Cheap Danby DBC120BLS Beverage Center - Stainless Steel

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List Price: $373.32
Sale Price: $199.99
Today's Bonus: 46% Off

I was reluctant to order this at first due to a lot of comments around the packaging of the unit and them showing up with dents and scratches. When the unit arrived the outside parcel was a bit torn. However the seller must have taken the feedback that was given and made some changes as my unit was in perfect condition without a single scratch or dent. It was double boxed. The OEM box has the unit inside with a Styrofoam shell. Then the EOM box was lined with stiff cardboard corners and wrapped in Styrofoam around that and then placed in an additional box. Only the otter box had a slight tear. Given the weight of the unit it was expected. Don't hesitate to order this unit as I'm certain it will show up in perfect condition if we were to order an additional one.

The unit itself is made of quality materials. I placed a digital thermometer inside the unit and it holds a sold 37 degrees inside. Keep in mind this is a minifridge and not a cooler. A major difference. The only complaint I have about the unit is that we have it downstairs behind our bar. Not in the bar but behind it sitting on the carpet. When placed on the carpet the door would drag the carpet and after our first basement break in party the door was left slightly open a few times because the door was difficult to shut. I tried to adjust the feet to raise the unit up but was unable to do so because the legs are not adjustable. I happen to have an extra 18X18 tile from the bathroom. I sat the unit on top of the tile and it solved the problem. The door open and shuts perfectly. Keep in mind we do not have shag carpet either. It is a medium density stainmaster carpet with standard stainmaster padding. If you plan to place this in a carpeted area do yourself a favor and go purchase an 18X18 tile.

As others have mentioned the shelves don't hold cans the best when you go to fill it as some tip from side to side when placed vertical. I removed the second from the bottom shelf to hold 4-5Liter kegs. I can hold exactly a case of beer in the bottom section which is not as deep as the others since the compressor housing is in the way. Which leaves me with the top full shelf and the very top shelf that holds them in a horizontal fashion. The horizontal shelf holds a 12 pack 6 on each side. Without the removal of a shelf this unit will not accommodate 16oz water bottles or beer bottles placed vertically. These will need to be placed on their sides unless you remove a shelf.

Overall I would give this fridge a 5 out of 5 or 10 out of 10. It servers our purposes perfectly and it looks great, and it was at a great price point. If I had to make a couple of changes or a wish list. I wish it used an LED bulb for that newer look. Additionally, I wish the light could be turned on when the door was shut since it is a glass face to showcase the drinks inside. UPDATE: Finds out there is a switch inside on the side of the light to turn it on. Check that off the lsit! Other than that it's the perfect height and the top is being used to hold our EdgeStar 5Liter Kegerator. Which places the tap at the perfect height and I am 5'10".

All in all don't hesitate to purchase this unit as I searched for several weeks and really did my homework before ordering a mini fridge for our bar when we finished the basement. I assure you that you will not find a better product at this price point.

UPDATE: Over a year later this thing is still ice cold and no issues. Look no furhter, the perfect minifridge holds true!!!

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I was concerned given all the reviews about keeping the drinks cold enough but I use mine in my workout room to house all my exercise drinks and it keeps them plenty cold enough at a medium-high setting (probably due the fan circulating the air which most beverage coolers do not have). I haven't seen any dramatic increase in my electric bill either. My only complaint is the auto-defrost feature. It does auto-defrost and collect the water in a reservoir that is supposed to evaporate by the heat of the compressor. But in my house apparently it didn't get hot enough because it didn't evaporate and over flowed in the back and spilled out onto the floor behind the unit. Now I just keep an eye on it and use a large syringe to remove the water if the reservoir fills up.

