Plastic front panel sticks out a little. The gap between the filter holder & the drip-tray is a little small. The monster cups I use for Latte dont quite fit, so I will have to buy some proper shot glasses.
Detailed Commentary
The Cubika broke (again!) yesterday, so we took it back & exchanged it for a Coffee Deluxe. What a difference! Everything is heavy & has a solid, well-made feel to it.
The whole machine seems to be made for regular use, & the speed with which it works is startling. From cold, it is ready for use within a couple of minutes; the cubika used to take about 20! Steaming milk is significantly faster due to the bigger boiler, although it means I need to learn how to steam again because everything happens so fast.
The coffee seems totally different. Using the same coffee as I used in the cubika, it now comes out perfect, almost entirely crema. With the cubika, only the latter part was crema. The shots also seem hotter, I presume due to the brass filter holder retaining the heat better.
Most importantly, the buttons are nice solid feeling switches, rather than sticky push-buttons. After my previous experience of Gaggia repairs, I am hoping this wont go wrong. However, in fairness to the retailer they let me exchange my cubika for this model without any quibble & gave me some coffee, a jug & an ice-cream maker for free!
