For a budget maching, this is excellent value and can make an excellent coffee
596761
I've been using this machine for a month and so far my experience has been excellent. A few comments which may be helpful.
1. I tried three pre-ground coffees before getting the ideal grind. Having had a coffee a day most mornings for a month, I now find the coffee from my local coffee house inferior to what I make. Such a good investment, delivering a better coffee at a fraction of the price. This will pay for itself in no time.
2. The finish is smart from a distance but is obviously cheap on closer examination and regular use. The steam arm is thin enough to be awkward to clean but does the job fine. Takes a about 3 minutes to steam enough milk for 2 cups.
3. By taking the metal grate off, you can put a normal sized cup under the portafilter. I do this when making single lattes.

I'll probably upgrade after a year but this is a great machine which I'm happy with.
4905788
It took awhile for me to get over the sticker shock, but having tried this coffee maker at a friend's house, I knew it was worth it. The coffee comes out quickly and hot (unlike many) and the machine is easy to use. I looked at it this way: I'm paying about a dollar a day for a year to get the kind of coffee that would cost 3-4 times as much at Starbucks. The one thing you should be aware of is that the Nespresso capsules used with this machine are only available online from Nespresso in most cities. With few exceptions, they're not sold at Bloomingdale's, Williams-Sonoma, etc. It's Nespresso's way of controlling the market. But the capsules are about 55 cents per, the delivery is very fast and there's a huge variety from which to choose. You also get a reasonable sample of capsules when you purchase the machine so you don't have to wait before putting it to good use.
893264
This is a great value in a drip coffee maker.  I have owned mine for several years and have no complaints about it whatsoever.  I have found two things that complete this.  One I discovered in another review of this product, and that is to heat the carafe with hot water prior to making the coffee and further to use hot water (out of the faucet) to make the coffee.  This makes for hot coffee that retains its heat long enough to enjoy the coffee.  The second finishing touch is to use a permanent mesh coffee filter rather than a paper filter.  The one that fits this coffee maker is the Medelco #4 Cone Permanent Coffee Filter .  True, you get a few particles in the coffee, but one has to look hard to notice.  The plus side of this is that the coffee retains the oils in the ground beans rather than their being absorbed by a paper filter, and this begins to approximate coffee made in the french press coffee maker.  With those two finishing touches, I drink excellent coffee that is adequately hot for over two hours every morning (and sometimes at night).
618656
I had to replace my antique mr. coffee and I didn't want to get trapped into those expensive little cups.  They're fine if you're made of money and satisfied with the quality of what's in those cups, but I am a bit more decerning.  I like being able to make a small amount to take with me to work, and more when I'm spending the day home.  It brews coffee, iced coffee and it brews a nice tea.  It keeps it warm without burning and makes it nicely strong when you have it on "bold".  I love this machine.
2927739
Bought one of these wonderful little machines about a month ago, after reading many reviews and considering a much more expensive machine -- the Rancilio Silva.  This little guy has to be one of the best bargains on the market.  With a little practice, you can make espressos, lattes, cappuccinos, etc. to rival the tony coffee shops.  It's really that good, and the criticisms of the machine are easily solved.  Many have to do with the proximity of the frothing wand to the countertop.  I put my machine on an old humidor, and now the wand is way up high and easy to use.  I am extremely happy with the purchase of the machine.  Do buy a good quality tamper.  The EC155 really works well, and you can't beat the price.  Real value here.
4399490
I have read negative reviews of this coffeemaker, but frankly my question is what do you expect for $30.00.  I have owned 2 of these coffeemakers and each one lasted about 5 years with a little effort to delime a couple of  times.  The coffee maker makes a good travel mug of coffee in about 10 minutes and does it every day and occasionally two times a day.  If you are expecting a $500 coffee maker don't buy this.  If you want a good cup of coffee this will give you that .  I also so suggest that you purchase coffee that is ground to expresso or turkish.  The finer the grind the more you intensity of flavor you will extract from the coffee grounds.  I gave up on the recommended ground size that is recommended for this coffee maker.  It is simple chemistry if you want to extract more from the coffee grounds you need more surface area and that means a finer grind.  However I do like my coffee quite strong so take my comments into consideration.
1893965
For the price it is does exactly what it's supposed to do.  You put coffee grounds in the bottom, add water, and plunge.  The coffee is great and the you can enjoy about 4 mugs of coffee with each batch.  The handle is strong and the glass is easy to clean.  The plunger is a bit flimsy, but it works just fine.  I wish there was some plastic to cushion the bottom.  I can see this thing breaking from being placed too hard on the granite countertop, but for the price I'll just buy another one.  It is really great and very simple by design.
456875
I've had this coffee maker for about a month now and it has been excellent.  The startup time is instantaneous, but it does take a little longer to brew since it is heating water on demand, so overall the total brew time is probably similar to other brewers.  The quality of the coffee it makes is good, and it is easy to use.  It is also easy to get hot water for tea and oatmeal, and we use that feature frequently.  The rinse feature is nice as well.  I haven't tried the reusable filter cup yet, but I like how it stores it.  I don't know why the up and down arrows are the opposite of how you would find them pretty much anywhere else, but that is a minor nuisance at worst.
2794521
Very good basic coffee maker for about $20. I highly recommend the permanent filter.  It is an extra that is definitely worth having. Be careful with the carafe; it breaks easily and costs as much to replace as a new coffee maker
4649080
This machine brews at precisely the right temperature and the thermal carafe keeps the coffee hot for at least 5 hours.  It also lets you program two times, so that if you are a late sleeper on weekends (like me), you can just click over to Program 2 and not go through the reprograming routine.

