Great product, until it breaks
I really liked the espresso machine while it was working. Unfortunately, after a few months, every time I turned it on it blew the fuse at my house. I tried for 3 months to get it fixed, but unfortunately Saeco support does not answer their phone!!! If you stay on hold (even if you wait an hour), you eventually get a recording that asks you to leave your number. They call you back at THEIR convenience (usually in the middle of the day when I was in a meeting). When I complained about this, they did not seem to think this was a problem. I finally did get to speak to someone (I happened to be free when they called) and they promised to send me paperwork that I needed to fill out to get it fixed. I never got that email so I started all over again trying to get their call when it was convenient for them. When I finally got to speak with someone else, they told me the same thing. This time I stayed on the phone with them until I received the email. I emailed it back immediately and waited another 3 weeks (with several follow-up emails asking when they were going to respond) before I took it back to the retailer for a refund. I can't believe a company that does not support their products can stay in business.

A magnificent semi-automatic espresso machine
After my old, cheap combo drip/espresso coffee maker gave up the ghost, I decided to invest in a serious espresso machine. I followed the advice given by Alton Brown from his Good Eats episode on espresso and wound up with the same machine that he uses. It's a lovely semi-automatic machine. By semi-automatic, I mean that the machine pushes water through the portafilter to make coffee as long as the switch is on; it's up to you to decide when to shut it off. Same goes for the milk frothing attachment. But the frother attachment is a big, wide plastic tube which is easy to clean, the water tank has enough capacity for a week's worth of espresso, and the pump can make for a lovely shot of espresso with a beautiful head of crema.

I think I would have preferred the design esthetic of a previous model, where the brewing and frothing switches were on/off switches as opposed to up/down buttons, but that quibble aside, this is a lovely machine for do-it-yourself espresso and cappuccino.

Saeco Aroma Espresso Coffee Machine Black
I received it at a cost around 0.00. It came without a pod adaptor. I found inside the box an empty container for 2 ceramic espresso cups pictured as included on the outside of the box. I got a pod adaptor by calling Saeco in Ohio. I primed the machine as usual and placed the portafilter. I pressed the brew button to warm up the component, it stared leaking all around the portafilter. I found out that the water or coffee has no exit out of the portafilter because of blocked tiny hole inside filled with a small white plastic nob pressed in place by a spring in the bottom of the portafilter. By disassembling the portafilter and removing the spring the leaking stopped but the quality of coffee or pods is worse than drip coffee. The steam wand is dangerous because the plastic extension is so loosely attached so by any pressure from steaming it can blow out. This is a similar problem to the first Hamilton Beach first espresso machine which made big noises all around.
Hey guys: My conclusion after playing with more than 10 different machines from superautomatic to the cheap Hamilton Beach is the following:
Do yourself a favor and stick with a pod or capsule machine like Nespresso or Francis until you have enough money to move up to a Quickmill machine + a grider at least a Rocky. Mazzer mini or Compak is even better. This will save you a lot of headache dealing with a variety of junk machines at different prices. This is what I am doing now. No more experimentation with junk.

Sturdy, easy to use and clean, makes great espresso. Will buy this over Saeco Spidem Villa
Update on 10/30/09: I found the price fluctuating so much and I am compelled to update my review. Reviews are generally given for a certain price range. This is a great value under 200USD, about right at 250, and becomes expensive at over 300. In general, espresso machines are significantly more expensive than they should be.
This machine is easy to use and clean, and makes great espresso. It does not grind coffee beans so you need a stand-alone grinder or may buy ground coffee (for espresso machines). It has a small footprint and is aesthetically pleasing. At about half the price of the fully automatic Saeco Spidem Villa, this sure is a better buy.

Fantastic machine for the money!
I have owned this machine since Dec '08 and it has performed beautifully. We make 4 shots a day, 7 days a week and it makes a wonderful double shot of espresso with perfect crema each time. It also makes good frothed milk, but does take a little longer than some of the more expensive espresso makers on the market (however, I rarely use the frothing feature so it's not a big drawback for me). I'm not sure what the other reviewer meant by it being a "manual" machine. Possibly - and I'm just guessing - "manual" means that it does not have a built-in grinder so you have to grind the beans with another machine and then pack the the portafilter yourself. If so, most espresso machines are like that and it's not a big deal for the majority of espresso drinkers. I do want to add that I did not buy this machine in a "new" condition from Amazon. I bought it used on an auction internet site (you guess which one:) for only 9.00! I also bought a used Saeco burr grinder from the same site and I am very happy with that too (see my other review). Either way, new or used, I would recommend this espresso machine as it makes great espresso shots and is hundreds less than many of the other machines (even at full retail price).

