A great choice for a coffee enthusiast looking for a professional-grade device.
Positive Product Points
Double-boiler, rotary pump which is quieter than vibratory, E61 group head, plumbable. Also, the knobs have a very high-quality 'industrial' feel to them, and the frothing wand is 'no-burn'.
Negative Product Points
Long time to heat (20-30 minutes). Sometimes run out of steam during frothing, then have to wait a few minutes to finish.
Detailed Commentary
Solid performance and without any issues. The Expobar Office I'd been using was fine and capable, but I'm glad I move up to the Duetto. Do yourself a favor--don't even think about it, just go ahead and plumb the Duetto, even if you have to call a plumber, and even if you have to drill a hole in your granite countertop.
The relatively long heating time isn't a problem, you just have to plan around it. I always wake up an hour or so before I have to get out of bed, so that's when I go into the kitchen and turn on the machine. Also nice is a separate power switch to turn off the steam boiler, so I turn it off between the morning and afternoon coffees.
Buying Experience
Easy to order, and fast shipping. Nice, personal email service from Chris. When an issue arises (or what you think is an issue), it's great having someone like Chris providing a very pertinent, knowledgeable response.
Was a bit annoyed by the tiny pieces of Styrofoam that were attached by static electricity all over the unit - isn't there better packing material?
