You might be thinking what I was thinking, what does Braun know about making kitchen appliances? I did some research and found that these appliances are manufactured by De'Longhi under license, so there is some pedigree behind the design of these that isn't related to Shavers. Braun's "brand styling" is very evident in the machine, being extremely modern and masculine in appearance. I actually think it looks better in person than it does in the manufacturer's product photos. About 80% of the unit's casing is brushed stainless steel, most of the bottom half (back of the machine excluded, it's plastic) is stainless, as well as the top of the lid. There is just a band of piano black glossy plastic material surrounding the LCD display/control panel area which wraps around the back.The large negative back-lit LCD screen on the machine is really only just for the clock and/or setting the automatic brew timer it doesn't really show any other information. I think it would have been neat if they integrated a progress bar or something to indicate when the cycle will complete or show some more tidbits of information like this but as it stands it's still a nice visual display and one can never have too many clocks around in the morning. The remainder of the feedback the machine gives you is in the form of small green LED lights or back-lit words located above the control panel to indicate when certain modes are selected etc. It's all very sleek and really appeals to my geek sense. Even the power button is back-lit in neon green and evokes thoughts of my computer equipment.The carafe is nice enough, as far as carafes go, though really it's mostly standard fare stuff. It's glass, with a plastic lid and handle, with a stainless steel "band" around the bottom. It's fairly lightweight but doesn't feel like it'll shatter if you look at it the wrong way. The lid stays pretty well shut on it unless you want it open, even when you're pouring that last little bit out of it (I hate it when the lid swings open on you when pouring). The only thing is that the spout of the carafe is a little bit shallow so I do feel like I can't go nuts on the pour, but it's not really shallow enough to call it a "complaint". Still, if you're used to a different carafe take it easy. Being a glass carafe, obviously it's not a "thermal" one meaning it's not insulated so the machine does have a heated plate on the bottom and you can select the temperature it keeps it heated to (roughly, anyway). You can also configure how long the machine keeps the heater on after the cycle completes, the default being 2 hours, before it automatically turns off.To test the speed I went ahead and timed an 8 cup cycle, thinking this is the "mid range" of how much coffee people might make with a machine like this on average. The cycle took about 7 minutes to complete 8 cups using regular cool tap water. This is no faster or slower than what I expect from a coffee machine but I thought it might be useful information.There is a "1-4" button on the machine, and it's rather mysterious. The manual's only mention of this button is something along the lines of "Press the button to set the 1-4 cups setting, and the light will illuminate above it". I had to experiment to figure out what it does, exactly, though I had guessed what they are suggesting is that if you're only brewing 1 to 4 cups worth of coffee to use this setting. I eventually figured out through trial and error of doing a cycle of 4 cups using the "1-4" button, and a cycle of 4 cups without it, that what it does is slows down the brewing cycle by something around 50%. I guess this allows the machine to make the most of the coffee in the filter instead of just powering through it which matters less with larger amounts of water and thus longer saturated grinds, I could be wrong but it seems like the result comes out hotter than without it as well. Since the majority of time we make coffee we are indeed making 1 to 4 cups, I appreciate the thought.One thing that has bugged me about some other coffee machines I've owned in the past is that after a brewing cycle that standing water can be left in the machine due to poor design, I don't like that because it can be unsanitary and lead to a lot of mineral deposit build up. This machine does an EXCELLENT job of clearing itself of all of the water you put in it as long as you allow it to finish the entire brewing cycle. Immediately following a cycle, I checked for water in the machine using a flashlight and this thing was bone dry except for a few droplets that probably condensed from the left over steam it really sucks the contents of the reservoir right out of it. I know it might seem like a silly thing to judge a coffee maker on, but with coffee makers all pretty much operating the same way these days it's the little things that make one stand out over others.Operating the machine is easy, all the buttons are right on the front of the machine, and for the most part clearly indicate what they do. Setting the time and brew timer is no different than setting the time on any other piece of electronics with a clock so there isn't anything particularly brutal about setting up or using the machine. It does come with one carbon filter included (use of it is optional, but it's a nice touch) which seems to be the same size and shape of ones used on my espresso machine which are relatively inexpensive and easy to find and have become somewhat of a "standardized" item rather than something you'll have to get specific for this machine. If you don't want to use it, you don't have to, personally I feel that just filling the machine with water from your filtered water pitcher is probably just as good. Another nice bonus is the included reusable filter - there is nothing particularly special about the filter but if you don't already have one it does save you from buying one.Okay, so the machine seems well made, is VERY (in my opinion) attractive, and isn't a bear to use for any reason. If you're still reading, good job, you've finally reached the part where I talk about whether or not it makes good coffee. The answer is, as you might have expected if you have any experience at all with owning more than one type of coffee machine, yes it does a fine job of it. These are simple machines, relatively speaking, and they all pretty much work similarly and except for the really bad ones all give you pretty similar results all other things being the same (quality of the water, beans, and grinding). I would rate this machine pretty much as good as I could rate an automatic coffee machine on the brew, based on my initial impressions. I'm a little bit of a coffee snob/addict, some days I can easily drink 3 or 4 large cups (and don't shy away from caffeine relatively late in the day either, being a bit of a night owl). I own french presses, drip brewers, espresso machines and heck I will even drink instant coffee if I'm really in a rush. I know my way around coffee, and I know when a coffee comes out bad, and this machine makes pretty good coffee for a machine of it's type.Time will tell if the machine develops any leaks (my personal number one cause of coffee machine retirement) or has any quality problems down the line with just quitting on me but as far as things go right now after having put it through it's initial paces I think it's an awesome machine.