Keurig K- Slim Single Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker, Multistream Technology, Black

I purchased the K-Slim to save counter space and got rid of an older working Keurig. I gave the K-Slim the benefit of the doubt, but it failed to perform properly.

FIRST THE GOOD

There are no bells and whistles such as temperature control, brew strength, power on timer, etc. This is in the product description, user manual and reflected in the selling price. I don’t need or want bells and whistles. I am not a picky coffee drinker so the K-Slim should have worked for me. I will even drink gas station coffee.

There is almost no waiting time for the brew to start even if refrigerated water is used. Insert a K Cup, select brew size, press the brew button and the brew will start in about ten seconds.

From my personal experience Keurig has excellent consumer support where you can make a voice call and speak with a live person. For valid warranty claims a replacement is a no hassle, with free shipping included.

NOW THE BAD

**** ORIGINAL UNIT (single entry needle style)

Purchased October 2020. I followed the user manual descale instructions exactly. When brewing coffee, the reservoir will brew three 12-ounce cups before the add water LED is displayed. This is normal. While in descale mode instructions say to keep pressing the brew button until the add water LED is illuminated. After the third 12 ounce cup of descale solution the add water LED did not come on. So, I pressed the brew button again and the power died and the unit would not power back on.

Since the K-Slim does not have an internal water tank I suspect the unit overheated and a (should have) safety feature kicked in to prevent a possible fire. I googled my situation and found another person with the same issue. Maybe a software bug?

**** WARRANTY REPLACEMENT #1 (single entry needle style)

Replaced August 2021. No issues with the descale cycle. My issue is the amount of brew is gradually reduced to about two ounces less than the selected brew. 12oz selected=10 oz. 10 oz selected=8 oz. I confirmed the amount of water without a K Cip pod and using a measuring cup. See attached photos.

To return the unit back to the correct water dispense I will have to run one or two descale cycles. I also cleaned the unit including needles per the user guide.

The user guide says to descale every three months. To be fair a more frequent descaling may be required depending on water quality and amount of use. I use filtered tap water and we brew about four cups daily on average. I descale no more than every four weeks to return the unit back to the correct brew size. I had a couple of non K-Slim Keurigs in the past and did not have these issues.

I used the Keurig brand descale solution and a third-party generic solution with the same results. After about ten months of use I could not get the unit to operate correctly. Keurig sent a second warranty replacement.

**** WARRANTY REPLACEMENT #2 (newer “Multistream Technology” five entry needles)

Replacement July 2022. It is now mid October 2022 and it has only been about three weeks since the last descale. My 12-ounce brew is only getting 10 ounces again. Time to descale again.

**** FINAL THOUGHTS

Keurig does make some good products, but the K-Slim is a dud. I assume I am not the only one with this K-Slim issue. I will not ask for another K-Slim warranty replacement. I am going to shop for another brewer. Maybe another model Keurig, maybe not. For the amount of money I spend on descale solution the K-Slim is not worth keeping.

MY SPECULATION

The K-Slim does not have an internal water tank as confirmed in the following quote from Keurig:

“Unlike the other Keurig systems, the K-Slim coffee maker has no internal water tank. As a result, only the external Water Reservoir needs to be emptied prior to storing.”

The K-Slim heats water using heating tubes as it is pumped from the external reservoir. I confirmed this by watching youtube videos showing the internal parts. I suspect the design of the K-Slim does not allow the descale solution to stay in the unit long enough to do its job.

******** UPDATE 10/25/2020 ********

The low output of my third warranty replacement is getting worse even with descaling. I purchased another brand coffee maker. Before recycling the K-Slim I removed the cover. I added a couple of photos to this review showing the heating tube and thermal switch (safety feature) I discussed in my original review.

******** End Of Update ************

This product is brilliantly simple and simply brilliant. Superb coffee from a compact machine that’s totally reliable and easy to clean.

This is a gem. There are several sizes but this one is a great size because It takes up just a small space on my counter and the simplicity of making coffee is so quick. I used to drink instant coffee, not any more. This was worth every penny.

I don’t typically write reviews, especially for something as trivial as a coffee maker, but this was an interesting journey. I had an ancient, by comparison, Keurig B55 that most resembles the “Classic” model they offer currently. Probably going on 11 years, it finally died. Up until that point, this portion of my counter was basically a coffee station, forcing me to do all my kitchen prep to the right of the stove, keeping the shrine to caffeine unadulterated.

I was stunned at all the variants of the Keurig line. It’s almost dizzying and makes it nearly impossible to choose one. Some quick googling showed 60+ models, most of which are still sold. Do I need 5 cup sizes (5oz – 14oz)? How about a “strong” setting? Does it do anything? A screen? Or a timer? Or a larger reservoir? What about no reservoir? Seriously, the paradox of choice here is maddening.

Having come from a “screened” maker in my previous model, I ended up opting for the K200 model. This one is about 3″ less wide that my previous maker, so that was nice. Unfortunately, it had a few issues that I simply could not work around.
– The reservoir is U-shaped and honestly very awkward to negotiate both from a refilling and removing perspective. Especially if it’s under a cabinet, and you want to refill from a refrigerator water dispenser, as I do.
– The coffee was simply not hot enough. Not sure if I got a bum unit, or that’s how it is, but it was significantly less hot than what I was used to.
– No auto shut-off. Seriously. I thought this was a basic in coffee makers. This, probably the biggest deal-breaker of them all, though, mildly hot coffee was a close second.

Enter the K-Slim. I was skeptical because the reviews were, pun intended, no so hot. But the price was right, and I really liked the idea of a sub five-inch width coffee maker on my countertop. This model only has 3 cup sizes, but has the same 40oz reservoir as the K200. Even better, it’s a simple rectangle design that I can maneuver easily to and fro my fridge. Having the extra counter space has been such a nice benefit. But moreso, the coffee is hot and, so far, the machine reliable.

What I like:
– The coffee (Caza Trail Cona Blend) is as hot and tastes as good, possibly even stronger, than my old model
– Auto Shut-Off! Unit turns off after 5 minutes of last brew. That might seem aggressive but…
– Really fast water heat-up time. I was really amazed. From off to coff(ee) was only a minute or two, obviating the need for a clock/timer function.
– Easy/obvious to use, and I really like the “level” drop in hole for the k-cup. All my others were at an angle for some reason.
– Amazingly diminutive size for the countertop reclaim.

What I don’t like:
– Maybe one smaller cup size? But that’s it.

Really happy so far with this unit. Hoping it lasts me as long as the last one did.

I had one of these and it finally died.. just buying a replacement one.. The only thing I could say that would made it better is if I knew they had changed The refillable K-Cups. My old one didn’t fit.. So I had to wait a couple of days before I can get out and get the right one