Best Deals on Danby DBC120BLS Beverage Center - Stainless Steel

Unit arrived undamaged and worked right out of the box. Door was assembled a bit crooked and overall quality is mediocre but looks good from a distance. Have had it about 5 weeks now and it is doing its jobdrinks stay sufficiently cold, good capacity, internal fan helps a lot (main reason I bought it) and is quiet enough in my family room adjacent to my home theater setup. Stopped working once for some unknown reason (maybe got a bit hot as I have it installed in a tight cabinet spaceIFU clearly says it is designed to be free-standing) but after unplugging and letting it sit for 30 mins, it started up again and has been fine ever since. I check the external cabinet temp regularly and while it does get quite warm to the touch, it seems to be okay installed as is. A good idea is to keep it out first time it cools down your drinks (it will work quite hard doing this), then when the compressor cycles off (ieit has reached its set temp), you can push it back in. Overall it seems to be a good deal for the price.

Honest reviews on Danby DBC120BLS Beverage Center - Stainless Steel

I am having a bar installed and decided to get a nice fridge to show off some coors light cans and bottles. Some reviews about coldness scared me but there were also plenty saying they had exploded cans. It is a nice looking fridge but I plugged in for 2 days with a glass of water and a thermometer and could not get temp below 42. I don't think danby is good for coolness. My friend bought a danby kegerator and could not get temp below 37. He returned and got a Summitt and it worked great so I got one also. I don't know why they can't just make a compressor to get to below freezing level. Cant cost that much more. Bottom line if you want ice cold beer don't buy this fridge. On the plus side Amazon will be sending UPS to pick up tomorrow no problem. Happy with Amazon unhappy with Danby.

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I picked this one for the size and design. I considered a full size fridge, but there aren't a lot of options that don't include a freezer, and in those size/price ranges, none of them are frost free. I didn't want to deal with that.

I've had the Danby for a couple of months now. I keep it in the basement, so it's in a cooler place, and doesn't have to work so hard. I do like to keep my drinks ice cold, and even when fully loaded, it delivers. And I do not have the temp setting at the coldest.

Using it primarily for bottles. Almost all the smaller fridge and beverage coolers show with cans, so it's tough to judge how many bottles it will hold. So I got the larger size. Turns out that was a good idea, since the shelf mounting options are fairly limited, I ended up using only 2 shelves to maximize the placement of bottles. And it holds a LOT of beer bottles. I can fit about 20 lying down on the bottom, in front of the compressor hump, and each shelf is, I think about 7 bottles deep by 6 wide. It's a LOT of room.

Gets everything cold pretty quickly and keeps it there. In my random trips to the basement for beer or other things, it is rarely running the compressor, so it seems to be fairly efficient.

I do have a couple of nitpicky complaints:

The wire shelves do not suit for balancing a full load of bottles, you end up with bottles leaning on other bottles because of the spacing of the wires. It still works, but it could be better.

What the heck is up with the top shelf with the hump in the middle? Seems like it's a spacer for the light, but it doesn't seem to make any sense to me at all, I don't use it.

If you live in a humid area, like I do, you'll have a LOT of condensation on the glass. When I first turned it on, the front glass was completely covered with a thick layer of water. I wiped it clean/dry a couple of times after it was cooled down to the proper temp. That helped a bit, but the bottom 1/2 to 1/3 is usually wet at all times. Not bad enough that you can't see inside, but maybe it needs better dual-glass insulation or something? Not sure.

Overall, I'm very happy with it so far. I can easily fit 10 different 6 packs and a 12 pack or 2 of bottles ice cold.

Review of Nostalgia Electrics KRS-6100SS Kegorator Double Tap Beer Keg

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List Price: $699.99
Sale Price: $566.10
Today's Bonus: 19% Off

This replaced an old 3 tap Beverage Aire Commercial kegerator I had go out on me. I didn't want to spend $1500.00+ for a new commercial quality one, so I opted for this unit. I'll list the Pros and Cons as I see them.

First the Pros...

1) Has (2) taps.

2) Looks good.

3) Good range of temperatures (approx. 33-40 degrees F.)

4) Uses half the power of my old kegerator.

5) Actually hold (3) home brew kegs (5 gallon).

