Great machine, maybe to much for home use. Consider the 1-group versions.....you won't regret it.
Positive Product Points
Looks good (imho). Build quality. Parts prices! Taste of espresso it makes. Plumbed in.
Negative Product Points
3650 Watts! 11 litre boiler, so long warmup time Size & Weight Plumbed in.
Detailed Commentary
I bought this one in a horrible state. After some (not much) work and even less money, it works like a charme. It's about 10 years old, so some parts (gaskets, rubbers etc.) are brittle and start to leak steam (wand, hot water tap). This is easy to repair and very cheap compared to other brands. The parts prices are less than half of other brands of commercial machines, so I don't have to worry when something breaks down. The build quality is absolutely great. Faema is sometimes called "the volkswagon of espressomachines" and I guess this is true if you look at price/reliability. I think it's underrated. The espresso comes out great. Temp seems stabil, and pressure is good. No bitterness or sour tastes when you know what your doing. The 11 litre boiler is a bit much for home use ;-) but delivers massive amounts of steam at high pressure. This takes some getting used to, but nu problem to make perfect foam. It's not easy, but again : practise. And well....3650watts......let's just say the lights in the house dimm when I turn it on. No kidding!
Buying Experience
Well : online market, made the deal, picked it up......wouldn't fit in the thunderbird though ;-) It's that big!
