Good value for the money and produces good espresso.
Positive Product Points
Good pricing, solid machine, quality build and parts, no-frills machine.
Negative Product Points
No gauges, tall, heavy, no water level indicator, lack of style (subjective).
Detailed Commentary
Having had a couple of Gaggia machines and having used all sorts of machines in my coffee adventures, I was familiar with this machine already. It does not take long to get acquainted with the Expobar - they are straight-forward and easy to use. Pump is the same as most HX and single boiler vibe pumps. You aren't going to find anything out of the ordinary or better than average on this machine. Though it is a factory made run-of-the-mill machine it still does the job and does it well.
There are ways to overcome the absence of gauges: purchase a PF gauge from one of the online vendors and you can check the pump pressure and OPV adjustments. By using high pressure hose, clamps and a tire pressure gauge you can check boiler pressure through the steam wand if you feel the need to adjust this.
Seems that many owners have reported boiler pressure being higher (hotter) than they'd like, set usually around 1.2 bar so you may want to lower this to 1.0 or somewhere in that range. Keep in mind this will weaken steam power but this machine steams well anyhow, especially with the single-hole tip.
This thing is a workhorse - it works and it's consistent. If you keep it clean and take care of it, it will take care of you.
