Seemed like a good appliance until after two years of light domestic use a solenoid and the warm up system both failed. The Breville service agent charged $35 to investigate this, which is reasonable, but fixing the solenoid will cost another $238 and the warm up repair costs will require further evaluation and incur subsequent costs .So after 2 years of little use this machine's for the scrap heap.

This machine has lasted me more than 7 years. I am a caffeine addict and so was making at least 6-8 coffees a day, more on weekends!! It has served me well. The coffee was always great, the froth amazing and the instructions clear. Easy to clean, Easy to use. Definitely worth the money.

This coffee machine has been okay for us, it is much quieter than the Sunbeam cafe series one we replaced and heats faster. I don't think it will last more than 2 or 3 years though, mine is almost 12 mos. old and already leaks out of the hot water dispenser and steam wand. Pressure has decreased dramatically for the espresso pour as well, although the coffee is good enough for us non connoisseurs. We have the grinder to match it and that works great.

It is a great budget coffee machine, who like to get their hands on it. Good for beginner. Very happy about it. So far so good.
The gaguage can allow you to improve your skills. The water tank is big. However the steamer is a bit slow once you get to know how to use it.

Bought for hubby when old one died. This was an upgrade and hummed and hahhed when considering, due to price. The coffee is the same quality, taste every time. It is easy to use as I learnt easily (couldnt get consistent coffee in last one). Well worth the money spent.

We purchased this model plus the grinder for our son for Christmas.
It has revolutionised coffee time at their house, they no longer buy coffee out, no more unrecyclable coffee cups.
They were amazed @ how great coffee can taste. Great little machine with lots of great features.
We are very happy with this machine

This is my first coffee machine with a PID and it seems to make a massive difference. The coffee tastes great with no bitterness.

There are lots of nice touches including the hidden accessories tray under the drainage tray.

I thoroughly recommend this model, although sadly it appears to have been phased out now

I bought this machine second hand; but looks as if it's hardly been used.
Checked rubber seal ok. Pressure gauge doesn't move; what would be causing this please. Many other people have had the same problem; some say blockage in water line to group head and others to replace selenoid ? Can you do either of these yourself if ordering the parts . Don't really want to spend more than $100 on fixing,as I bought this at bargain price .

Anne

Coffee quality was good and we were happy with the machine... until 15 months after purchase when the water failed to stop running after the shot. The machine basically only has manual function now which isn't good at all. Very disappointed to see a $500 coffee machine only last a bit over a year. Customer support were friendly but couldn't really help. I hope someone from Breville reads these reviews.

Can't get a good coffee because the pre infusion process doesn't appear to be happening at all. Then no matter what grind etc there is no reading on the dial above pre infusion during extraction?. No instructions on this in the manual supplied with the machine. Have used half kilo of coffee trying to get a result

Coupled with the Breville Smart Grinder, this thing is a beast. Very consistent, always a good drop, shot runs even with thick crema. The steam heat up system could be improved, however the wand itself works well, just requires a little bit of time. Worth noting - a friend also has one of these, but used pre ground beans - the results were very, very poor. Definitely get the grinder too.

Reasonable coffee. Good crema. Handle jumps out if not pushed past centre and coffee button makes awful sound when pressed. Will repair if i send it in reply paid but what do i do for the next month or so. Not happy after spending $600 why do i need 50

If you are newbie & want a manual machine to make real espresso coffee you cannot go past this machine.

I have had this machine for well over a year now & it works great. We make around 10 coffees a day on it, approximately a kilo a week of coffee. The water tank is good, not great however you get by.

It does use a lot of water, the water tray seems to be always full however it does make it up by making a great espresso.

Bang for buck you cant go wrong