Review on West Bend CL401V Venti Hot Automatic Electric Beverage Maker: The Ultimate Mixing, Heating, and Frothing Solution – 72-Ounce, Black by Jeff Bremmer

Bought to replace another brand that had lasted two years. I was mostly happy with it initially. I say mainly because it has a smaller mixer blade that doesn't suck up the cocoa mixture when filled with water like our last one. You'll have to help it stir, using a spoon to start the spinning motion when it does. It works great when it works. It spins the water and creates a vortex that sucks the mixture towards the blade, constantly mixing it with the water as the bottom heats the mixture. It will then automatically turn off, or actually go into standby mode, where it will wait for the temperature to drop, then turn back on to heat up and stir again. It has fast mix, slow mix, heat and dose (no heat mix) modes. .The lid is easy to remove and put back on, and there is a small cup in the center of the lid that can be removed so you can add the mixture as you mix without splashing or messing anything up. Cleaning is easy and the pot can be disassembled to ensure it cleans really well. This is important so that the cocoa in the dispenser does not go rancid. WARNING: Do not attempt to mix and heat again after the mixture has had time to settle. It seems to start heating up immediately when you press the mix/heat button. So before it can mix whatever has settled, it burns it down to the bottom. It only happened to me when I turned it back on an hour later when I didn't empty it right away. It was easy to clean up the burned mixture. I just used a plastic scraper to avoid scratching the bottom of the pot heater. Then it stopped. It just didn't work anymore. I got it in November, started using it over Christmas after unboxing it and it stopped last week. Exactly two months in use. My return window with Revain ended on January 31st so I will be working directly with the company on the issue and will let you know if it is positive.