6) Good quality dual gauge regulator.

7) So far seems to be reliable.

Now the Cons...

1) Co2 tank is too small (2.5 lb). It should come with a 5 lb. tank. (I have a couple of 15 lb. tanks so not a big deal for me)

2) Cheap quality beer lines. (I recommend you replace them w/ 5-6 feet of 3/16" I.D. high quality beer line)

3) Cheap quality gas line.

4) Standard brass faucets. (I replaced w/ my S.S. Perlick forward seal faucets)

5) Black plastic top seems cheap.

6) Drip tray does not fit properly around the beer tower. And it just sits movable, not fixed on top.

7) Casters are too small and don't rotate well.

Of course these are just my opinions and going from a commercial quality kegerator to a residential type, I have lots of nit pick things about it.

All in all, I would recommend this to people who would like a little variety instead of the single tap single beer at a time.

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Overall I'm happy with this kegerator. It keeps the beer cold and was easy to setup. I will add a few caveats. First, I'm using homebrew corny kegs so I did not really test or use the tubing or keg fittings that they provide. Maybe I will some day, but that wasn't my intent. Second, the beer tower will not keep the lines cold. This is not unique to this product, but similar for all kegerators in this price range. (Hot air rises) I built a cheap fan to circulate cold air there and things are working great now (just look for cooling keg tower on the internet). Third, for me in particular, it took a lot of trial and error with keg pressures and beer tubing length to get a good poor without it being all foam. So, while I feel the product is good, know that it is probably not as simple is just buying it and it will be perfect from day one...

There were two negatives from this kegerator to call out. First, the CO2 cylinder is only 2.5lbs which won't last very long. I already had a 5lb one, so I can live with it. Second, the taps are not great quality and are prone to being hard to move. My learning shows that this won't happen if purchasing higher quality taps, but it's still usable so that can wait. At least this can be upgraded later.

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I ordered the double tap Kegorator for my husband for our anniversary. We have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. There's nothing like coming home to an ice cold beer. To me, beer tastes so amazing out of a tap versus a can. The only one slight downfall is our region doesn't offer many beer selections in the small "torpedo" size kegs and if I knew that before I ordered I probably would have just ordered single tap instead.

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I have 2 kegs in mine now. I bought a sperate digital thermometer and it says its keeps the beer at 37 degrees which is perfedt for me.

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Showed up with a small dent in the front panel. Mildly loud and could get a little colder. Other than that, it worked fine for the first two kegs.

Review of BroilKing NBS-2RT Professional Double Buffet Server with Rolltop

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List Price: $260.00
Sale Price: $181.31
Today's Bonus: 30% Off

First of all, there is a lack of reviews on the BroilKing Buffet Servers. I got my first one today and the other will be here tomorrow. The quality is good and all of the pieces fit together very well. It is exactly what I wanted in this kind of product. You can buy cheaper servers, but they will not have the quality and versatility as the BK. I would definitely recommend this to my friends...well, I won't have to when they show up to my house for a BBQ and they see my server.

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Q-Mark HT1502SS 120V Digital Programmable Wall Heater With LED Review

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List Price: $593.90
Sale Price: $299.95
Today's Bonus: 49% Off

This heater is well made and it keeps a room warm. I have a 12X20 room and it is always nice and toasty in here. i recommend this product highly. But there is one down side witch is not a big deal but when ever you touch a button on the remote or on the face of the heater, it makes a loud PEEP. But other wise this heater is perfect.

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I purchased this heater to provide heat to a room that my daughter receives therapy in. Because she receives phototherapy, as much skin as possible has to be exposed and it is important that the room is warm. Unfortunately, after having the heater professionally installed and with a direct line to prevent any overloads, it will not heat the room. It turns on, but I believe the heating element is near the thermostat so the temperature showing spikes into the 90's and then the unit shuts off. I emailed the seller and got no response. I spent a great deal of money on something that does not work.

