Having bought this for the equivalent of $230 (badged as a Krups Palatino) I have to say that the price/performance is very good. A Magic Deluxe or similar would have been much more than twice the price.
The only variables are the grind and the amount of coffee to be produced. At most settings it over-extracts but outside of that it produces good (not great) espresso with a good crema (technologically enhanced, probably). The frother is very good and overall you have good results with the absolute minimum of fuss and cost. If I don‘t suffer any ill-effects from drinking too many espressos I will probably look to move up to one of the better Saeco superautomatics but I never want to go back to the trouble and mess of grinding, tamping and swearing at a manual machine.
