Breville Die Cast 800ESXL Espresso Machine

This was my first high-end Expresso maker. I bought it about 6 months ago on eBay to replace an old $40 el-cheapo maker that I'd been using for a long time.

First, this machine looks spectacular. The die-cast stainless finish looks very high end. The prices availble on eBay made it relatively affordable as well.

The coffee that this machine turns out is really good. I didn't believe that there would be a noticeable difference in the coffee from a cheap machine to this pump-driven model, but the coffee that comes out of the Breville is foamy and rich like I never had before. My wife's expensive Starbucks habit has gotten under control since we have this at home there isn't the need to go to the store except to buy beans.

On the plus side, it's easy to use and items like the large water reservoir (which can be filled in two ways) is terrific. The quality of the materials and the basket appear to be terrific. The large reservoire to collect spilled water is also very nice to have. It's also easy to remove and clean.

On the downside, we actually had some problems with the filter baskets that came with the machine. They got clogged up really easily and seemed to always be a problem. We called Breville customer support and they were very friendly and quickly shipped us a new 2-scoop basket. There must have been a design change as the new basket has the bottom hole aligned with the top holes so that when it's clean one can see light through it. The original had the holes offset so it was hard to know if it was clogged or not. I think this must have solved the clogging issue as we haven't had any problem since switching to the new basket.

In all fairness, I haven't used any other pump-style espresso makers at home but as a novice I would highly recommend the Breville.