I bought this 2 years ago:

https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/sa...ed-refurbished

I think I paid $300 or so on Woot.com. I wasn't ready to drop $1K or more on a machine, so this was an easier price point for me to give a machine a try.

I've been using this for 2 years. It makes both espresso and drip coffee. I use a Nespresso Aerocino (about $100) for my frothed milk because I happened to have one and it's so easy to use.

I love the machine. 5 cups of espresso and/or drip a day for 2 years running and we have never had a problem. I buy fresh, locally roasted beans and I can't think of another cup of coffee I've had that's better than what I can make myself.

I wasn't expecting to get 2 years out of a refurb'd machine. When the time comes, we'll likely buy another one.

I think there's just one caveat - the machine isn't crazy about highly oiled beans. We've adjusted our tastes more towards medium roasts.