I do not recommend this product
I purchased this product in March 2010. I was shocked by how poorly constructed this machine was made. It has a very cheep look and feel. The product was defective and did not work. I returned the product for a full refund, and have no intention of buying another one. I strongly recommend not purchasing this unit.

1year in an office of 35 people and not a single problem!
Last October I got everyone in the office to pitch in a few bucks and we bought this machine for the office. As my office is closest to the break room, I can tell you this machine gets used alot! Out of some odd henpecking order at the office, I was also told to take care of the machine. Cleanup is easy, not a single problem with the machine to date. It has held up great with our demanding staff, a quick rinse of the parts once a day and back together in just a minute. I must say I am soo glad I choose this model over some of the others. I can tell you if you seriously use it everyday, this is the machine. Also buy a filter for your water source, we have not had a single issue with buildup on this machine or the regular cofeemaker by using a filter. Protect your investment.

Durable and Delicious
This coffeemaker is amazing. The foam is wonderful and it has never let us down. Yes, it's a bit noisy, but all of the automatic makers are noisy. Actually, it's quieter than the DeLonghi that we got on sale from Starbucks and which we use for decaf in the evenings. Anyway, my only grief is that it appears the rubber grommet that seals the bottom of the water tank may be failing. I don't see parts listed for this maker on the Saeco website so I don't know what the future holds. But we are a busy, highly-wired coffee-drinking household so this machine has certainly done its duty and I'd recommend it to anyone.

Great coffee...but the machine is awful!
We saved for this huge investment because my husband and I are coffee lovers. We have never in our LIVES spent so much money on a unit to make coffee. Well, we got this one brand new and it worked beautifully for the first six weeks. The coffee it makes is UNBELIEVABLE. You will never go back to drinking regular coffee again after tasting it, it really does make you a coffee snob!

However, after just six weeks of use, it abruptly stopped working. We contacted Saeco and they said they would fix it since it was still under the 1 year warranty. However, we had to pay for the return shipping - over for shipping with ins. for the 30 pound machine. Then they kept it for a MONTH. Finally we got it back, all seemed well, but only for a short time...after just four more weeks on our 'newly refurbished and repaired' machine, it once again died! This time Saeco paid for the return shipping....heaven knows how long it will take them to fix it this time.

All in all, quite a disappointment. Maybe we just got a 'lemon' - but my coffee maker from Walmart is years and years old and has never broken down...

One other thing - these are really high maintenance. You have to clean the brew filter weekly and do a very time-consuming 'descaling' process every few months (depending on how hard your area water is...) Waayyy more work than any appliance I've ever owned. And even though we did all the required maintenance on it, it still broke down.

Think twice before you spend this much money on a coffee maker. Unfortunately for me, I did buy mine at auction (which did not accept refunds I found out later...) I'm stuck with it. If I had purchased it at a store, I would have definately taken it back for a refund.

Saeco Vienna Deluxe
Makes a great cup. My husband can even use it. I did have to send away for a DVD instruction manual since it comes standard with a VHS(who still has VHS??) Easy to use. The only thing I would have expected stainless, not plastic for the price. Under normal use, this should be a great little machine. I even took it to work for a Latte party.

Great product, until it breaks
I really liked the espresso machine while it was working. Unfortunately, after a few months, every time I turned it on it blew the fuse at my house. I tried for 3 months to get it fixed, but unfortunately Saeco support does not answer their phone!!! If you stay on hold (even if you wait an hour), you eventually get a recording that asks you to leave your number. They call you back at THEIR convenience (usually in the middle of the day when I was in a meeting). When I complained about this, they did not seem to think this was a problem. I finally did get to speak to someone (I happened to be free when they called) and they promised to send me paperwork that I needed to fill out to get it fixed. I never got that email so I started all over again trying to get their call when it was convenient for them. When I finally got to speak with someone else, they told me the same thing. This time I stayed on the phone with them until I received the email. I emailed it back immediately and waited another 3 weeks (with several follow-up emails asking when they were going to respond) before I took it back to the retailer for a refund. I can't believe a company that does not support their products can stay in business.