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Ordered wall heater, was installed, and instantly had a problem, the fan would not shut off. Contacted seller several times and received no action or attempt to resolve issue. Emailed, called and promises made but got no actual action in resolving issue. Contacted manufacturer and they instantly promised to send part needed to repair. Would never purchase from Air and Water again, all talk no action, but would buy another product from same manufacturer as they instantly made things right.

Holmes HCH4953-U Ultra-Quiet Dual Ceramic Heater with 1-Touch Review

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I've had this heater as the only heat source in my 10X15 ft. office through two Florida winters. It puts out plenty of heat on "low," and is so quiet that I don't know whether it's on or off without looking. The only problem, sadly a big one, is that the thermostat only sets in 5 degree increments and allows too much heat variation before it turns on, so I'm always a little too hot or too cold. I'm thinking of replacing it with one of the competing Lasko ceramic heaters. A friend has one, and it seems to be just as quiet and efficient as the Holmes, but does a better job of maintaining a stable temperature. I have waited and waited for Holmes to come out with a ceramic heater just like this one but with a better thermostat, but I guess this isn't going to happen. Oh, well.

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Holmes makes an excellent compact and portable ceramic space heater that really gives off a lot of heat than my older one does! Moreover, the unit is very lightweight and easy to carry although of course I wouldn't carry it while it's working or just after it's been shut off.

The heater is reasonably priced as of the time I am writing this and I sure hope that Holmes continues to make these; I would like to get one for my father. The unit is completely quiet--in fact it's so quiet that you'll never know that it's there unless you see it. It rapidly provides a good amount of heat to areas like bedrooms and offices.

This heater by Holmes is best used for spaces that are roughly 100 square feet or slightly more; I wouldn't depend on it to heat several rooms or a combination living room/dining room all at once. For that you'll either need more than one of these space heaters or you'll have to use this unit along with your central heat or oil heat, whatever you have.

I also like that the unit turns itself off automatically of it should accidentally tip over. That's good protection against fire or ugly marks on your carpeting that could be tough to remove.

If you look at the fourth picture of the unit at the top of this page, you can see for yourself the way you can control the temperature. You get "on" and "off" buttons; and there are five specific temperatures from which to choose. You can adjust the temperature a bit more simply by pushing the "hi" and "lo" buttons. Great!

Again, this is one awesome space heater that's more than worth the current price. I highly recommend it.

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I just ordered two more of these units. We've been using them for the last five years or so and love them! We need more because we keep giving them away to our kids, who ask for them specifically. They run quieter and put out more heat (double ceramic heater) than any other fan driven area heater we've ever used. We also love the thermostat features and tip-over shut off. I don't think Holmes is making this model any more and it's a shame. I thought I better get a few more while I can.

Honest reviews on Holmes HCH4953-U Ultra-Quiet Dual Ceramic Heater with 1-Touch

I have to say I've enjoyed my unit. It's the only heat I've had in my large north-east exposure, 2nd floor bedroom over a 2-car garage and still kept it toasty warm. We've had cold weather much more snow than we've ever had at one time and it's been a great little heater. I doubt the thermostat is correct ... I just adjust it up or down as needed. So glad I got it. The 2 Laskos I had were very loud and ineffective. They stopped after only a couple of weeks and not during our coldest weather. This has been very quiet and I really like it. I bought mine from Amazon, and now I see it's sold by a vendor I won't use at $11 higher price than I paid. I bought mine mid-December 2009.

It's been safe to have around my small dog and my 2 yr. old grand-daughter. I would buy it again if Amazon is the vendor and it is a reasonable price.

I hate being cold.

Update (3-28-10) It suddenly quit. Not sure why yet. The temperature can still get cold so I'm not happy. Like another reviewer said it turns itself off no matter what. So what's up with that? It's been about the same 4 month time frame as the other reviewer mentioned. Have to figure something to do about it. Not too sure I would give it the same rating now. I hate being cold.