I have discovered three negatives that I wish I had known prior to purchase.

1.  The site gauge for the water level is very difficult to read.  You'd better be a little lucky on your estimate or you could easily have an overflow problem after brewing.

2.  The steel or aluminum housing is cheaply made and has started to peel on my unit and it is only 2 months old.

3.  The thermal caraf is heavy and there is no visible way to determine the amount of coffee left.

This does make good coffee, but I would compare this to a Black and Decker that sells for about $40 to $60.
1298841
As a barista on a budget, I wasn't expecting to get any espresso machine comparable to the 5 grand ones I'm used to. This this little espresso machine is impressive for the price! Still not comparable of course, but I believe it's as close you can get without spending a fortune.

The build quality is solid, it steams great, and the espresso comes out creamy. When you power on the machine, the top surface heats, which is a great amenity if you don't want your hot espresso pouring into cold cups. I can make every hot drink I'd make in the shop with this machine. The extra features are nice too. The bottom slides out to easily dump excess water or espresso, and there is a hidden compartment to store various things. The accent lighting behind the buttons is a nice touch too for anyone who appreciates a machine that's also eye catching. There's also an attachment that goes over the steam wand (mine came pre-attached, but you can pull it off) that makes the drinks extra frothy.

It comes with a milk pitcher and espresso tamper. All you may want to invest in is a couple of shot glasses. Overall, it was a great purchase.
4298512
Since this is such an inexpensive "faux Keurig," I was skeptical about the quality, but I wanted a very small one since I would be using it in my classroom. It makes a very good cup of coffee in a very little time. I used it almost daily for a year, even using it this summer as our big coffee maker broke. You can't go wrong for about $20.
840746
We have been quite happy for several years with our Stay or Go coffeemaker: we've never had problems with leaking (you do need to make sure the lid is correctly seated, and that you don't push the button on the top until your pot is positioned to pour) Coffee brews hot, delicious and stays hot almost forever in the insulated carafe - and if you just can't wait for a cup, you can quickly slide your cup directly under the dispenser, and the coffee pours right in.  You can use any container that will fit under the 7" tall space under the dispenser - not only the two cups that come with the unit, but two regular coffee mugs will work as well - just make sure you don't let it overflow, the reservoir is only equipped to handle some drips, not an entire cup of coffee!

However, we dropped the carafe, and the plastic handle broke.  It will work, but it's unsightly.  Unfortunately, a new carafe is not only difficult to obtain (I had to spend 5 minutes on hold with HB customer service) it's also over $60 with shipping - considering we bought our entire machine for about $70, that's a bit much.  We had originally wanted to get two carafes so we could have a decaf/regular option when entertaining, but that puts the cost of this inexpensive coffeemaker right up there with the pro-style prices.

Sadly, other replacement carafes don't fit: it's an odd size (I'm sure by no accident) so take care of your carafes!
2753323
This is a very solid bread maker at a very affordable price.  It speaks volumes that people are comparing it favorably to the more high end brands like Cuisinart and Zojirushi.  You might want to get one of those brands if you have money to burn and are really nitpicky about all the details.  If you are on a budget though, it is wonderful to be able to get this bread maker which produces excellent bread at a very affordable price.  Bottom line is - this bread maker will make delicious bread for you.  It does what it advertises.

