First of all, we have to be precise about one thing: there's no such thing as "the best coffee maker". It's up to you to decide how you like your coffee brewed (well, you and your taste buds).
Drip Coffee Makers
When it comes to drip coffee makers, The Coffee Kid recommends the manual drip coffee maker, nominating favourite brands like Hario, Melitta or Chemex.
For the automatic drip type, the most commonly used brands appear to be: Braun, Black & Decker, Bosch, Briel, Bunn, Capresso, Cuisinart, DeLonghi, Hamilton Beach, Krups, Melitta, Michael Graves, Mr. Coffee, Oster, Proctor-Silex and Philips.
Choosing a drip coffee maker is really a matter of personal taste. Some prefer anything that's less automatic, as they believe automation means more convenience in the detriment of flavour. 1 - 4 cups drip coffee makers are considered small sized. Anything over 10 cups is big. Tha main problem that could turn up with your drip coffee device is its capacity to get water hot enough. If the brewing process takes place at less than 195-205°F, the coffee will be underextracted but you may like it this way. If not, KitchenAid Four Cup Auto, based on two heating elements, seems to be one good choice.
see details on drip coffee makers...
The most common percolator brands
The hey days of the percolators are set back in the 1950's. If you're after stove tops, take a look at the Bialetti Amerikanas. If looking for something more automatic, Farberware is the leading brand, and seems to be followed by DeLonghi. Other names to consider are Presto, Melitta, West Bend, Kenmore, Cuisinart.
see details on the percolator...
Vacuum Coffee Makers
Allthough a few companies continue to produce vacuum coffee makers, some of the traditional pots still sell big on e-bay or at the antique stores. Vacuum pots were the most popular coffee makers in the early days of the XXth century (the 30's, the 40's, the 50's). If you want one of these, look for brand-names like Silex, Westinghouse, Farberware, Cory, General Electric, Nicro, Kent, Sunbeam etc. Silex was the first company to introduce the manual vacuum pot in North America, 1920's.
Apart from the oldies, vacuum brands that are still produced today are: Cona (in England), Hario (in Japan), Hellem (in France), Yama Glass (in Taiwan)
and Bodum with its "Santos" model.
see details on vacuum pots...