I got this espresso maker for my birthday a year ago. My girlfriend and I had been drinking a lot of the stuff and I'm sure you know how much it costs. A home espresso maker is a great way to save money and experiment with different kinds of espresso drinks.

This machine has worked well for nearly a year. And I like it. I recently purchased a combination espresso/coffee maker for my father for Christmas (he also got a high tech espresso maker form his neighbors). So I can give a good comparison.

There are many reasons why I like this machine:

Compact

The machine is small, a bit smaller than a home coffee maker. The one I own is black. It really looks nice on the counter top. It doesn't take up any more space than it needs to. It is relatively easy to move around (say to the sink for a rinse)

Simple

All of the operations this machine performs are manual. You remove the 'filter', fill it with espresso grounds to your taste, replace the filter, fill the machine with water, screw on a cap and turn it on. Other machines have pumps to fill the boiler and timers with lights to let you know when the boiler is ready to make steam or espresso. Unless you drink espresso EVERY day, these complicated machines are too confusing. I would recommend the Krups 4 Cup 871-42 to any casual espresso drinkers.

Perfect Froth

OK, I really don't know if is really works, since the only espresso makers I have had experience with are made by Krups and have this feature. What I DO know is that it does a good job of heating milk and produces a decent amount of froth. Another thing I like about this machine is that you can steam and brew espresso at the same time. Many machines do this, however some do not.


Two cup attachment

I'm kind of luke warm on this option. It basically splits the espresso output into two streams, so you can fill two cups simultaneously. I'm not sure why you would need to do this, as opposed to just letting the machine brew into the carafe and then pour that out into as many cups as you like.
Not a necessity, really its a feature you might use once or twice, it looks nice when the machine is brewing into two nice espresso cups, but the novelty soon wears off and the attachment will be filed away in a drawer somewhere.

The only complaints I have with this machine are:

Too many parts

The machine comes with many parts which are easily removed (fall off) for cleaning purposes. So far I have lost the 'cap' for brewing steam, and the perforated carafe base/drain cover (this piece lets overflow drain through it to a small well below it. The pieces are good, however a holder for the cap and a more secure attachment for the drain cover (in the present design it just sits there). You also get the two cup splitter and a measuring spoon.

Inconsistent Brew?

After about a few months of using this machine we noticed that it would brew about half of the water through the machine and then stop for nearly 5 minutes, then continue to brew the remainder of the water. It also, on occasion would not brew all of the water in the boiler. These defects in the brew gave inconsistent flavor to the espresso. After several cleanings (following the instructions in the manual) the problems were solved. Although I still can't figure out why a dirty machine would produce these results, usually cleaning is simply to remove deposits left by water and residue from the espresso from the machine to improve flavor. Oh well.

Recommended: Yes