FrancisFrancis X1

Pros: Great styling, easy to use, well constructed

Cons: Expensive

The Bottom Line: The X-1 looks fabulous, is easy to use and produces wonderful espresso/cappuccino/latte. It might be a bit dear, but you only live once!

Review: like coffee, especially espresso. For a time I was happy with what I would get from the local coffee houses, however a trip to Italy a few years ago changed me. I finally understood what "real" espresso was all about.

Returning from Italy...

Pros: Longevity of machine Retro Italian styling Steam pressure Fit and finish

Cons: Reservoir a chore to fill Electrical cord placement

The Bottom Line: This is THE machine for serious coffee fans; if you are only going to use it to impress your dinner guests every few weeks, it's probably overkill.

Review: We acquired the X-1 about six months ago, after researching prices endlessly. $500 is a serious financial hurdle for making our cappuccino . However, the cost of ownership is actually a lot less than you would think.

We lived in Italy for...

Pros: Hip. Aesthetic beauty. Nifty Temp Gauge.

Cons: Small water reservoir. Difficult to fill.

The Bottom Line: 5 stars for aesthetics. 1 star for function/price. Great machine, but it's not for everyone.

Review: Love the looks. An attention grabber. Great for everything but making espresso for any more than 2 people at a time.

The x-1 has all the basic features you'd expect in a machine. Its selling points are the cool styling, analog temperature...

Pros: easy to use, makes a great espresso, steam wand a great plus

Cons: expensive,

The Bottom Line: If you have the disposable income, buy it and enjoy the work of art.

Review: Admit it, you are thinking about this espresso machine because it is beautiful. And it is, indeed. The colors are striking, the form attractive, but it also makes a darn good espresso.

The appliances can use both pods and regular grounds...

Pros: Beautiful design, super easy cleanup, delicious espresso

Cons: A bit expensive, no double boiler.

The Bottom Line: If you can afford it, worth the money for the style, and it's fun to use and great to look at.

Review: I know one other person who owns this, and we both love it. Every espresso fan is envious, not only of the design, but the ease of use.

Once you discover that there are good ESE pods out there (by Illy, Lavazza, Torrefazione), and how easy...

Pros: Reliable, design, easy-to-use

Cons: Cupholder does not get warm, useful for making 1-2 espressos (slow)

The Bottom Line: Good machine, reliable, nice design with a few drawbacks. My next machine would be a Gaggia for its stronger construction and slightly improved performance.

Review: I bought this machine 5 years ago and since then I use it on a daily basis. It has given me much pleasure and I haven't run into any problems at all. I bought it together with an extra portafilter for using pods (more expensive, but very...

Pros: Comes with both ground and ESE pod portafilters for easy espresso making

Cons: Water reservoir is made of plastic and is a bit cumbersome to re-insert into machine.

The Bottom Line: I would buy the machine again and recommend it to anyone who enjoys making espresso at home.

Review: I really liked the retro styling and choice of colors on this machine. It is funny that I have seen the machine in several TV shows. I like the fact that it comes with both the ground and ESE portafilters. While I like the ground espresso variety...

Pros: sweet looking machine

Cons: needs coarser grinds, temperature instability, only good for two lattes at a time.

Review: I bought an X1 from Williams-Sonoma. After 3 years of moderate use the unit is essentially now dead. A short circuit has developed in the heating coil and it looks like I'll have to replace the boiler to fix it. My dilemma is I've never been truly...

Pros: Worked for exactly one month

Cons: Everything. It is really a piece of junk.

Review: I've had it a year. Used it about 5 times per week. It made decent espresso for the first month then the pump started getting weaker. It just will not make a decent cup of espresso. I put it aside and went back to my old espresso maker whose name I...

Pros: It looks nice. It makes a great gift.

Cons: Way too expensive. Extremely poor customer service, both from Empire Fulfillment and Illy.

Review: Within the first 6-9 months, my thermostat stopped working. Within the next year or so, an electrical problem arose. The machine's "on" lights were flickering and the machine wasn't even on. It was overheating (extremely overheating while not even...