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Style AND Substance - A GREAT Coffeemaker

I have had this machine since February and use it nearly every day. This is definitely one of the best coffeemakers I have ever owned, and I haven’t had one single problem with it.

When I was deciding whether or not to buy it, some of the negative reviews had me a little skeptical. But I am SO glad that I took a chance. It was absolutely worth it for me.

I honestly don’t see how some of the reviewers have had some of the problems that they have. Reviewer ‘Joan of Arc’ seemed to have quite a bit of leakage problems. It must have been a defective machine, because ours hasn’t leaked one time — not even a little drop. I’ll go over a few of the issues she and some others had:

- The removable water reservoir (or “bucket” as she called it) for the coffeemaker is easy to remove and replace. If you don’t want to take it out to fill it with water, just pour water into it. It is marked clearly and is easy to read even when stationed on the machine. No problem.

- The showerhead over the filter basket swivels outward to allow you to change the coffee filter. When you’re done, you just swivel it back into place. I don’t see how you can forget to do it, because the lid is designed so that you can’t even close it if the showerhead isn’t moved back into place. It really isn’t even something you have to think about.

- Some people have had problems with the carafe lid. It doesn’t open fully, but opens wide enough for me to clean it with little problem. We haven’t had any problems with it dripping or leaking at all. It’s like any other carafe that I’ve used over the years.

- ‘Joan of Arc’ mentioned that it was easy for her to forget to put the 1st lid on the espresso side before putting down the second lid. I’m not exactly sure what she was referring to, but I think she meant the water reservoir cap and lid. Again, I don’t see how you could forget to screw the cap back on after you fill it with water. I suppose it’s a learning curve. The first few times I used the machine, I referred to the instruction manual to make sure I did everything right. Now I can crank out good espresso and cappuccino in minutes without really even thinking about it. It just takes a little practice, like with anything else.

- Some people wished for a frother that was a little more accessible to make it a little easier to froth milk in a larger pitcher. That would have been a nice feature. It isn’t too difficult to use, however, and seems to work just fine. The milk is always steaming hot, and the froth doesn’t get cold for us.

- The coffee and espresso COULD be a LITTLE hotter. I don’t like scalding hot coffee anyway, so it doesn’t bother me too much, but for someone that does, it might be a small issue. Again, it doesn’t seem like a deal-breaker, though.

- A clock or timer would have been a nice addition as well, but not having it doesn’t affect the quality of the machine. It would have made a good product even better.

We have used both the coffee side and espresso side many times, and have yet to have any problems. I think some people may have received defective machines, but any product can be purchased defective. Some issues can easily be resolved with a little practice in getting used to the controls and operation of the whole machine, but once you do, it’s more than easy to make good quality coffee and espresso.

I would definitely have to say that I got a great deal on a sleek, stylish machine that also works very well and makes good quality coffee. If you ‘get what you pay for’, then I made out like a bandit. Perfectly satisfied and VERY happy I bought it.

Update (2/7/2012): I also found some auctions for this item here.

The featured review for this product, Mr. Coffee ECM21 4-Shot Espresso Machine and 8-Cup Coffeemaker Combo, Black Kitchen Oct 19, 2004, was written by M. Steed.

The average rating for this item is 5 out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.