We bought this machine to go along with our 12 cup coffee maker for those later afternoon shots of espresso.  We've only used it a handful of times so far, but it seems well made and it's easy to use (we also have a high-end Barista machine that is more difficult).  The espresso is also tasty so far, the reason why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I would have liked it to be a little more compact.