Model comparison
Ninja CE451 FreshBrew or CM371 Hot & Iced XL?
The CE451 and CM371 are both grounds-only Ninjas with glass carafes, but they answer different serving routines. The FreshBrew CE451 is a 14-cup batch brewer with Classic and Rich styles and a 1–4 cup carafe setting. The Hot & Iced XL CM371 is a smaller 12-cup carafe system with eight specific brew sizes, including cup and travel-mug options, plus separate Over Ice and Cold Brew modes. Choose by the drink and vessel you actually make, not by counting every button as an equivalent feature.
When the CE451 makes more sense
Pick the CE451 if the common use is a shared pot, and you value a clearly defined 1–4 cup setting for occasional smaller carafe brews. The model page lists the 70-ounce removable reservoir, 14-cup glass carafe and permanent filter in this package. The series guide explains the scoop-to-water chart and warns that the brewer uses all water placed in the reservoir, even when Small Batch is active; fill only the amount you plan to brew. Classic and Rich are the two settings, and the timer lets a loaded batch begin later as long as the appliance remains powered.
The CE451 warming plate’s timer is adjustable up to four hours, with a two-hour default. The available material describes the warm duration, but does not establish low/medium/high plate-temperature choices. If a selectable temperature is a must-have, do not infer it from the general word “adjustable.” Its glass carafe remains dependent on the plate and is not portable insulation.
When the CM371 is the better fit
Pick the CM371 if one person often wants a cup or travel mug but a pot is still useful for company. The CM371 review covers its eight size selections, which let you choose those vessels more directly than the CE451’s carafe batches. It also has Classic, Rich, Over Ice and Cold Brew; the manual specifies ice in the serving vessel for its cold styles, not in the water tank. This is not a pod machine, but it does offer a wider set of individual grounds-brew sizes and cold-drink routes.
Both machines have a glass pot and warming plate, so neither meets a requirement for a thermal carafe. Their menus should not be mashed together: the CM371 has dedicated cup/mug choices and two cold styles, while the CE451’s Small Batch button is for a one-to-four-cup carafe brew. The CM371 also has eight size choices, compared with the CE451’s two hot brew styles plus Small Batch control; these are different kinds of flexibility.
If pods change the answer
Neither CE451 nor CM371 is the right choice for a pod-only household. The CFP101 review is the closer alternative when you want grounds and compatible pods in the same system, including an Over Ice pod route. Its 12-cup glass carafe is smaller than CE451’s 14-cup pot, and its documented manual and product page do not list a dedicated grounds Cold Brew mode. Make that trade explicitly: CE451 for batch coffee and small-carafe batches, CM371 for a cup/mug plus cold-grounds menu, or CFP101 for pod convenience. If none fits a thermal pot or independent hot-water requirement, search outside this trio instead of assuming the carafe alone supplies those functions.