A magnificent semi-automatic espresso machine
After my old, cheap combo drip/espresso coffee maker gave up the ghost, I decided to invest in a serious espresso machine. I followed the advice given by Alton Brown from his Good Eats episode on espresso and wound up with the same machine that he uses. It's a lovely semi-automatic machine. By semi-automatic, I mean that the machine pushes water through the portafilter to make coffee as long as the switch is on; it's up to you to decide when to shut it off. Same goes for the milk frothing attachment. But the frother attachment is a big, wide plastic tube which is easy to clean, the water tank has enough capacity for a week's worth of espresso, and the pump can make for a lovely shot of espresso with a beautiful head of crema.

I think I would have preferred the design esthetic of a previous model, where the brewing and frothing switches were on/off switches as opposed to up/down buttons, but that quibble aside, this is a lovely machine for do-it-yourself espresso and cappuccino.

Saeco Aroma Espresso Coffee Machine Black
I received it at a cost around 0.00. It came without a pod adaptor. I found inside the box an empty container for 2 ceramic espresso cups pictured as included on the outside of the box. I got a pod adaptor by calling Saeco in Ohio. I primed the machine as usual and placed the portafilter. I pressed the brew button to warm up the component, it stared leaking all around the portafilter. I found out that the water or coffee has no exit out of the portafilter because of blocked tiny hole inside filled with a small white plastic nob pressed in place by a spring in the bottom of the portafilter. By disassembling the portafilter and removing the spring the leaking stopped but the quality of coffee or pods is worse than drip coffee. The steam wand is dangerous because the plastic extension is so loosely attached so by any pressure from steaming it can blow out. This is a similar problem to the first Hamilton Beach first espresso machine which made big noises all around.
Hey guys: My conclusion after playing with more than 10 different machines from superautomatic to the cheap Hamilton Beach is the following:
Do yourself a favor and stick with a pod or capsule machine like Nespresso or Francis until you have enough money to move up to a Quickmill machine + a grider at least a Rocky. Mazzer mini or Compak is even better. This will save you a lot of headache dealing with a variety of junk machines at different prices. This is what I am doing now. No more experimentation with junk.

Sturdy, easy to use and clean, makes great espresso. Will buy this over Saeco Spidem Villa
Update on 10/30/09: I found the price fluctuating so much and I am compelled to update my review. Reviews are generally given for a certain price range. This is a great value under 200USD, about right at 250, and becomes expensive at over 300. In general, espresso machines are significantly more expensive than they should be.
This machine is easy to use and clean, and makes great espresso. It does not grind coffee beans so you need a stand-alone grinder or may buy ground coffee (for espresso machines). It has a small footprint and is aesthetically pleasing. At about half the price of the fully automatic Saeco Spidem Villa, this sure is a better buy.

Fantastic machine for the money!
I have owned this machine since Dec '08 and it has performed beautifully. We make 4 shots a day, 7 days a week and it makes a wonderful double shot of espresso with perfect crema each time. It also makes good frothed milk, but does take a little longer than some of the more expensive espresso makers on the market (however, I rarely use the frothing feature so it's not a big drawback for me). I'm not sure what the other reviewer meant by it being a "manual" machine. Possibly - and I'm just guessing - "manual" means that it does not have a built-in grinder so you have to grind the beans with another machine and then pack the the portafilter yourself. If so, most espresso machines are like that and it's not a big deal for the majority of espresso drinkers. I do want to add that I did not buy this machine in a "new" condition from Amazon. I bought it used on an auction internet site (you guess which one:) for only 9.00! I also bought a used Saeco burr grinder from the same site and I am very happy with that too (see my other review). Either way, new or used, I would recommend this espresso machine as it makes great espresso shots and is hundreds less than many of the other machines (even at full retail price).

Saeco Royal looks great, but.....
I was anxious to get my new Royal Professional from the box. It looks great, warms up fast. The Cappuccinotore, a plastic device which is supposed to draw milk from a container, steam it and deliver frothy creme to your cup did not work, instead it blew steam into the milk container, diluting it. OK, make the cappuccino manually. Push a button for size of cup, and presto, American style coffee comes out. Around the side, one can set the amount of coffee larger or smaller. Was not strong enough, so more coffee. Another cup. Drinkable as espresso, tasteless as cappuccino. One can also grind the coffee finer, while the grinder is running, made that adjustment to the finest grind, and largest measure of coffee. The machine will just not make a real cappuccino that you can buy on any street in Italy or Spain. Too weak, even at the highest settings.
The manual steamer is a disappointment as well, even with practice small bubble creme cannot be done, and it is quite slow as well. This is a good machine to make American styled coffee, or weak espresso, but it will impress your friends and office clients with its appearance. You need a Krups to make the real thing, when you know the difference.