1) Although it's plastic, it looks perfectly fine 2) Easy to use steam wand with great results 3) When it works, it turns out coffee quick and with no effort 4) Easy to clean
Negative Product Points
1) It worked once 2) The coffee came out too cold 3) The grinder is difficult to take apart and clean 4) If there's a problem that doesn't involve the brewgroup or water level, it's very (read: near impossible) to troubleshoot on your own.
Detailed Commentary
I bought the Saeco Vienna Deluxe used from someone in my city. He had used the machine for a number of months (without problems) before upgrading. The Deluxe had been sitting in his garage for an additional three months.
The machine worked once.
I troubleshot every day for two or three weeks. I cleaned out the brewgroup at least eight times, primed and ran it every morning, steamed some nice chai, and only ever recieved one cold and kind of weak shot. I would prime the machine, set the desired setting, run the machine, hear it grind the coffee, and then the dreaded red light would come on and the machine would stop. I concluded that there was something wrong with the connection between the grinder and the brewgroup that I wouldn't be able to fix on my own. It wasn't worth it to me to pay any of the local repair places (none of which are authorized by Saeco) or send it to an out of state site, so I returned it to the guy that sold it to me.
Buying Experience
The person I bought it from was awesome enough to work with me on troubleshooting and eventually give me my money back. However, my next machine will be new, with a warranty, and from a rated seller.