Update 04-01-10 Discovered that the heater melted the plastic outlet on the heavy duty extension cord I had to use because of the heater's short cord. At first it looked like the heater plug had arc-welded itself to the extension cord. But instead it melted everything inside the extension cord outlet. Thank gooness it was the only thing on that extension cord and the only thing plugged into that wall socket. We thought after prying it loose from (and destroying) the extension cord that the heater was fine since its plug looked normal. But something's changed the prongs, and it won't plug in anywhere.

So lesson learned don't use even heavy duty extension cords (even with a built-in breaker and being the only item plugged into it and only thing plugged into the wall socket). I don't trust this heater enough to buy another of it's kind. I feel fortunate it didn't catch my house on fire.

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This heater works great. Extremely quiet and puts out an incredible amount heat for its size. I did a lot of research before purchasing and am very happy with this heater. Safe, quiet, and will heat a room in very little time. The only thing I could think of to make a good product better would be the digital heat settings. They are adjustable in 5 degree increments, which seem to be accurate in terms of actual temp, but it would be nice to have the option of setting it for each degree in between. I always set the thermostat to 70 and let the heater do its thing. Very pleased with its performance.

Hydroponics Aluminum Foil Sealing Duct Tape 75mm x 50m (2.95 in x Review

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Absolutely stops air from leaking out of air ducts at corners, transitions and extensions. Air pressure is maintained though-out the duct system. A/C is now available to all rooms especially those furthest away from the cooling unit. I can lower the thermostat, save energy and be comfortable.

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Best SEI Elkmont Electric Fireplace, Black Deals

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List Price: $919.99
Sale Price: $413.47
Today's Bonus: 55% Off

I love my fireplace. It was kind of a pain to put together by myself and seemed a little wobbly at first, but by the time it was finished it looked great.

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Cheap Rutland Stove Thermometer Each

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List Price: $22.28
Sale Price: $11.44
Today's Bonus: 49% Off

This item temp was low by at least 200F degrees. Was missing the wire that the package said came with product to help hold it in place. Don't try to save money when buying a product like this.

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The product claims to work for both stove tops and wood burning stoves. Used it on my stove top to gauge if I had a bad element. Temprature needle would jump up instead of raising smoothly. Let it cool looked closely at back poor coil temp spring design to blame. Tested on my dad's pot belly wood burning stove got same results.

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The thermometer is reliable enough, but the magnet is not strong enough. A few times now when the stove is hot the unit falls off, and of course is too hot to pick up and put back right away.

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This is a handy little gadget for wood stove owners. Simple but accurate. Lets you know the surface temperature at a glance. Good value.

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I ordered one of these at the same time my husband bought a different kind from farm and fleet. This is great quality and way more durable than the one he picked up. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 star is because it's a bit difficult to get up off the stove...the one my husband got had a little wire on it that made it easy to move.

Reviews of La Pavoni EPC-8 Europiccola 8-Cup Lever Style Espresso Machine

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I bought one of these a couple of months ago and although it is a bit expensive it is one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. It looks great. It is so well made, it feels like it will last forever as it is so simple, no electronics to break down no plastic bits to break off. You get a huge amount of control over the way the coffee tastes, it's all in the speed of lowering the handle and the tightness of grinds. It takes a few attempts to get it right but once you've worked it out you'll never look back.

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My parents bought this about five years ago and I followed suit about a year ago. When she first bought it I thought they were crazy, but when it got there I understood why.

This machine is superb for almost any kind of coffee. Sometimes I like a strong espresso and sometimes I like a cold cafe sheccerato which is a cold coffee and is great. (To make it you simply get a shaker (like a martini shaker) and fill it with ice and a few teaspoons of sugar. Brew the coffee and while it is still very hot throw it in the shaker and shake it strongly for about a minute. The result is an ice cold frothy espresso, great for warm days forget Starbucks imitation stuff, this is much better).

