Cuisinart SS-15 vs CHW-12: Which is Better?

If you’re not sure whether you should get the Cuisinart SS-15 or the CHW-12, you’ve found the right page.

In this guide, we’ll analyze the Cuisinart SS-15 vs CHW-12. That way, you’ll be armed with the information you need to choose between them.

We’ll go over the following details:

• Which features the Cuisinart SS-15 and CHW-12 have in common
• Key features that vary between them and what they mean for you
• Guidance on how to choose one that meets your requirements

Quick Summary

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If you’re searching for a coffee maker with finesse to craft individual cups or speed to make entire carafes, the SS-15 is an outstanding selection. Its carafe and single-serving sides combined with its K-Cup or ground coffee compatibility lead to it being a remarkably flexible model.

The CHW-12 brings a convenient water dispensing system to the table. Get this coffee maker if you frequently need hot water for tea, cocoa, or instant foods like oatmeal.

Similarities

Carafe and Single-Cup Brewing

Our needs aren’t constant – sometimes we need more or less to drink.

For that reason, there’s been a trend towards home coffee makers that can brew either a whole pot or a single cup. These Cuisinart models can do just that.

The SS-15 is divided into two halves: a carafe brewing side, and a cup brewing side. On the other hand, the CHW-12 has a 1-4 cup brewing setting on the same side as its carafe to achieve a similar single-cup result.

Either way, you get precise single-cup servings or convenient batches – whichever you need more.

Carafe Capacity

The carafes on either of these coffee makers can help you provide enough for a small crowd.

Capable of holding up to 12 cups, you’ll be able to comfortably serve coffee for a wide variety of gatherings.

Whether it’s at the breakfast table with family in the morning, or a group of friends meeting in the evening, you’ll have the ability to offer fresh, hot coffee to everyone.

Removable Drip Trays

At first, the drip trays on these coffee makers seem inconsequential, but they’re surprisingly useful.

On top of protecting your kitchens from drips or coffee overfills, they can be easily removed. Why is this beneficial?

For one thing, removing them makes more room for travel mugs. With a travel mug, you can take your favorite drinks on the road with you, or just use them to prevent spills at home.

Furthermore, taking off the drip trays speeds up the cleaning process. You can pull them out and give them a quick wash right in your kitchen sink.

Brew Pause

Of course, brewing an entire carafe can be convenient, but whether you just want a cup now or you’re in a rush, you can’t always wait for it.

To guarantee you get the drink you need when you need it, these coffee makers each come equipped with a brew pause function.

When you’re in the middle of making a carafe, just pull it out from the coffee maker mid-brew. The SS-15 or CHW-12 will each automatically pause as you pour yourself a cup.

Ground Coffee Compatibility

You get the freshest tasting coffee when you use your own coffee grounds.

Aside from being fresher, however, you also get a bit more variety, as you can choose any kind of blend.

That’s why the SS-15 and CHW-12 both are compatible with ground coffee. You’ll be able to drink any of your favorite blends right at home.

To get even better results, you could buy your blends as whole beans and grind them right before brewing. If you don’t have a grinder already, check out Majesty Coffee’s home grinders here.​

Adjustable Carafe Temperature

The SS-15 and the CHW-12 each give you control over the temperature your carafe is kept at once it’s brewed.

Beneath the carafe brewing side, there’s a heating plate built to keep your coffee warmer longer. It makes it possible to enjoy your coffee even longer, reducing the need to dump out cold leftovers.

However, heating plates also run the risk of burning the coffee in the carafe over time. You can guard your coffee from this effect by changing the temperature using the SS-15’s or CHW-12’s high, medium, or low carafe settings.

If you’re not going to be drinking the carafe quickly, you could use a lower temperature to keep it warm. But if you’re going to drink it fast, or you’ll be adding cold milk to each cup, you can compensate by keeping it hotter.

Power Loss Backup System

This feature is an advanced add-on used in both the SS-15 and CHW-12.

In a nutshell, it protects the settings you’ve programmed into your coffee maker from being lost from unexpected power failures.

With one-minute protection, the time of day or the Auto On or Off times you’ve inputted will be retained if the power goes out, the coffee maker is unplugged, or the breaker trips.

That way, you won’t need to deal with the annoyance of re-programming the clock on these coffee makers every time the power flickers. 

Differences

Cuisinart CHW-12 Hot Water System

Not everyone is a coffee drinker – many prefer tea or hot chocolate as their warm drinks of choice.

For that reason, the Cuisinart CHW-12 incorporates a straightforward hot water system. The right side of the machine has been built to dispense hot water by pulling the lever down.

You can store up to 54 ounces of water on the hot water side, keeping you from having to refill it often.

The uses for this go beyond what you might imagine at first. On top of making tea or hot chocolate, you can use the water to make instant oatmeal or noodles.

Cuisinart SS-15 K-Cup Compatibility

K-Cups, which are pods that hold portions of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, are wonderful for novices. Because of their popularity, the Cuisinart SS-15 is compatible with them.

If you’re not yet sure what kind of blends you like, just choose a K-Cup type and put it in the single-serve side of your SS-15.

After that, all you need to do is wait before you’ve got a fresh, hot cup to sip on.

Cuisinart CHW-12 1-4 Cup Setting

Sometimes, an entire carafe is too much, especially when you want only a little.

Although both these coffee makers are capable of making single-serving sizes, the CHW-12 gives you the option of making anywhere from 1-4 cups.

This is fantastic for providing drinks for one person who wants extra, or a small handful of people. You’re not restricted to brewing either one cup or a carafe.

Cuisinart SS-15 Bold Coffee Setting

Do you like the taste of a really strong cup of coffee?

You can easily get that flavor intensity with the Cuisinart SS-15. Namely, with its Bold button that creates a more concentrated cup.

It’s ideal whenever you just crave a more potent taste, or when the going gets rough and you need a powerful pick-me-up.

Cuisinart CHW-12 Safety Lock

As an added protective measure, the Cuisinart CHW-12 uses a safety lock.

It’s easy to use. Just slide the lock beneath the hot water dispensing lever, and it will block the lever.

This will keep hot water from being accidentally dispensed. If you’re in a crowded space and are worried about bumping into it, or you’ve got kids around, the safety lock will prevent you from being burnt by hot water and from annoying spills.

Which one should you get?

With the Cuisinart SS-15 and CHW-12, either one will work great in a home environment. They’re each easy to use and pretty affordable.

All things considered, there are some things that may make one of these models a better fit for you than the other.

For example, if use hot water to make instant foods or teas more often, then the CHW-12’s hot water dispensing system will be extremely beneficial to you.

Or, if you would prefer the user-friendliness of a K-Cup, consider the SS-15. Its single-serve brewing side can use both coffee grounds and K-Cups.

You should also consider the SS-15 if you’d like more control over the strength of your coffee, due to its Bold button.

You could think about the flexibility of smaller servings, too. If you’re going to want batches between a single-cup size and a carafe size to share with one or two other people, the CHW-12’s 1-4 cup setting is crucial.

In conclusion, both these coffee makers are excellent for home or personal use. However, each comes with additional features that could be more or less beneficial in different situations, so be sure to examine them in conjunction with your own needs for the best match.

To learn more about these Cuisinart models, including their current prices, take a look at them here: