DeLonghi Black EC5 Steam-Driven 4 Cup Espresso and Cappuccino Maker

Pros: Cheap. Heats water to operating temperature quickly.

Cons: This unit requires that there be hot water flowing through the espresso before steam can be directed through the foaming wand. There is no option to have just steam with no espresso being made. To make bad matters worse, there must be ground coffee in the espresso holder to provide resistance - and thereby force steam through the wand. So, in order to foam the milk, you must let your espresso be ruined OR put a new cup under the espresso holder to catch the new, undrinkable stuff that will be flowing. Finally - the espresso the machine makes is inferior.

Overall Review: Makes a mess of your counter. Entire machine must be rinsed after each use.

Pros: This machine is simply amazing for the price. Buy it! I actually look forward to waking up to use this beast to jumpstart my day.

Cons: I bought 1 instead of 3. Shipping label slapped on the OEM box, not a newegg box. Minor gripe, was shipped with zero flaws/damages so I don't mind.

Overall Review: I was in the market for a budget espresso/capppucino maker and bought this one on sale. I am honestly very impressed. I am not a coffee snob, but had always drank normal drip coffee and wanted to get an espresso maker for a long time. This was the right price, and I couldn't be happier. It is a compact little unit, so I do understand the other reviews not liking how short the froth spout is, but I have no problems using it and thats the cost of it being so compact and inexpensive at the same time. My girlfriend liked it so much I wanted to buy 2 more, one for her and one to gift (since it was so cheap), but sadly it was back to $50 as the sale had ended. If you're not picky and on a budget, this is your machine! I'm not sure I'd pay the $50 for it if on a tight budget, but I'm glad I bought it.

Pros: accesories

Cons: Cheap plastic body was broken upon opening!

Overall Review: Terrible design and cheap plastic body. I thought DeLonghi was a good brand until now. Now I either ship it back and pay for shipping or just keep it. I am so disappointed since I didn't get what I paid for. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PRODUCT!

Pros: Works fast, makes a very nice espresso. The frothing wand works well once I figured out how to use it.

Cons: The frothing wand could be longer and stick out further. It does not allow one to use a large cup for frothing.

Overall Review: Can't beat it for the price. Works amazingly well for an automatic espresso machine.

Pros: Very fast. Much faster than the 3 minute timing that the manual says. Don't get me started about the manual...

Cons: The manual is extremely misguiding from my experience. I was not able to froth the milk at all with the suggested water quantities. What I do now is make my espresso shots and pour them on one go, refill the tank quickly with MUCH LARGER than suggested amounts of water(quickly so the shots don't get cold), wait again, and use this round strictly for frothing. Then I get enough steam for my frothing.

Overall Review: I probably just need more practice. But so far my frothing has been very inconsistent. Don't hesitate to buy this product based on my review alone. As you can see, others have had great experiences with it.

Pros: This baby works... at first I was nervous because of the price... it has a great design. Very simple to use. brews a nice shot of espresso.

Cons: None

Overall Review: if your thinking about buying this, do it. Its worth the price.

Pros: I currently have a $500 espresso machine after buying 4 other different ones, none of them have the steam power this one does. I wish I could buy this machine again. It is LEGENDARY, nothing compares.

Cons: Does not automatically power off after use and no cleaning cycle.

Pros: [-] Inexpensive (when I bought it, currently OOS but) [-] Well made considering the price [-] Makes a nice espresso (haven't bothered with Cappuccino - I'm a black coffee man) [-] The water temperature, I'm convinced, is "boiling", that is to say I'm not concerned of bacteria. [-] Along those lines of water bacteria growth, this doesn't have a tank of water that sits around to collect it. You put in only what you will use for a shot or double shot. So another pro, as many people don't realize what can fester and grow in a water tank that sits there for "convenience" like the K company has (which I refuse to allow water to sit in the tank).

Cons: None that I've experienced. All but replaced with a Kuerig Rivo system (out of convenience only, though due to poor advertising of it, I may be falling back to this great espresso maker once the Rivo cups are no longer for sale). So, I suppose you could somewhat consider "clean up" a slight chore, but really.. not, all you do is dump the "wasted" grind, run some hot water through it, done.

Overall Review: Wish I had reviewed this sooner, but looking back at past purchases just now, I saw I forgot to leave one. Pointless perhaps now that it is OOS, though, should it make a come back -- I would recommend it for anyone that doesn't feel the need nor have the liquid assets to purchase a $50k Italian unit.