Beautifully designed espresso maker that should last years with proper care. Plus you can use pods for quick shots!
Positive Product Points
Beautiful look Easy to use Can use pods
Negative Product Points
Steamer didn't work well
Detailed Commentary
I've owned this espresso maker for over three years now, and have had nothing but good experiences with it. Just recently, the gasket for the boiler started allowing steam to escape around the sides and wasn't holding pressure, so I sent it in for a $40 cleaning. I hadn't been de-calcifying the X1 since I bought it, so it was no surprise, that the repair guy had to do a major cleaning. Until talking to the repair guy over the phone, I had mostly been using pods from podhead.com, which imports lovely italian espresso pods that work well in the X1. The repair guy suggested that I should try it without pods, so I did, and have been getting good results. The repair guy suggested de-calcifying the espresso maker monthly, as well as using distilled water, as opposed to tap or spring water. So far so good. I've had the machine back a month and all is going well. He also fixed the temperature for the steamer, as well as advising me on how to steam the milk. There is a small hole in the side of the steamer that needs to stay above the level of the milk. How did I miss that little hole before, I don't know. In any case, he said that the milk enters through that hole and gets steamed. The hole should stay close to the level of the milk. I don't know if other steamers work this way or not, but I've finally gotten good steamed/frothed milk.
Buying Experience
When I had my machine serviced a month ago, customer service was taken care of through Illy USA. It took awhile, because I believe their repair service was in the process of being changed when I sent my machine in. The machine wound up in Oregon, at a repair place called "Cafe West Distributing." I never received better customer service that I did from this company.
