Keurig has gotten way to complicated in recent years if you ask me.
They used to be simple to understand, you pop in a k-cup and hit a button and you have a cup of coffee in a minute or so.
These days the simple machines from other brands are forcing Keurig to make fancier and fancier machines to stand out of the ever growing crowd and now customers have to look at seemingly identical machines like the K575 and the K525 which are both priced somewhat high and both appear to be identical.
What’s the difference you ask?
There are only two substantial differences between the Keurig K575 and the Keurig K525:
- The K525 is priced higher unless found somewhere locally on sale.
- The K525 doesn’t include an on-board water filter kit while the K575 does.
That’s basically it!
In the real world, where you could choose between one over, the other there really isn’t a good reason to ever buy the K525 in my opinion.
If you did want to get get the K525 and then add a water filter kit you can buy it separately but that really would be a waste of money.
Just take a look at the pricing for the K575 here on Amazon and you’ll see it is a waste of money to go for the K525.
Is the Keurig K575 Better Than the K525?
OK, so lets say you find a K525 on sale at a local Walmart or Target or some other random store in town and it’s substantially cheaper than the K575.
This is the only real reason why you might want to get it based on pricing and due to the fact that the internal components of the two machines are identical.
Both brewers have the same touch screen interface, same included accessories, same 80oz water reservoir, same settings to choose from, and the same ability to brew into a Keurig carafe.
Basically the K575 is no better of a machine than the K525 except that it includes a water filter in the reservoir out of the box.
If you can find the K525 selling somewhere substantially cheaper than the K575 then I say go for it and buy a water filter later of if you want it otherwise just go for the unit that includes all the bells and whistles.
You can see pricing for the K525 here and pricing for the K575 here, both on Amazon.
What Other Keurig Machines Would Make For Good Alternatives?
The main reason you are looking at the Keurig K500 series of brewers is because they are do-it-all machines that feature all the features and settings you could ever ask for.
Want to brew bold or regular? Want to brew a single cup or carafe? Don’t want to have to deal with buttons? They both use a touch screen!
The face of the matter is though that they still aren’t really that different from the other main alternatives like the Keurig K-Elite, which is basically the same machine packaged in a body that more closely resembles the classic Keurig brewers. (i.e. No touchscreen on the K-Elite)
Also, the mid-ranged Keurig K-Select is functionally just as good as any of the machines it’s just priced a little lower and lacks a couple small features that most people wouldn’t even notice like a smaller reservoir and the inability to brew k-carafes.
I would also recommend many shoppers to at least consider branching out of the Keurig ecosystem and look at k-cup brewers like those from Bunn. They are priced in line with the premium Keurig machines but in many cases are simpler to use, better built, and don’t have any complicated compatibility issues with third party manufactures of k-cups.
I particularly like the BUnn MCU Single Cup brewer because it is way more flexible than any of Keurig’s models even though it won’t brew a full carafe of coffee.
You can use your own grind in a single cup brew basket or a k-cup style coffee pod from any brand in the pod holder.
Check the pricing of the Bunn MCU here, it’s probably lower than the Keurig’s you are looking to buy.
I might also point out that unless you really want the ability to brew into a Keurig Carafe the K575 and the K-Elite may be machines that are way fancier than you actually need.
Keurig has recently released their new K-Mini Plus machine which is insanely small. This machine has a single cup removable water tank but it still offers popular features like the strong brew button and multiple brew sizes ranging from 6-12 ounces.
Are There Keurig Machines Better Than the K575 or K525?
This is the last parting question to cover.
If you are looking to buy the Keurig K575 because it’s the top of the line device made by Keurig then you may want to think again and set your sights on the Keurig K-Cafe which brews both Keurig style coffee and can also brew espresso similar to a high end Nespresso machine or standard espresso maker.
The K-Cafe machines use regular k-cup coffee pods to brew “coffee shots” which are then mixed with frothed milk to produce drinks very similar to lattes or cappuccinos.
Surprisingly the K-Cafe Special Edition isn’t much more expensive than the Keurig k575 so it should at least be on your radar.
You can see pricing for the K-Cafe here on Amazon.
Please follow us because we are loving this new way to reach our customers!
Gamble Bay Coffee
