I bought the Domus Classic in 2007 off eBay - I'm not sure how much it had been used prior, but it came in very good to unused/barely used condition. I descaled it on arrival just to be sure, have occasionally since then, and it's been a great performer in frequent use since then.
This was a "step up" for me from the Solis SL90 or Gaggia (even 3-way solenoid models). The espresso coming from the Domus is more powerful/flavorful, and has more and more intensely colored crema.
In contrast to some of the heats up quickly comments elsewhere, I add the caveat that it takes a while to fully heat up the tubing, grouphead, etc. You can tell quite easily whether the machine is fully warmed up by pouring a cup of hot water.
I have the Domus Classic, which uses basic electromechanical controls. There are two other, more expensive/sophisticated models in the Domus line, the Tronic, which uses electronic rather than electromechanical controls, and Dosatron, which incorporates a flowmeter. Given that the Domus has fallen out of support and incorporates some non-standard parts, the Classic is probably the best choice at present.
Also, it is worth waiting for a good deal if the Domus is on your radar; I've heard of used Domuses selling at $100, at $400, and many points in between. At $400+, you can do better, but at $250 or less it's a category killer.
The lack of available support/documentation/specific parts will probably get me to upgrade sooner than later (I suspect that it didn't sell at the 800-900 price point, where the main competition is prosumer and HX machines, but cost too much to manufacture for La Cimbali to sell it at a cheaper price point), but I plan on using the Domus for the forseeable future. |
