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I have used Krups espresso machines for over 25 years. This is my third Krups and it is stunningly superior to the previous models I used. (The last one lasted 18 years and was still in usable condition when I upgraded to the XP5280.) The taste of the espresso made by the XP5280 is vastly superior to that produced by the previous Krups model I owned, and to the espresso made by other brands of machine that my friends own. The coffee also arrives in the cup with a wonderfully thick crema. The taste is, I'm guessing, a result of the way the machine carefully controls the water temperature and way the pump and the head work together to control rate of flow of hot water through the coffee grains, in combination with the effectiveness of the auto-tamping mechanism. The auto-tamping is a great feature. (With my prior machine I was lazy about tamping and somewhat deterred from doing it properly by the way the pump seemed to be 'laboring' when I over-tamped.) The auto-tamp gets the tamping just right. The milk-frother is a huge improvement over the one on the earlier model. It makes more than enough froth. (I had to get a bigger frothing jug to accommodate the froth.) It is also much easier to clean.
I see that other reviewers have had problems with the plastic latches on the frother breaking. I agree that they do look a bit fragile, so I am being careful with them. The unlatching process requires a bit of practice: you have to make sure the latch-locking ring is pulled all the way down before trying to pull the frother off the plastic thing at the end of the pipe.
[Update, July 14, 2012: Krups has taken note! A re-designed frother was released a few days ago, part number MS-623107, and it's is a huge improvement. There are no fragile latches. It is secured by a twisting action. The kit ($11.99) includes the frother and a replacement plastic connector, to which the frother connects, that you screw onto the steam pipe. If your original frother has broken Krups will, I hope, send you the kit for free. My original frother hasn't broken yet; but I bought a new kit just in case.]
[Further update, January 11, 2013: One of the latches on the original frother just snapped off as I was using it. It was rather alarming as the frother detached suddenly and steam exploded out of the naked pipe in a scary manner. I can see why Krups re-designed this. I attached the replacement twist-on frother and it is much easier to put on and take off, and much less likely to break and cause injury. If the machine you receive is older stock, with the old-style frother that has with three claws, immediately call Krups and insist that they send you a free replacement.]
Overall, everything about the machine exceeds what I had expected and I recommend this top-of-the-home-line model without reservation.
Some small observations (I hope Krups Product Development team will note these):
(a) The instruction manual could be improved. For example:
When periodically doing a full cleaning of the brewing head, and removing the plastic part with the nozzles, the manual says "replace the black plastic part and turn to the right until the two arrows line up", whereas it should really say "replace the black plastic part, making sure that it is positioned with the arrow on it close to the arrow on the metal part, and turn clockwise until the two arrows line up". (If you replace it in poor lighting conditions, getting the arrows about 180 degrees apart, it will get badly stuck and extremely hard to pull out without damaging the plastic.)
The "Problems" table in the manual says that all three button-lights flashing means that the steam knob is in the steam position. What it should stay is "Either the steam knob has been left in the steam position (or is maybe just a little bit off the "O" position), or the water tank is empty."
(b) With respect to the comment above, about the steam knob, the "feel" of the knob as you get to the "O" position is a little odd: it feels as through you might be straining something when you apply enough turning force to actually get it all the way to the "O". I'd prefer a much more solid stop sensation.
(c) It would have been nice if the steam knob had been designed with a "hold" position, at which the steam is shut off but the machine remains in steam mode (i.e., does not go into the cool-down cycle to prepare for coffee-making). If you need to pause steam making (e.g., to cope with overspilling froth or to change over to frothing a second jug of milk) you have no choice but to turn the steam off, wait while the cool-down cycle finishes, press the steam button again, and wait until the machine reaches steam temperature again -all a needless waste of time, water, and electricity.
(d) The turning force you need to apply to turn the brewing-head handle as it is auto-tamping (note: I am not trying to turn it too far), is quite a lot relative to the weight of the machine. If you put the machine on a very smooth surface or on a plastic drip mat, the machine will tend to rotate as you operate the handle (particularly when the water tank has very little water in it) unless you place a steadying hand on the top of the machine. The machine would have felt a lot steadier if Krups had put some weights in the base.
However, these are small points that just have to be noted and do not diminish the pleasure of using this excellent machine.
A frother-cleaning tip: after using the frother (whether or not you plan to remove it to give it a proper cleaning), with the machine in the ready-to-make-coffee state (= left three lamps lit, steam lamp not lit), put a cup or jug under the frother and turn the steam knob a little way for a few seconds. This will cause hot water to squirt through the steam outlet, clearing any milk residue from the steam channel of the frother. This prevents the frother becoming clogged by dried milk residue.