As other people have said, it takes a little bit of time to get it right. Typically I've found that very thin grains are not the best to work with, something between your typical Illy coffee grain and the larger cheap grains usually works well. It take a bit to get used to, but once you start to get a hold of the whole concept it works superbly well. Frankly, even when you do a poor job the coffee is still good.

In addition, my parents have had this item for about five years and have not had a single problem. It's extremely easy to clean and if you are in a rush it's also a great machine since it loads so quickly and easily.

Also, if you are running out the door you need not wait for the water to completely heat up. You can run it after just a few minutes (of course your coffee won't be as warm, but it doesn't have to heat up completely in order to use it). For those quick out-the-door mornings, this is great. You won't have the best espresso in the world, but you'll still have one that beats just about anything.

I've been through about three [price range] machines in the last few years and they all broke or just didn't taste right. ... You have to be able to taste the difference between good and bad coffee to enjoy this machine. If you don't you probably won't enjoy this machine as much. In other words, if Folgers Instant coffee tastes good to you, move along.

It's also worth getting good coffee for this. ...

In the end, if you are looking for a high-quality product that makes high quality coffee, this is a great choice.

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You'd better know your coffee before you even start looking at this espresso maker. It is a manual pull espresso maker, meaning there is some art and a lot of trial/error incurred when making your coffee. That said, this has produced some of the best espresso I've ever had. It's a smaller maker, and is great for someone who just wants about 4-6 espresso shots before needing to refill. (I work out of home office, so this is perfect...)

PROS:

* Small, means it doesn't take up much counter space.

* Manual Lever If you want fill control over your coffee, this is the way to go.

* More than enough steam pressure/volume to steam 12oz+ of milk.

* Solid construction. It is mostly all metal.

* Comes up to heat FAST. (About 5min with a full tank.) The head also comes up to temp quickly.

* Visible water level

* Easy clean drip tray

* Easy screw-off levers, knobs, etc easily replaceable/customizable.

CONS:

* The base is lightweight, and could be more solid. It feels cheap compared to the solid construction of the boiler/head.

* The steam nozzle does not swivel out, causing you to have to steam your milk VERY close to the boiler. (Ouch!)

* Must wait for it to cool before refilling due to steam pressure.

* The default tamp that comes with this unit SUCKS. Too small for the basket..leads to bad coffee...why, Pavoni, why?

CAVEATS:

* Not a "push button, receive coffee" type of maker. This is a pro for me, but you should be well aware that this requires finesse and patience.

* Ensure you are comfortable with servicing it yourself or OK with mailing it to a service center. This is not a throwaway item after a few years, and can be a lifetime purchase.

MUST ALSO BUY:

* 51mm Tamp. Seriously. Don't even use the one that comes with the unit. It will ruin your pulls. 51mm is the correct size.

* DEEP milk frothing container. Because of the angle and stiffness of the steam arm, you WILL spray yourself in the face if you don't have a good angle on it, and something to catch the overspray. (I use my mug, and have given up on having fancy foam.)

* Nylon brush Coffee regularly gets stuck in the area between the head and steam curtain on this unit. Clean after every use.

* Insulated espresso mugs/shotglases On bigger units, you can sit what you use to catch the coffee in on the unit to warm it up. Not so here. I use glass shotglasses that I heat up with hot water prior. (I'm cheap, ok?)

* Conical burr grinder A consistent grind is very important for this maker, as it is the difference between great coffee and awful coffee. This unit is sensitive to the grind, so once you have the right grind, it is very helpful to have that dialed-in on your grinder for every grind thereafter.

Why I rated 4/5 instead of 5/5??? Because of the craptacular plastic tamp, the inflexible steam nozzle, and the flimsy seeming base. Don't get me wrong, I would have zero issues recommending this unit highly, I think they just could have gone that extra little bit.

