We are on our second Cuisinart (12 cup and no grinder). We love the way the thermos pot keeps the coffee hot and doesn't create that "burned" taste you get with a heater element.
The "leakage" issue is because the filter basket and the lid to the pot have to be aligned perfectly or the coffee won't flow into the pot. (It has a small opening in the lid so that it keeps out more of the cool air. We had problems occasionally with not getting the basket seated perfectly, and then it would fill up and overflow onto our counters....and the drawers below...and the floor. A mess! Thinking I'd repalce it, I researched other thermal pot coffeemakers and it looked like that was a common problem with several brands, so we just kept using it because I liked the way it brewed coffee.
When we remodeled our kitchen and put in new cupboards, I bought an attractive ceramic tray with high sides, and simply put the coffeemaker in there, so that if it overflowed, the liquid stayed in the tray.
We got a new Cuisinart pot for Christmas, and it looks as if the basket design has changed slightly to help minimize this issue. On the plus side, our old Cuisinart was still going fine after about 10 years. But the outside was looking kind of beat up and the pot hard a permanent "lining" of coffee stains, so we just decided it was time for a new one. So far, no "floods" with the new pot, so I'm hoping it won't be a problem again.
