Good beginner machine, but will ultimately need to be replaced.
Positive Product Points
Easy to learn on. Good price. Makes a decent shot.
Negative Product Points
Plastic exterior gets old quick in the kitchen. Hard to clean. Too short. Steamer doesn't do its job. Grouphead gets dirty quickly and is hard to clean, mine has also started to corrode.
Detailed Commentary
I loved the experience of having my own espresso machine at first and I was willing to overlook all the negatives of this machine. After a year of owning it, I'm ready to move on.
Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad machine. It does make a good shot. It just has too many issues.
Don't expect the steamer to work for making foam, just buy a different one. If you do want to use it, you'll have to position the machine on the edge of a table, because it sticks out too low to use safely. I burned myself multiple times, and in the process of getting the steam going, my shots would get cold.
I found that the little drain grate gets stained and the paint begins to peel over time due to the exposure to water.
Also, the grouphead requires you to remove one philips head screw and two allen-wrench screws (why do I need to use two seperate tools to clean one part???). I get so annoyed with cleaning the thing that I go too long without cleaning. This is bad bad bad, as the solid metal piece held in by the allen wrenches has begun to corrode. I assumed this piece was made of stainless steel or something, but apparently not.
Don't leave water in the machine when not in use! I did this once and got a nasty film buildup in the little water holder.
Make sure you get a good tamper, don't use the little plastic one that comes with the machine, as it neither fits properly into the PF nor is heavy enough to do an effective job.
