I would not buy this machine again under any circumstances. There is no customer support, nobody works on them, and mine is a lemon.
Positive Product Points
This machine is reasonably priced and makes excellent coffee. Using the proper coffee, it will express dark, opaque, rich coffee.
Negative Product Points
Broke twice in one year. Currently unusable, but looks real pretty and shiny on the counter.
Detailed Commentary
I used the machine for 3 weeks (daily), then it started leaking water out the front area where the switches were. This was somewhat disconcerting, since the electricity is linked to the switches. I tried to contact Nemox, using the information in the manual, to no avail. You can forget any type of product support: E-mail address is invalid, phone (in Italy) not answered. After spending a week trying to contact the vendor, my husband researched on the internet who could actually work on this machine (under warranty). After paying $15 bucks to find out a person's name who could do the work, the machine was packaged up and sent to New Jersey... CA-CHING! Another $30 bucks for shipping. So now the $300 "good deal" is up to $345.
Needless to say, the guy in Jersey fixed it and mailed it back at no extra cost.
Fast forward to December 18, 2010... Which is about 1-2 weeks past the warranty... Of course...
December 18, 2010: The shiny, sparkly, Nemox decided that it was going to retire on December 17th! It is fully functional, but does not heat water! Needless to say, if I send the machine to the guy in Jersey, it will cost another $30 bucks, plus about $60 bucks an hour for repairs.
Prior to this machine, I had a cheap $30 Braun. It made kick butt espresso, and worked for nearly 20 years without fail. When it finally gave up the ghost, it was no longer manufactured. I figured I was entitled to an "upgrade." Unfortunately, this Nemox Fenice is a downgrade in the performance area. I am monumentally disappointed at the epic failure of this endeavor!
My solution is to go all manual. Manual espresso, manual frother. By doing this, the only thing that can prevent me from my morning cappuccino is a total oven failure... However, since the new equip is all stainless, there's always a campfire... :-)
Buying Experience
1-800Espresso.com: I found the vendor to be so-so. There were things (communication) about the transaction that caused suspicion, but maybe that's because I am from a big city. In the end, the machine was sent in a timely manner.
