Low end superautomatic, but really convenient and I use it daily instead of getting my triple venti latte at Starbucks.
Positive Product Points
Older machine, so probably find one cheap Convenient Easy to clean Relatively durable Reliable so far, I've had it for a year.
Negative Product Points
Slightly acrid or burnt shots Milk wand difficult to clean and slow. Lots of plastic
Detailed Commentary
I wanted a superautomatic. Push a button and voila! I didn't want to get a machine where I had to grind the beans, pack a shot, etc.. With this I fill up the grinder, fill up the water container and I am good to go. Really convenient to use. Really easy to clean the spent grounds and the shot is decent for my latte.
Well, there are a few negatives. It is quite a big machine. Takes a lot of counter space and can't be stored when not in use, to big to move around. Also, the grinder isn't the best. In the grinding mechanism, the two metal discs are attached by screws into hard plastic. So, to remove those two dics to clean would strip the plastic pretty quickly, so I only wipe them off rather than removing them, to clean thoroughly. I think this results in a slightly burned shot. I drink lattes so it isn't a deal breaker, as the milk covers the hint of acrid/burnt taste. If anyone else notes a similar issue, please let me know. Also, frothing milk using the wand takes close to 2 minutes. And add another minute for it to warm up after making a shot. Too long in my book, so I have a seperate frothing machine that works great. And cleaning the wand involves taking the plastic piece off of a metal wand, and again, repeated on and off would seriously effect how long the plastic threading lasts. I actually stopped using it for the last month or two and relied on starbucks until I bought my new milk frother.
