Compare Coffee Machine
OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker scores higher on safety - here's why.
The most important dimensions, side by side.
Coulee's hot water path is all stainless steel — no plastic touches your coffee during brewing. However, the cold-water reservoir material has not been disclosed. Until Coulee specifies what the tank is made of, we cannot fully assess the safety of the water-contact materials.
The reservoir is confirmed BPA-free, but OXO doesn't disclose the specific plastic type. Without knowing the exact polymer, we can't fully verify whether replacement chemicals like BPS or BPF are present.
Coulee confirms BPA-free construction across the machine — a clear commitment from the brand to eliminate this endocrine disruptor from all components.
OXO explicitly confirms all water-contact and coffee-contact components are BPA-free — a meaningful safety commitment for daily use.
An independent lab has verified this machine meets UL 1082 safety standards for household coffee makers — protection against fire, shock, and overheating. Impressive for a small startup brand.
OXO is an established brand sold through every major US retailer, and the instruction manual includes standard electrical safety warnings consistent with certified products. We're confident this machine meets safety standards, though OXO doesn't prominently display the certification mark in their online materials.
Brews at 205°F — the top of the optimal range for specialty coffee extraction. Your cup will have full flavor complexity and body, with the automated pour-over delivering even saturation across the coffee bed.
OXO's BetterBrew technology delivers water in the optimal 197-205°F range for full flavor extraction. This is an SCA-certified brewer — it meets the same brewing standards as machines costing twice as much.
The SWIRL brews directly into your cup — there is no carafe. This is the whole point of a single-serve pour-over design, but the scoring rubric treats the absence as a gap since it is built for multi-cup coffee makers.
The double-wall vacuum-insulated stainless carafe keeps coffee hot for hours without a warming plate — your coffee won't develop that overcooked taste that glass-on-hotplate models produce.
No carafe to wash — you brew directly into your own mug. Brand recommends wiping the exterior and running a descale cycle periodically.
The brew basket and Rainmaker showerhead are dishwasher safe, but the thermal carafe itself needs hand-washing — standard for vacuum-insulated carafes.
The 13oz water reservoir lifts out for easy filling at the sink — straightforward daily workflow.
The water tank is built into the back of the machine — you'll need to bring a pitcher or cup to fill it rather than taking it to the sink.
No programmable timer — you press the button when you are ready. For a single-serve brewer, this is typical and brew time is under two minutes.
There's no timer or delay brew — you press the button when you're ready. OXO designed this as a simple, one-button brewer without scheduling features.
A stainless steel permanent filter is included — no paper filters to buy or throw away. Coulee also offers compostable EcoPour filter packs if you prefer a cleaner cup.
Uses basket-style paper filters — you'll need to keep them stocked. Third-party reusable filters are compatible if you prefer to skip the paper.
At $199.99, the SWIRL is mid-range for the category — recorded for reference but does not affect the overall score.
At $199.99 this is the most affordable SCA-certified thermal carafe brewer on the market — you're getting brew quality that rivals $350 machines. Price is recorded for context but does not affect the R3 score.
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Everything you need to make the call - who each one is for, and who should skip it.
Go for it if you...
You want a single-serve brewer where hot water never touches plastic — the stainless steel boiler and spigot ensure a genuinely plastic-free brew path
You value verified electrical safety from a small brand — UL 1082 certification is unusual for a startup and shows a real commitment
You prefer automated pour-over convenience without pods, K-cups, or single-use plastic waste
You want the included stainless steel permanent filter and the option of compostable EcoPour filter packs
You want SCA-certified brew quality with a thermal carafe at the lowest price available in this segment
You brew both full pots and single cups and want a machine that handles both without accessories
You prefer a simple one-button operation without complicated menus or programming
You're comfortable with the trade-off of fewer convenience features for better brew quality per dollar
The main thing to know
The cold-water reservoir material is undisclosed — despite Coulee's plastic-free brewing path, you cannot verify what the tank itself is made of, and it is the single largest factor holding the score back.
Every usability feature is stripped away — no programmable timer, no removable reservoir, no dishwasher-safe carafe, no permanent filter. This is a machine for coffee purists who don't mind a hands-on routine.
Skip this if you...
You need to brew more than one cup at a time — this is a single-serve brewer with a 13oz reservoir
Full reservoir material disclosure is important to you — the cold-water tank material is not specified despite the brand's plastic-free marketing
You want a programmable timer to schedule your morning coffee ahead of time
You want to wake up to fresh coffee — there is no programmable timer or delay brew feature on this machine
Full material safety transparency is important to you — the reservoir polymer is not disclosed despite the strong BPA-free commitment
You want a removable water tank and dishwasher-safe carafe for minimal daily maintenance effort
Neither of these quite what you're looking for?
I've reviewed all Coffee Machine options at every price pointEvery Coffee Machine in our database is scored using R3's deterministic scoring system - the same inputs always produce the same score. For this comparison, we evaluated Coulée Coffee and OXO across 3 independent criteria: Safety (72%), Efficacy (23%), Usability (4%). No sponsored rankings. No paid placements.
Straight answers - no sponsored content, no filler.
I'd start with OXO OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker - it scored 8.0/10 overall in our scoring system. Safety is our top-weighted scoring pillar, followed by efficacy (23%), and usability (4%). Check which pillar matters most to your family and compare those specific scores.
R3 uses a deterministic scoring system - the same inputs always produce the same score. We evaluate each Coffee Machine across Safety (72%), Efficacy (23%), Usability (4%) using independently verified data. No sponsored rankings. No paid placements. Every score is fully reproducible.
Not necessarily. The overall score reflects our weighted rubric, but your priorities may differ. If you care most about safety, compare the safety scores directly. If budget drives your decision, the value scores and prices tell a clearer story. The "right" pick is the one that matches what matters most to your family.
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