We've replaced an older Cuisinart DCC-1200 with this DCC-3200. Since it's a popular line, I thought others might be interested in how they compare. (In the attached comparison photos, the 1200 is on the left and the 3200 is on the right): Taste: Coffee in the 3200 is more flavorful. A new machine might be expected to be better, but I think they've gotten the flow and temperature of the brewing process better. Temperature: The brewed coffee is much hotter. Both units have three temperature settings for the hot plate, but the settings on the 3200 are hotter. Size and Capacity. The 3200 handles 14 cups compared to the 1200's 12 cups. Yet as you can see from the photos, they are the same height to fit on a counter. They seem to get the extra capacity by making the 3200 a little deeper from front to back. We've been surprised at how useful the extra capacity is. Carafe: The new glass carafe is just like the old one, only larger. It pours nicely with or without the lid on it. The new lid works the same as the old one, popping off and on. (I read some complaints about the lid on an intervening model with a spring opening, but if so, they fixed that by going back to the 1200 style). As far as I can tell, there isn't a version of the 3200 designed for a thermal carafe like there is for the 12-cup models. I prefer the glass carafe because it keeps the coffee hotter longer, and I can always pour the coffee into a thermal carafe if I want to. Water Filling. The bigger size also increases the size of the water fill hole. The lid on the top of the 3200 unit raises to 90 degrees straight up, where the lid on the 1200 tilted further back and out of the way. Still the 3200 is easier to fill, and I suspect that the restriction on the tilt may help preserve the integrity of the hot water tube. Sneak a Cup. Taking out the carafe to sneak a cup during brewing worked great on the 1200 with little dripping, and still does on the 3200. Basket. The basket on the 3200 is very similar to the 1200, but a slightly different shape to accommodate more grounds for 14 cups. Actually, grounds just barely fit with a 4 cup paper filter in the new basket, and sometimes go above the filter in the basket. The basket actually seems more designed for the included gold filter. Water filter. The 3200 uses the exact same carbon filters and filter holder as the 1200, but the holder seems to fit more snugly in its hole, which may help prevent clogging (see below) Beep. The 3200 allows you to turn of the coffee-ready beep if you want. Controls. Controls on the 3200 are a little easier. The 3200 uses all push buttons with no switches. Separate hour and minute settings make it a little easier to program and set the clock. There is a new "Bold" setting which does indeed seem to result in stronger coffee. There is still a setting for smaller, 1-4 cup pots, but I never use that. You can still set the hot plate to stay hot for up to 4 hours, which is important to me. There is a fairly bright blue glow from the LED display on the 3200. Cleaning. There was a sensor button on the hot plate of the 1200 that's gone on the 3200, so the plate stays cleaner. The extra stainless steel looks good on the 3200 but probably shows smudges more and might benefit from special cleaner fluids. Coffee Grounds Overflowing and Clogging. This was the biggest problem before, and I don't know if it's fixed, but it seems better. On the 1200, if you put too many coffee grounds in the filter it could overflow in the brewing process, and sometimes grounds would get into the water system and clog the tube. The 1200 was designed not to be repairable, but customers tried anyway with some difficulty. After one successful repair, we eventually had to replace the 1200. So far, we have not had any overflow issues with the 3200. The larger basket (with possibly a bigger drip opening), the deeper reservoir and longer case, and the more stable, non-tilting lid may help with this, but we will see how it works over time. I do notice that they made the bottom panel easier to remove, with regular screws instead of Torx, if it ever comes to that. My one tip for users is to always use the filter holder with a filter in it, even if your water is fine, because that should help prevent grounds from getting into the heating system. In all, the 3200 is an excellent replacement for the 1200, and worth the extra money if you are choosing between the two models new.
