I've now had this espresso maker for eight months. I often use it every day; on average, certainly four-to-five times a week. I myself couldn't justify spending several hundred -- or many hundred -- dollars on an espresso machine, so I looked at "low end" machines. (I previously had a very simple DeLonghi, the cheapest one they had, and it finally died.)For the money, I've found this Mixpresso to be a very good espresso maker. And I definitely like the look of it. Red is my kitchen accent color amidst a lot of white, black, gray and stainless steel.Yes, it does sometimes leave a but of water behind in the espresso grounds: that happens when the cup is slightly over-filled, or when the espresso is very finely ground. But I don't find it to be a serious problem at all. The machine makes good espresso with lots of crema. The milk frother works fine too.I also like that you can get virtually instant hot water from this machine, if you want/need it (say, for a cup of tea). But also I use it when I make regular coffee, which is sometimes it's too strong for my husband. So I turn on the Mixpresso, put the water/frother wand into his cup and turn it the knob to "hot water" -- and immediately I get very hot water, as much or as little as I want. Then I pour coffee into his cup, and and it's exactly the strength he likes it. No having to bother to heat a kettle or put it in the microwave.I also like the large water reservoir. You DO have to be careful that you don't run it dry. If you do, you'll have to re-prime it to get it working again (there are instructions for that). But once you know not to do that, it's not really an issue.For the price I think this is a very good machine. I'm glad I have it.