They saved ninety-five cents on the cost of the bean hopper and ruined the entire machine.
Positive Product Points
Doserless. Good aesthetics. Heavy enough to not move when push the portafilter against the switch.
Negative Product Points
Cheap, CHEAP whole bean hopper.
Poor whole bean feeding.
Grinds hang up in unit.
POOR customer service, both by aabree and Isomac.
Detailed Commentary
The whole bean hopper started cracking within the first week. It and the inner guide are made of possibly the cheapest plastic I've ever seen. The inner guide has a lot of flash from the mold on it, and even though I cleaned it up, the feeding problems require that I stick something in there to move the beans around or they stop feeding. This is not easy, particularly when you're holding a portafilter with one hand already.
I've emailed aabree on multiple occasions asking how I might obtain a replacement hopper--no luck there. I've emailed isomac in Italy asking about this and whether there is a distributor or repair facility in the US--no response. I've finally decided that I'll try to find an appropriately sized stainless steel bowl and make my own. It certainly can't be any worse than the one provided.
As most users have noted, the grinds hang up in the unit, and despite what appears to be a new, curved grounds chute, you still have to pound on the thing to get the grinds to fall into the portafilter. Then, despite all the pounding to get the grounds out, they will wait until there is a slight vibration and they'll fall out. Messy.
Buying Experience
Bought this on eBay for the minimum price. It arrived double boxed--good thing, too: based on the "quality" of the plastic hopper, that might have arrived in pieces if the unit had not been double boxed.
