great deal, if your not a pro this will do the trick for nominal cash
Positive Product Points
good shots, simple effective controls, steamer works great. Excellent value and probably sufficient for 99% of people.
Negative Product Points
hard to see the water line in the tank, kind of a cruddy tamper device, but that is really nitpicking.
Detailed Commentary
I purchased a Breville Modena at Crate and Barrel that would seem to be the same machine. I researched machines for months and looked at pricepoints from $200-$6000 (seriously $6K). I am extremely happy with this machine. Espresso are simple to make, Pump control is manual so I can basically pull as long or short a shot as I desire and the steamer is excellent. I am relatively picky about my espresso and my caps and I have no complaints about the quality of the beverages. I am sure that people will have issues with temp control and a myriad of other issues. Bottom line is that when I fill this up with my favorite roast of espresso it makes shots that are not wholly different in quality from my favorite place here in Ausitn. I can't imagine a $200 purchase that I have been more satisfied with in recent years and certainly not one that has such a huge ROI replacing $10 a day in coffeehouse cost and a huge re-allocation of time to the positive side of the ledger.
