consistent espresso shots, with some practice you can steam great microfroth, good looking machine.

some of the plastics are a little fragile, such as frothing aid and door hinge. Also, water tube inside machine kept falling off and required a little plastic fastener strap to secure permanently.

Despite numerous luke-warm reviews, I purchased this machine second hand on Ebay as I was set on a Solis and this particular model's dimensions are very reasonable (note that many machines in this price range are very deep).  Over the years my coffee making skills have progressed and I was really ready for a higher end machine, yet did not want to pay the full prize for a new one until I had thoroughly tested it out. I found one in Germany, but unfortuantely it arrived with several defects, all which I was able to fix fairly quickly. If you use the finest grinding setting (around 1) you get very nice and consistent espresso shots. The frothing is really where this machine excels as with a little practice and carefully following Coffeegeek instructions for the Solis SL-70, you get almost perfect microfroth and your cappuccinos will rival that of most coffee places (except perhaps Italy). The Palazzo looks good and so far I have been able to rely on it to make espresso shots quickly and one after another. Had a few problems with coffeebean indicator showing empty, despite the hopper being full (seems to happen with oily coffeebeans), and the machine requiring to be ventilated once in a while if the water tank light comes on despite it being full (you just open the steam valve until the light goes out). In light of the fact that machine had already been used frequently when I purchased it, if you buy this machine new and with warranty I am sure most people will not regret it and you will be envied at many parties.

bought used on Ebay, machine had several defects that I fixed