My wife and I love the ability for each of us to be able to select the type and amount of coffee we want with ease.  I can make my double espressos, while my wife can have singles or 6oz cups without having to fuss while quickly exiting the house.

Product is quite large and bulky and the cup heating unit is small.  And I do not like the fact that once I begin to use the steamer I cannot make another shot until the machine has had an opportunity to regroup and this takes several minutes.  So you have to make all of the shots you need for immediate use before frothing milk.

I had been shopping for a new machine to replace the ones I had been using. One of my clients was raving about his Saeco Magic and insisted that I should forget about looking at any other machine and seeing as how he had four of them I suspected that he must have been on to something.  So I checked out his machine at his home and then his office and decided to buy one.  I used Ebay as various sellers were selling new machines at attractive prices.

Once we had it set up it worked beautifully.  I no longer concerned myself with the mess of making individual shots and having to repeat the process over and over again in the morning.  In addition the steamer is great and can froth a container of milk to 165 degrees F. in less than 2 minutes.  

Cleanup could not be easier - and in over one year of use by using bottled water instead of tap water, I have not experienced any mineral buildup and the machine continues to work flawlessly.  

Many people have commented on the quality of the espresso and the crema.  We are very satisfied with the results we have achieved. While I liked the the ritual of making shots by hand, it was time consuming and there is a learning curve to contend with.   I have been grinding and brewing various coffees for over 25 years and I have absolutely no complaints about the end results and considering the ease with which one can use the machine, I would buy this machine again without hesitation.

I also love the fact that you can add decaf or another type of bean by using a separate hopper shute.  This makes it very easy to brew a cup of decaf on occasion especailly when you have company over and someone wants decaf instead of regular.  

And, the machine does have controls over the grind so you can tinker with the type of grind if you are so inclined.

Seeing as how I used Ebay, and the transaction was very successful, I am very satisfied.  Beforehand, I had difficulty finding the product locally in the Chicago area and seeing as how I would have to have the product shipped, I did not care where it came from in the US.