The cons are:  It's not the prettiest machine out there, not the most quiet, not the smallest.  The display can be hard to read, it doesn't beep before the last rise cycle so you know when to pull out the paddles and avoid the holes in the bottom of the bread, and it doesn't brown evenly - the bottom and sides are darker than the top...although, to be fair - my Zojirushi did this too.  It's also not as well made as the higher end brands...but then it's also more than half the cost.  The manual is not the best so if you're new to bread makers, you'll have to do a bit more research and possibly purchase a book or two to fill in the gaps.  The machine is easy enough to figure out and use since it's so basic, but there really is no excuse to not provide a proper manual.  \

A 3-pound loaf of bread is not the norm either.  It's makes for a very tall and strange slice of bread.  I think most people would prefer the size and shape of a 2-pound loaf.  It IS nice though to have the option...and since it CAN handle 3-pounders - it definitely has enough power for 2-pounders.  Working dough is hard work even on a machine and you can't have too much power.  This is definitely a strong point for this machine.

In conclusion, this is an excellent value machine.  It makes good bread quite easily and at a very fair price.  If you want a more refined machine, expect to spend double this and look at the Cuisinart/Zojirushi brands.  But if you're on a budget and you just want something that will do the job - you can count on this unit.
2394397
I bought mine from katom.com for less than $300, however, it is a tremendous value.  The only issues you may notice are an increase in humidity, from a very powerful boiler, and I cannot think it is that power efficient relative to the 10 cup Bunn it replaced.  That said it can brew an incredible amount of coffee almost as quickly as you can pour and change carafes.  A lot of stainless steel and a very solid feel with Bunn performance.  I don't know what else can be said...  The only thing I wish is that I would have bought the model with the hot water faucet on the front.  The plumbing to the countertop is not rocket science.  Simple .25" line...
2017912
TL/DR;

I snagged this guy for $334 and I gotta tell you it's really good, especially for that price. The coffee is noticeably better than that from a Krups Espresseria we have at work (and even that machine makes great coffee) and at least as enjoyable as anything I used to buy at local coffee shops. The machine itself has great ergonomics and is attractive to boot.

Plenty of other reviewers have covered the basics, I'm going to add my view of choosing this as an espresso noobie.

I had a long conversation over at coffee geek forums before finally decided to purchase this machine. The advice basically boiled down to "Breville sucks except for the Breville Double Boiler machine, thermoblocks/thermocoils suck, and it's not comparable to serious espresso machines" with the alternative view being "I have the Breville Double Boiler and the 840XL makes comparable espresso -- I couldn't tell the difference, I was shocked." The other piece of advice I got that was really helpful is to go for the 840XL over the 860XL (which has the built-in grinder). I was convinced that having a separate grinder would result in a better grinder and less likelihood of the machine failing.

I decided I was fine with a Thermocoil over a brass boiler because the 840XL has a pretty high-wattage one. From what I read, the boilers with PID's can produce more consistent results, but at the same time they're finicky because things depend one where you are in the broiler's cycle and also take a long time to heat up.

I was getting really sour shots at first; I can't say whether that was me or the machine. I literally pulled my first shot of espresso ever on this machine. I tried using a thermometer to measure the water temp and it can be a bit lower than ideal brewing temp when you first use it, so I usually run the steamer for 10s or so before brewing. Also I learned a great trick/cheat for dealing with this -- just let the first 2 seconds of the shot dump out and then put your cup under. Once I did this I've had nothing but excellent coffee from the machine. Once my technique improves I'll try a full shot again and mess with tracking temperature.

The machine itself has really good ergonomics -- it switches easily / quickly between brewing, steaming, and hot water. The pressure gauge is nice; it's really helped me as an espresso noobie figure out my grind, dose & tamp. The steam wand is very easy to manipulate and there's plenty of room on the platform for steaming and using even some of our larger mugs to pull shots. I really appreciate the magnetic tamp holder, it's a great idea. It's also very easy to clean and attractive. The only ergonomic issue is that you can't see the water tank from the front and it's easy to forget to make sure there's enough water, but you learn quickly to just check before brewing so I don't count this as a major negative.

Overall I *love* the coffee and the machine and we no longer make routine (and expensive) trips to coffee shops.
70811
I like it, and I think it works really well for the price.  The hopper is fairly small and needs to be refilled about every-other grind.  However - for an inexpensive grinder - it does an excellent job of making a very fine grind. (better than some of the more expensive ones we've tried).  It's a bit loud.. but you can feel less guilty about waking up everyone in the house because you'll have a nice cup of coffee waiting for them.