Others say...

"Good Value"
Worked well, but hard to find a cup that would fit under the foam nozzle. Otherwise a good buy.

"Save yourself the trouble and don't buy this product!"
I have been buying this machine for years. I say "buying" because the milk frother has a lifespan of anywhere between 30 and 90 days, which, if you like drinking cappuccino, creates some limitations. Nothing I've done to carefully maintain and care for this machine seems to make any difference. Why do I keep buying it? Because it's the only model I can find that allows enough clearance under the spout to insert a giant cappuccino mug (enabling me to make just one large cup, which I then split with my partner). The most recent time the frother died, I took the trouble to try to make good on the product's warranty with DeLonghi. It was SO not worth it! Although the product was just 60 days old and still under warranty, it was a huge hassle--two months of phone calls, letters, etc.--until I finally received my replacement. That was about a month ago, and the frother on this new machine just quit this morning. Save your money and invest in a quality product. (I'm so sorry I didn't). The EC5 is a piece of junk!

"Best value for espresso"
After working at Starbucks and getting free espresso drinks for 4 years, I needed an espresso machine to support my habit. This one was the most affordable with the best reviews, and so we went with it. I am so impressed! First of all, don't follow the directions on steaming the milk, instead of moving the pitcher up and down just keep the tip of the steam wand right below the surface of the milk. It should just barely look like the surface is stirring. If you have too many bubbles pull the wand out slightly at an angle. That will make foam instead of bubbles. The quality of the espresso shot isn't the best, so if you drink straight espresso I wouldn't recommend this. But for lattes, cappuccinos, or flavored americanos, it's so worth it. The money we're saving is great. (Even for a pro barista like me it took a few tries to get it right to make two at a time, so don't get discouraged at first!)

"Good machine"
I researched several machines and decided to go with this one after our Krups machine finally had a meltdown. I wanted a machine that could just make one good strong cup of coffee for the morning commute. I've had it a few weeks now and so far so good. It's easy to use, just had to experiment a bit to get the amount of coffee and water right, but that's to be expected. The milk frother is a bit short, and it does not give a crema on top of the coffee, but I don't think any of the steam driven machines do. All in all it makes a nice cup of coffee and does what it should for the price.

"the worst kitchen item i have ever bought"
i hope to spare someone else the pain of buying this. i just watched a fountain of hot water shoot out all over my kitchen counter as i tried to steam a cup of milk. not being able to select between 'steam' and 'brew' modes is staggeringly stupid. i am going to deposit this in the garbage and buy a different machine. and to the person who said this is common in cheaper machines, i have NEVER owned or even saw a machine that has hot coffee shooting out the front while steam is pouring out the side. that's just stupid and dangerous.