this machine does a great job, freshly ground coffee, and so convenient.  I like the one button operation, single cup brewing, and the internal cleanup.  This is the first of this caliber I have owned.

the machine does not fill a standard mug with one touch.  If you want a single cup, you will end up with just over half the mug filled, which means that a full cup is impossible. I found out the hard way a full cup causes the machine to overflow the mug.  the drip tray becomes wet often, from drips and the like, unfortunately there is no drain, so the water sits in the collection plate.  Having the option of it draining into a sink would have been nice.

Okay, so sour grapes?  Yeah I think in a way it is.  I got this machine for so little money, I really can't complain.  I found it for $100 on Craigslist.  There was nothing wrong, the seller just wanted a better unit.  I really do enjoy a fresh cup of coffee.  To go from having to grind myself, to having a one button solution is a wonderful thing.  The coffee is fresh, and bright.  While the flavor of ground coffee can get "muddy" over time, this solution helps preserve the best of the flavors of the beans you use.  the bean hopper releases a preset amount of beans, which become ground.  The water is passed through the grounds, the coffee is discharged, and the grounds become formed into a "puck" and dumped in another hopper inside.  This machine has sensors everywhere inside, will let you know what is wrong, and the solution is simple.  The user friendliness of this unit is the biggest strength.  That being said, I would have liked some other features.  I would like to be able to get a full cup, a standard mug of coffee.  It also would be nice to have a drain, to be able to deposit the water that accumulates in the drip tray in the sink, without having to open up the machine.  These really are small complaints, and don't impact my enjoyment of the unit, just some things I hope they would include in later models.

Acquiring this machine was quite simple.  I answered an ad on Craigslist, had to drive over 100 miles to pick up the unit.  It was so worth it however.  The price was a give away, and even the miles on the car, gas used, still saved money.  Like I said before, the people I bought this from were upgrading to a larger unit.  Although this was used, it was well treated, clean, and worked.  I really do feel I was able to make the deal of a lifetime on this unit.  That being said, I would buy another if I had too.  The difference between this and a "perk" coffee maker, is like the difference between a basic car and a sports car.