An excellent machine that can produce great coffee for the patient and prepared.
Positive Product Points
Excellent build quality with a design that makes maintenance very easy. The looks are unbeatable and it pours a beautiful espresso. Such a simple machine makes the usability very good. Heavy machine, stays where you put it and allows a good portafilter lock.
Negative Product Points
You have to clean it often. (such is the nature of shiny objects) Pressurestat is an annoyance
Detailed Commentary
I've been making about 2-4 espresso's daily for a bit over a year now from this machine. I have loved every drink. To best get a feel for this machine I'll walk you through my process. Turn the machine on and wait a few minutes for the pressure needle to be in the green. Re approach and bleed air from the frothing wand as the first read is a false one. When the needle is back in the green you are good to go. Frothing milk is a breeze and microfoam is easy to create. For the grind, My grinder is set specifically for the beans I use, so no adjustment is needed. It is important to not overfill the portafilter, but it is also easy to do. The clearance in this machine is tight (as another review pointed out). The pour is slow and smooth, the chrome body of the machine reflects good light allowing you to monitor the shot progress. I don't have an issue with the drip tray size as I don't spill much. Cleaning the machine is as easy as a wipedown (when its cool). The grouphead screen needs to be cleaned about every month and is easily removed for cleaning with a stubby screwdriver. I also soak the frothing wand periodically (removed by a crescent wrench). I have had the pressurestat act up on me twice. To fix it I went a little old school since this is an old design machine and took the base off to expose the pressurestat, "tapped" the stat with a hard object to "free or un stuck" the cam and reassembled (yes this works). Overall I've found any bad coffee produced was my own fault. This is not a forgiving machine. It is setup for a precise brew and you will taste any deviation.
Buying Experience
My experience was good, but I'll admit, ebay can be a bit risky.
Three Month Followup
nothing at this time
One Year Followup
2 years into using my machine and it works better than when I first bought it. I originally had to manually bleed the steam, then one day the pressure bleed valve started working. I think the valve wasn't working because the unit sat unused for a period of time, freezing the valve in place. I have not had any further issues with the pressurestat.
