We bought this model about six months ago, from CF, I could not find it cheaper anywhere else. The machine itself has a neat appearance, and is not massive, the only criticism I have aesthetically, is the chrome drip tray top, which would be better in brushed steel, as despite best efforts, the bases of cups and mugs do scratch and mark it. We have only ever used beans, and the grind is still as it was at set up stage, and it makes pleasant coffee, the grounds look nicely milled when I empty the hopper, so I have found no need to adjust the grind setting. You have plenty of coffee choices, expresso, ristretto, small cup, large cup of coffee, there is also a two cup setting. The milk steamer, has good pressure, and froths 200-250 mls of ice cold milk, to a good temperature without running out of steam pressure. This means you can also make very nice hot chocolate. We decided that the manual milk steamer on this model better suited us, as you control how hot you make the milk. I like coffee hot, so I also warm my mug with hot water prior, and I think you would probably need to if you just drank an expresso shot and like it quite hot. Day to day maintenance, is very simple, and consists of emptying and rinsing the grounds , and drip tray, untwisting the steam nozzle, giving that a quick swill under the tap, and refilling the water reservoir. We have moderately hard water and we drink on average about 3 -4 mugs of coffees a day, between us, and the descale warning light comes on about every five weeks, also I replace the water filter every 6 weeks. The De’Longhi descaler is not too pricey, if you buy the 500ml bottle and decant yourself. The water filters aren’t cheap, so shop around and buy in bulk to save the most. You can buy cheaper brands for this machine, but I haven’t as I’m loath to risk damaging the machine. When I first saw the instructions for the initial set up and descaling process, I thought the launch sequence for the space shuttle could barely be more complex, however, if you read it carefully at every stage neither process is so bad. I think the third time I descaled it, I did so without needing the instructions to hand. Descaling however does take 45-50 minutes, but for 20-25 minutes or so of that, you can pretty much leave the machine to do its own thing. The machine will also tell you if the grounds or drip tray need emptying, but if like me, you empty them every day, you will probably never need this warning system, unless you drink buckets of coffee. If you do drink quite a lot of coffee you will probably need to refill the reservoir during the day, that said, it’s not a major chore. So all in all, yes we like this coffee machine. It makes decent coffee, without a lot of faffing or mess, the only drawbacks are the time involved in descaling and the cost of the water filters, that said it’s still cheaper and more convenient than driving to buy coffee from a coffee house.

Very pleased with this product 🙂