These are just about as convenient as it gets to clean your coffee machine routinely. I live in LA, so water spots are expected, clogging in machines is expected, so keeping all of the downsides to hard water at bay is important for you and your machine. The brewed coffee tastes great after as does the hot/boiled water. Overall, it's a great product at a decent price. Even if you use 2 a month, it's a tad over $1 per month which is well worth it for the peace of mind not to have a gunky machine. I highly recommend these and this brand.