Honest reviews on La Pavoni EPC-8 Europiccola 8-Cup Lever Style Espresso Machine

Manual machines, without question,produce the best cup of espresso. I have owned them in the past, and recently purchased a brand new La Pavoni. The machine arrived broken. I could not even get one cup of espresso. I called thinking that La Pavoni would have me send back the machine and replace it. WRONG. I was told that this was not allowed, and the only option I had was contact one of there US Service Agents and arrange to have the machine sent to them for repair. Even then they indicated that the repair expense would be my responsibility.

At this point what do you do? So either I keep the machine as a useless decoration, or concede and try to fix it.

I tried the three numbers they provided. About 10 days have gone by, and I have called each number numerous times to no avail. You never reach a real person. Only a tape recording informing you that they would contact you as quickly as possible.

So, yes, a manual machine is the best, but La Pavoni warranty and service is horrible. If you want a manual, try a different vendor.

Don

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Simply put, this machine rocks for high quality espresso.

Once you have the technical skills down, learn the nuances of the beans you are using, and the stars align the espresso this machine can produce is as good as (or even better) than the highest end models above $6K (La Marzocca GS/3 comes to mind).

For under $1K this is the best deal available, period.

The Pro's:

1) Absolute control of the pressure. You can do everything (with pressure) that the fanciest machines are just becoming capable of such as pre-infusion, controlled variable pressure while pulling the shot, and make tweaks on the fly based on what you see coming out of the spout.

2) It is a beautiful and striking piece of kitchen equipment with a timeless design. A true conversation starter which will never go out of style.

3) It can produce the the best quality espresso possible.

The Con's:

1) Almost no temperature control, it get's hot and after that you have to "surf" the temperature as the machine's interior metal parts start to heat up. Commonly I can only pull four shots before it starts to get unrecoverable hot. There are tricks to help this, such as running the portafilter under cold water between shots, but you are always having to ride the temperature wave.

2) You can only make a few good shots in a single session due to both the temperature issue above as well as the volume of the boiler. This is not a machine appropriate for entertaining with as you won't be able to make six quality shots. However, if your guests do not have a discerning taste for coffee you could perhaps get away with it.

3) The learning curve is insanely steep due to it's 100% manual nature. It's easy to pull a shot that is as good as the swill Starbucks pulls within about a week of use. However, to learn to pull high quality shots on a consistent basis it will take over a year of practice. This can be fun as you'll probably be pulling random amazing shots within the first month if you seriously dedicate yourself to trying.

4) The portafilter is not the standard commercial size. This doesn't impact the espresso quality for most blends. What it causes a problem with is the tamp. It comes with a piece of junk tamp you should immediately throw away however to buy a new quality one is not as easy as popping down to your average coffee shop. As it has an unusual size you usually have to order it online.

5) The design of the machine leaves built up pressure in the portafilter and group-head after you've pulled a shot (if it was a good shot that was properly tamped). So when pulling out the portafilter you have to "bleed" the pressure off carefully otherwise it will "sneeze" hot coffee grounds and water all over the place. It invariably does this when you are showing the machine off to friends.

6) It gets amazingly hot. Almost all of it. Only the base remains cool but every other metal exposed metal part gets far too hot to touch quickly.

7) The steam wand is at an odd angle and hence is hard to use which is too bad as it has pretty good steam pressure.

8) Eventually, under heavy use, the seals will wear out and you'll either have to replace them yourself or send it in to one of the three shops in the nation who will replace them for you.

9) Finally, regardless of how good you get with it you won't be pulling great shots 100% of the time. I've had mine for nine years and still can only pull a good shot perhaps three out of five times. There are simply too many variables and if the grind, tamp, pressure, and temperature isn't spot on the shot will go sour. However, at least one of those shots is usually so good the sky splits open and angels sing.

Summary:

That's a long list of serious cons, but if it's truly quality espresso you are after and you are OK working for it this is the machine for you. Be sure to buy a good grinder too though.

My recommendation for beans are the very forgiving and truly delicious Counter Culture Toscano blend. Most blends will work but the Toscano is a good starter as it isn't as picky about temperature and pressure.