Since everybody else is weighing in, I'll put in my $0.02. I have a 12 cup version of the Cuisinart 'Brew Central' (see link) that was sold through Starbucks. I like it best of all the recent coffee pots I've had (and I seem to buy one every year or so). I think it meets the requirements listed that started this thread, even though it is a thermal caraffe type pot. It is programmable, and easy to use (didn't need to read the instructions). It seems durable to me, but we've only been using it since Christmas. It is definately more durable than the previous low-end Cuisinart unit I was using. It uses a #4 cone filter, and comes with the gold mesh filter. I also use brown paper filters, for easy clean up. The documentation for this model doesn't say anything about a warming plate, but it does appear to have one, or at least the base gets too hot to touch. Pros: 1. It works great! The pieces fit into place, and the drip mechanism doesn't seem overly complex or failure prone. This is EXTREMELY important to me, as I've had WAY too many coffee makers over the last year that over flow, or mis-flow, or get clogged, or something goes wrong, spilling coffee all over the place. The LAST thing I want in the morning to to clean up the coffee that I only want to be DRINKING!!! 2. The apparent warming plate turns off right away, and the thermal caraffe keeps the coffee fairly hot for quite a while, without 'Cooking' the already brewed coffee over time. 3. It's a great size, that fits under our cabinets with plenty of clearance. Cons: a. It doesn't have an externally visible level or gauge telling you how much water to add. You have to look down in the tank at a little 'stair-step' thingie to see how much water you've added. When I'm blurry-eyed in the morning, this is one thing I don't want to have to focus on. b. There is no overflow prevention system, and the tank can hold more water than the caraffe. It is completely possible to put too much water in the tank, which will then attempt to flow into the caraffe, and overflow on the counter. To prevent this from happening, I keep a pitcher of water with the exact correct water level marked on it. This also helps address Con #a. c. I wish the coffee was a bit hotter, and that the caraffe kept the coffee hotter longer. If I'm in the mood, I'll pre-warm the caraffe with hot tap water before brewing. The water I use is room-temperature, so that helps. We had an 8 Cup Thermal caraffe pot that kept the coffee HOT for like 6-8 hours. This one will keep it hot enough for about two hours, but after that it's not hot enough for me. I grind up coffee a couple of times each week for the next few days, and I fill the filter cone up to almost the TOP. I love rich, strong coffee! I use Reverse-Osmosis filtered water, and locally roasted beans from my favorite coffee establishment, and I'm happy with the coffee that is produced. We'll see if I'm still happy toward the end of the year, or if I will feel compelled to buy yet another coffee pot or not. :-) Here is a link that might be useful: Cuisinart Brew Central

Hi, Enduring! I looked, but I don't think I have a thread where I carefully explained that. I linked a thread below where I offhandedly described a similar thing to someone who was interested in creating custom subways, which may be what you are remembering. I just wrote up a long justification for picking your option number two, but I then realized you have a problem. You cannot get two tiles that are 5-3/4" out of one tile that is 11-13/16". Your saw blade will be wider than 1/16". Is what you want to wind up with is two tiles that are as big as possible, given the starting tile size? I.e., do you want 2*tile width + saw-blade-kerf = 11.75"? If so, then I think you should use option #1. (I am assuming you have a tile saw with a moving bed; if not, might have to rethink.) What I did was to carefully mark the center. (I will give you an easy way to do this in the next post.) Then set your fence so that the saw blade lines up with this mark as best you can. Cut a tile, then carefully compare the two halves. If they are different sizes, futz around with the fence position carefully and try again. (Be careful of whether the tile is held at a slight angle to the direction that the bed of your tile saw moves.) When you succeed in getting the two halves equal to within 1/32 or so, you can just confidently place each new tile against the fence and rip. You can even use the larger of the two halves from your practice piece. Of course, in this case, the two edges of your tile will be different. (I.e., one is factory, one is cut.) Are you okay with that? Here is a link that might be useful: Creating custom subways

I'm not sure which tile this is, but the same photo can be found on the website for the Tile Shop--tileshop.com. Click on Wall tile, then Backsplash, and there it is. I like it too.

I had a good one, asked if they could use that one again, they laughed and said no, but they did cut it out of the license for me to take with me, I have it in my wallet. hahahhaah Ours has our weight on it too, they guy who took my info was really fun, he said, what weight do you want me to put down for you? I said, do y ou hae to use my real weight? He said, no, I think you are about 160.... I said, good put that down. I am really 190. Nobody believes I am 190 anyway, I carry it all over, evenly distributed. HA HA