In this review, we will be comparing two of Keurig’s popular coffee brewers: the K525c and K575. There are lots of similarities between these two coffee makers, which makes it difficult for shoppers to choose between them.
For instance, they both come fitted with 80-ounce reservoirs, removable drip trays and coloured LCD touchscreens. They also allow you to have control of both the brewing temperature and strength.
At the same time, there are a few differences that set the K525c and K575 apart.
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In this article, we will critique the features, design, and ease of use of each coffee maker. This should help you decide which Keurig machine you should purchase.
Note: Both the Keurig K525C and K575 appear to be discontinued.
The Pros and Cons: Keurig K575 vs K525c
Keurig K525c Review
The ‘C’ in its name stands for ‘Costco’ because this specific model was made exclusively for Costco.
The K525C belongs to the new and improved 2.0 series in the Keurig line-up. This means that it doesn’t have performance issues like some of the older models.
The K525C was definitely made for heavy coffee drinkers. This single serve coffee maker comes with a large-enough reservoir that’ll let you make ten or more cups before you have to refill. The coloured touchscreen is a nice addition as well. It’s so user-friendly that it even displays prompts to guide you through the brewing process.
The K525C allows you to brew in K-cup, K-mug, and even K-carafe sizes. Hence, you won’t have any problem making lots of coffee when friends and family come over. And the best part is that it brews coffee in under a minute!
The only downside is that the K525Cs are getting harder to track down.
The Pros
- Brews coffee in under a minute
- Allows you to manipulate both temperature and strength
- Programmable
- Comes with an Auto Off feature
- 80-ounce water reservoir
- 2.8-inch color touch display
- Comes with a water filter kit and re-usable K-cup out of the box
- Hot Water on Demand feature
- Removable drip tray
The Cons
- It’s really hard to find a brand new K525C
Keurig K575 Review
The K575 shares a lot of the features that the K525C has. First of all, it’s a single serve coffee maker. It comes equipped with an 80 oz. water tank, and it’s got the same touchscreen and controls as well. It’s even got the Hot water on Demand and Auto-Off options. Hence, essentially, the K575 is just as versatile as the K525C.
The biggest downside of buying the K575 is that it lacks a few accessories included with the K525C. This includes a reusable coffee filter.
The Pros
- Coffee in less than 60 seconds
- 80-ounce water reservoir
- Programmable
- Comes with an Auto Off feature
- Temperature settings and strength controls
- ‘Hot Water on Demand’
- Removable drip tray
The Cons
- Lacks some of the add-ons that come with K525C, such as an extra water filter
- The programmable settings are not compatible with carafes
Keurig K525c Vs K575: A More Detailed Comparison
In this section, we will take a closer look at these seemingly identical coffee brewers:
Features and Performance
When it comes to features, there aren’t any significant differences between the two brewers. They are both fitted with a 2.8-inch touchscreen. This gives you easy access to a variety of brewing preferences while also displaying helpful instructions. Using the touchscreen, you can choose which kind of pod you’ll be using, what strength you prefer and the temperature as well.
If you want, you can even get the machine to dispense hot water using the Hot Water on Demand feature. This feature allows you to specify the quantity you require as well.
The alert section of the display will let you know when you can start brewing and when maintenance is needed.
There’s also a programmable clock which isn’t just there to tell you the time. It also allows you to automatically time a brewing session. Once the clock reads the set time, it will turn on the coffee maker and the brewing process will begin. It will even turn itself off automatically afterwards.
The Auto Off feature automatically switches off the coffee makers if left idle for 90 seconds. This can severely cut down on the electricity used up by either machine.
Last but not least, there’s a night light built into the display so that you can operate either machine in dim light. Using the touchscreen you can even customize its colour.
You won’t find any noticeable performance issues in either of these brewers. They brew coffee in under a minute and generally last for a long time.
What’s in the Box?
Here’s what you’ll find when you unbox each coffee maker:
Keurig K525c
- K525 coffee brewer
- A removable two-piece drip tray
- A removable 80-ounce water reservoir
- Cup holder assembly
- My K-cup reusable coffee filter
- A pack of 12 K-cups
- A water filter kit
- Brewer needle maintenance accessory
Keurig K575
- K575 coffee brewer
- A removable two-piece drip tray
- 80-ounce water reservoir
- Cup holder assembly
- A pack of 6 K-cups
As you can see the K525C comes with a few additional accessories. This includes a reusable coffee filter and a needle maintenance accessory. In addition, it also comes with 6 more packs of K-cup pods.
The Keurig K525C and K575 can both brew in a variety of sizes from 4 ounces all the way to 30. That’s up to four cups of coffee in one go.
However, if you want to get the 22, 26 and 30-ounce brew sizes, you have to use a Keurig carafe pod. It’s a shame that one isn’t included with either model.
Design
The K525C and K575 sport the exact same design and physical dimensions. So you probably wouldn’t be able to tell them apart just by looking! Their colour options are the same as well. The only difference is that the K575 is about 3 pounds less heavy.
Ease of Use
As with all Keurig coffee makers, there is no assembly required and the initial set up is so easy. Even first-timers shouldn’t have any trouble with it, especially since the screen displays prompts to guide you.
Brewing is straightforward and fast on either machine. All you need to do is choose the desired K pod and then select your preferred brewing settings on the touchscreen. Then out pours fresh coffee, in less than a minute later! You can brew tea, hot cocoa or cold beverages as well.
Cleaning is quite easy too. The 80-ounce reservoirs and pod holders in both brewers are removable. However, only the K575 has a removable drip tray, which makes it very simple to clean up spills.
The water filter in each brewer has to be replaced every two months or so. Fortunately, this is a very easy and quick process. It’s just a matter of following the simple steps detailed in the manual. We highly recommend getting a charcoal water filter each time, as they’re very good at trapping impurities.
How Much Do These Coffee Makers Cost?
Both the K525C and 575 are discontinued models, which makes it very hard to track down brand new units. Hence, you’ll most likely have to buy second-hand. A K525C in good condition should cost you around $150. On the other hand, a K575 in the exact same state should be at least $170.
Is the extra $20 worth it for an almost identical coffee maker? Let’s find out.
Our Choice: Which Is The Better Coffee Maker?
Both the K525C and K575 are high-quality coffee brewers that provide all the features, functionality and versatility the average user needs. That being said, if we had to pick a winner, we’d have to choose the K525C. This is simply because it does everything the K575 does and in addition, it comes with more accessories out of the box.
Keurig 525C Vs 575: Which Is Better For You?
You should buy the Keurig K575 if:
- You can’t track down a K525C
- You don’t mind spending the extra cash
You should buy the Keurig K525C if:
- You don’t want to spend the extra cash on a K575
- You like having the add-ons right out of the box
- You don’t mind hunting for one.