I use a drip pot, aeropress, and occasionally I’ll make cold brew. I don’t think drip makes for a bad cup of coffee, as long as you’re using beans that are freshly ground with a recent roast date (aside: if you see a sell by date on coffee beans, that’s irrelevant). It’s just that it’ll never make for a great cup of coffee.

Most of the fancy controls and features they put on the “nicer” drip pots are marketing fluff that make little difference, except for one: a thermal carafe. The weak point with most drip machines isn’t the drip mechanism itself, it’s the heating element the pot sits on. It’s cooking the coffee in unpredictable ways and that can impact the flavor. A thermal carafe is more akin to a thermos, using insulation to keep it warm.

If you do use just a regular glass carafe with a heating element, I would recommend turning the machine off the moment the dripping is done. That way you minimize flavor impact. If you need it reheated later, just pour a mug and microwave it; microwaving is by far the best method to reheat coffee as it’s not using a heat source that will impact the flavor.