This review should balance out all the other reveiws which are very positive.
Positive Product Points
When the machine worked it was great, but now it is dead.
Aesthetically pleasing. Highly polished steel is beautiful.
Negative Product Points
On exactly the 30th day my machine passed away.
Detailed Commentary
I have owned the machine for exactly 36 days now and have pulled approx. 2-3 espresso's per day. When the machine worked it was great! But that has all changed...... :-(
BIG PROBLEM! I was in the midst of brewing an espresso when the pressure seemed to drop off. I shut off the brew switch but the pump continued to working for several minutes then the machine's brew lights (red & green) just shut off. So I turned the machine off and on again and the pump just seemed to keep running. I flipped on the brew switch and water just trickled out of the brew head- not normal. When I ran water out of the hot water spout on the right-hand side, there appeared to be some very small particles in the water-- some black, others fibrous in nature tinted dark purple. The machine would stem but the pressure gauge was all over the place.
I quickly called my dealer, but I did not get a return phone call. I called back several days later only to learn the dealers staff was at a trade show. I spoke with one of the sales personal and he said that this machine commonly suffers issues where the water tubes get stuck or pinched- I checked the tubes, but they are OK. He asked me to see if it had enough water, it had plenty. Next he asked me to turn the machine on and try again, nothing. Now the pump does not even run. Prior the pump would run and a little water would trickle out of the group head.
When the machine worked, it worked beautifully, but beware-- these machines are Italian and are prone to problems. I had a Krups machine that worked beautifully for 3 years and not one problem.
