I researched lots of top notch espresso machines & found that this particular DeLonghi model was the right one for me. It makes a great cup of espresso with the crema (the lighter color of coffee on top of the dark) as it should be, and the milk steamer works really well (see the dollop of foam on top of the crema in the 2nd picture which turned my regular espresso into a macchiato). It's not overly fancy so it's easy to use, and the price is great. Sure, the drip pan shakes a little when the machine is getting ready to work it's magic so I had to hold the glass until the machine got going, but that's certainly not a deal breaker, nor is the fact that it's kind of loud too because that's just how espresso machines are. Also, keep an eye on how much you want to drip in your cup because it won't stop on its own. I'm also working on perfecting how finely to grind the espresso beans & how firmly to press the tamper. The first cup I made dripped pretty slowly & when I removed the boiler outlet (the part that holds the coffee) there was some water on top of the grounds that spilled off, but that was because (& the instructions cover this) I'd ground the coffee too finely, filled the bowl too high & pressed the tamper down too firmly. I brewed my next cup doing none of those things & it came out much better. I'm having fun experimenting with it. Overall I'm very impressed. One last thing, the style and size of this DeLonghi is perfect.