KRUPS XP5220 Pump Espresso Machine with KRUPS Precise Tamp Technology and Stainless Steel Control Panel, Black

Not sure this model is still available, however, I'm pleased with it . . . have had it 9 years this month, Apr 2020. I do 3 shots in the morning and a double shot mid-afternoon; that's 5 shots per day, times 365 days times 9 years. The only failure was the one time I tamped the grounds; too tight for the 15 bar pump to push the water yhrough. Some hints, though. I use ONLY distilled water in it; not for flavor, but for not scaling the heater. Also, wipe off the area where the coffee grounds in the cup makes contact with the hot water; it's hot so don't burn your fingers; some times the wet grounds stick under there, and will interfere with the self-tamp feature. I remove the stainless steel plat form covering the over-flow basin in order to fit a tall mug under the cup. Also, I weigh the beans (home roasted) on a micro scale ($15, accurate to 1/100 gram) and grind just moments before extracting the shots; 10.30g per shot; the filter cup volume is 44.5cc. I recommend only 23 seconds per shot; start timing when you see the flow, which is about 5 seconds after the the pump starts, and let it drip for about 15 seconds after turning off the pump. Pushing too much water thru the grounds makes a weak & bitter shot. I don't froth, so no comments on that. And lastly, when buying roasted beans for grinding, buy only what you'll need for about 4 days, and grind only what you need that moment; oh, yeah, home-roasting is the ultimate - but extremely frustrating until U figure out how to do it right. Bottom line: this is a good machine, price is great.

Don't think, like I did, that the bad reviews of this machine are just the result of a lemon machine or user mistakes. I am a long time pump espresso machine user and this machine is a disposable piece of crap. After less than a year, I am throwing it away -- not even donating it as I don't want to subject anyone else to the potential risks of steam burns and/or sheer frustration with a machine that simply falls apart. Update: After the replacement wand I BOUGHT (see original comment below) gave out, I argued with Krups long enough that they sent a replacement part from France. Apparently they've used up all the ones from the US. After just 3 months of very careful daily use, this wand is beginning to fail and pop off spewing steam and milk all over. In addition, the steam that comes out of the machine when the pressure releases is starting to smell like hot plastic. Original post, with three stars: I've been using pump espresso machines for a lot of years. Started out with a Krups which died after about ten years. I replaced it with a Saeco Aroma, thinking (erroneously) that it would be a better machine. After eighteen months of troubles, I donated it and bought this Krups. At first I was completely pleased. The self-tamping portafilter with the ejector button works great. And absolutely love the foaming wand that is easy to remove and wash under running water to clean after use. It was noisier than previous models and the water reservoir was smaller than the Saeco and doesn't have a window to monitor water level, but I can deal with that. Then -- I had to return the first unit because within the first month the heater for the shots failed and it was running cold water through the portafilter. Blech! The second unit lasted until two weeks after my window to return it to Amazon. Now, after just 6 weeks, the little plastic connector that joins the foaming wand with the steam tube has come loose and the threads have stripped so that it will not tighten. This is not something that I ever took off; it just started coming off with the foaming wand and I'd have to screw it back on. Sigh. So rather than submit the whole machine to Krups for repair (and I live about three hours drive from the nearest repair center) I've spent $18. on a replacement part. We'll see how long it lasts and go from there.

I brought this about 2 weeeks ago i love the machine it works very good and without a problem. the only thing that is wrong with it is the steam wand broke on me the 3 day pulled too hard on it while cleaning, i did how ever order 3 new replacements but till they arrived i used a small hose clamp to hold the wand on. I read all reviews and knew about the wand but out of all the espresso machines i looked at this was the one with more goods reviews then bad and if you look online you can find a replacemenet wand for around $6

This is our second Krups machine. On our first older model, the power button quit working after a year and a half. We went with Krups again because overall it was a good machine. When we got our XP5220, we noticed some superficial improvements. They improved the filter holder, making it easier to eject the used coffee. The water tank is a more manageable size. However, in making the actual espresso, the machine runs slower than our older model. But the worst feature of this machine is hands down the frother. Krups went backwards on their technology/ design. The frother spews all kinds of steam out of the top, and it sprays the milk everywhere. After numerous attempts to make sure it was on properly and try again, we got the same results, a big mess! We will be returning this machine for sure. Krups should have spent more time on the performance quality of this XP 5220 because it stinks!