Perfect machine for home use. Good espresso quality and excellent steam power.
Positive Product Points
+ very good steam power + simple to use + consistent espresso quality + compact size + same brew group and portafilter with commercial machines + perfect for home use
Negative Product Points
- no OPV - no pressure gauge - no hot water output - original steam tip with 4 holes is not suitable for latteart - minor quality problems - high price
Detailed Commentary
I owned Oscar for 7 months. Before buying Oscar, I spend a few months with a low-end espresso machine at home. Oscar is a huge leap from a low-end machine in terms of espresso quality. The temperature stability is sufficiently good for home use. Moreover, the extraordinary steaming capacity is more than enough for home usage. The steam tip with 4 holes provides huge amount of steam for frothing milk. This makes it difficult to control for inexperienced home users like me. The milk heats up very quickly making it difficult to control the milk texture. I have closed two of the holes by toothpicks and reduced the amount of steam from the tip. This improved my temperature control and as a result better performance in frothing milk for latteart. Since Oscar is operated completely manually, I bought a timer and keep the brewing time constant by the help of the external timer. After 6 months of usage, the pressurestat started to leak causing a continuous hissing sound and loss of water from the boiler. I finally have it serviced, and the problem was not the pressurestat, but the loose connection. The pressurestat was removed, and the loose connection was fixed with some tape and now everything is perfect as before. The faulty group gasket which has small cracks, was also replaced in 6 months.
Buying Experience
I bought the machine from oztiryakiler on-line shopping web-site. I chose to pay in 12 months, and I am still paying the installments. No problems in buying. Good after sales customer support.
Three Month Followup
After nearly one year of total use, I am still very happy with NS Oscar, especially after the OPV mod from www.elektros.it Although it is an old model, still the most economic HX boiler machine on market for home use.
One Year Followup
Every day, I make 2 caffelattes for breakfast, and several after dinner espresso/milk drinks with oscar. Performing very well and consistent. After nearly 2 years of usage, I am still very happy with the investment.
