Even when I gave them the S/N of each unit they could not explain which of the two was the latest version or explain why they were different or why the original was spitting grounds everywhere. Bottom line is both units are UNACCEPTABLE. One spits grounds everywhere and the other has a limited menu and won't let you make a cup larger than 10oz or let you set the temperature. It also makes you hold the brew button to make hot water and limits that to 6oz. I like the versatility and expanded menu of the first and it lets me make a 12oz cup of coffee or a larger cup of hot water WITHOUT constantly holding the button but it requires constant intense cleaning. The second is limited in function but so far has not exploded a K cup. I'll give it a few brewing cycles making coffe before I decide if it gets returned as well.Note: All the above problems are using the NEW K cups designed for the Keurig 2.0. None were old cups or using any of the cheats for old cups.original postI knew the "old" coffee pods didn't work in the new 2.0 machine, That's not my issue with this new brewer. The problem is it is constantly clogging or failing (brew interrupted). I've had it less than 2 weeks and have already had to clean it several times. If you choose a normal brew (not strong) it fails just about every time because the water is injected slower. So in about 20 brews;I've had two cup blow outs (pressure blows a part of the foil top and shoots grounds and water everywhere)9 total fails (brew interrupted)6 cups with grounds floating and in the bottom of the cup5 or 6 cups of good normal coffee. Most in the BOLD setting, 12 ozand performed 4 full cleanings using clean bulb tool and removing the bottom cup portion to clean and rinse.This newer brewer is also much louder than the older models. It looks good, has lots of options but for every new good thing it had 3 negatives.If you buy a Keurig buy the older models!