DeLonghi EC5 4 Cups Espresso Machine

It's not a bad little espresso maker. It takes a little time to build up steam, but the coffee it makes is good. It is well made in that no steam escapes from the safety cap, which will not open while there is pressure inside. One fault I found with it is that it has no auto shutoff. The power and heat stay on until the switch is pushed to off. I'd rather it not do that, since it is still heating an empty reservoir while that switch is on, and I can't always get right back to it. I would prefer a machine that has a large reservoir of water and a coffer bin as well, so I could make a series of espressos, but this is a very basic model, so I can't complain about that, especially for the price.
I did find that it is better made than a similar machine from Salton. Salton has a coffee basket brazed to the handle, and the brazing broke eventually. The DeLonghi is of much higher quality.

The DeLonghi EC5 4 Cups Espresso Machine is an affordable espresso maker that more than meets the expectations. Providing you use good quality coffee you get a full-flavored cup of coffee that is not much different to what you get in a machine five times more expensive. The steamer works very well, much better than in machines of similar price. Cleaning and upkeep are a breeze. The only negative, is the lateral placement of the power switch, on the left side of the machine, easy to miss and leave on, which caused the demise of my first DeLonghi EC5. Overall, the good features tip the balance in favor of purchasing this coffee machine, as I am now using my second one.

I bought this because my old machine went belly-up. I read the reviews on this machine, went to their site & checked out the manual so I would know what I was buying. I liked the idea of the swing away nozzle (it isn't) also that I could do both actions at the same time.. Ended up neither were accurate as far as I'm concerned.

I've been using espresso machines for over 10 years. I cannot believe how difficult & unwieldy this machine is. I liked the idea of being able to do the espresso & frothing at the same time until I actually used it. The reservoir doesn't hold enough water to do both adequately. I've learned to just do the espresso first, use up what steam is left for the frother & then add more water. I'm used to doing 20 oz. lattes which my old machine (KRUPS) handled w/o any problems. The so-called swing away frother is basically unmovable except for a little sideways movement. The manual shows it coming out from under the machine & off to the side. No way does it do this. You can only use an itty-bitty frothing cup. I cant get my frothing cup under it w/o tipping it to the side, According to the site, you should only use 1/3 cup of milk. Give me a break!!

I know I'll never buy any DeLonghi product again.

I bought this as a Christmas gift for my daughter and son-in-law and they told me that the milk frother doesn't work right, the milk is still cold and there isn't enough steam to froth the milk. I'd like to return it for a refund but I don't know how. Poor frothing power.

Guess I should of read the other reviews before I bought this machine. The so called swing out arm is a joke. It doesn't move at all making it almost impossible to froth the milk. I also have a hard time getting the lid screwed closed. If you don't align it properly when you first put it on, it gets stuck and is hard to get back off to try and align it again. I am not impressed with this machine as I have only had it 2 weeks and I already looking for a different brand. What a waste of money!