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Being fairly new to Espresso machines I researched reviews on Amazon and elsewhere, and decided on a Krups XP5280. Too bad, no review ever mentioned the fact that, and this was confirmed to me by Krups Customer Service, you need to wait at least 15 minutes between successive cups of espresso, even longer if you used the steam wand! If you don't wait this long the water is diverted to the drip tray instead of the filter holder. WHAT!! Before this was confirmed by Krups itself I could only think I had a defective unit. Upon hearing that this is "normal", I promptly returned it to the seller, of course at my own expense. I didn't like that the machine couldn't be used under cabinets that don't give you enough space to fully pull out the reservoir which needs to be pulled out upwards. But I did like the Krups automatic tamping, the set amount (programmable) amount of espresso delivered, and the puck ejector in the filter holder. I only wished someone had mentioned in a review the problem with needing to wait so long between successive cups using the Krups XP5280, it would have saved me the wasted time, and cost, to return it to the seller! If you only need to make one cup, or are willing to wait 15+ minutes between cups, then perhaps the Krups XP5280 is for you. It was not for me.
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I purchased this machine at the recommendation of a knowledgeable salesperson at a local cooking store called Great News (Pacific Beach). I really liked the programmable feature, after returning a different model that did not have the preset for espresso pour duration. I also like the "precise tamp" feature as it saves a step and works well. I find that by using a Cuisinart Conical Burr grinder to freshly grind the beans(I use illy beans exclusively), and by following the directions for proper priming(1st use), cleaning, and operation the resulting espresso and latte drinks are excellent. It consistently turns out great tasting espresso with generous amounts of "crema", and steams milk well(I recommend getting an instant read thermometer for steamed milk which indicates proper heating temerature between 150 and 170 degrees mine is from a company called CDN). One minor issue is the steam nozzle. Mine did break after about 4 months one of the clips that hold the nozzle to the steam wand broke I called the company and they sent me a new one. Pluses when used properly this machine turns out great and repeatable results for both espresso and steamed milk. Minus Steam wand nozzle must be handled with care and cleaned often. By the way folks make sure you read the directions on how to disassemble and clean the nozzle if you don't it gets pretty disgusting inside.
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I've owned this expresso maker since July of 2011. I am on my 3rd nozzle. Since I can't find nozzles for sale on the internet anymore, I finally decided to call the Krups warranty hotline since everything is still under warranty. First they told me that the expresso maker is warrantied for 2 years instead of the 1 year in the manual. Then they notified me that the nozzle is being redesigned. They will send me the "older style" (that is, the one I have now) to hold me over until the new one comes out in Summer 2012. Then they put me on their mailing list to get the newly designed nozzle when it comes out. The hotline person was helpful and acknowledged that there was a design problem with the existing nozzle (in so many words), so I am glad Krups is not in denial of the facts. I like the expresso maker -especially the auto tamping feature and the pre-measured pulls. So if you already own one of these, don't despair. I recommend you call Krups and get your name on their list for the new nozzle.
5/3/12 Just received the newly redesigned nozzle from Krups. It is much heftier than the original. Still made of plastic but much, much thicker. The nozzle body is now a single piece with a stainless steel outer tube which simply presses onto the front of the nozzle; looks like it mostly for show. Gone are the 3 flimsy tabs which are prone to breakage. The new nozzle now locks onto the steam arm with a twist. Because the new nozzle attaches differently, you also have to replace the plastic base which screws onto the steam arm.
It is now 1 year since purchasing this machine. I just replaced the filter holder because of corrosion. The plastic handle started to crack and the button which locks the filter holder started sticking, preventing the holder from locking into place on the expresso maker. Now the button doesn't pop up like when it was new. Looks like pewter underneath the chrome plating. I make 2 cups, double shots, every day. It would be nice to have a stainless steel filter holder but you would have to buy an expresso machine which costs twice as much to get that. And as I examine other machines in this price range, they all seem to be made of the same materials. So I understand the shortcuts made to sell a machine at this price point. And I like the expresso it makes.
12/19/12 I have been through 2 of the newly designed nozzles. They both have cracked from the heat and eventually leak along the centerline of the tube. Lasted about 3 months. I called the Krups customer service center again and the person said she'd never hear of this before. However, she quickly said they would send me another replacement. I think I'll keep doing this until the 2-year warranty runs out.
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I have owned this unit for 16 months. During that time I have gone through 7, count them 7 frothing wands. Three before the "new design" and 4 after. Had to wait over 2 months, for the new frothing wand, because they were out of stock at the factory. That tells me lots of people were having the same issues. Not spending one more penny on a new frothing wand. I am going to buy a "real" unit and once agsin relax with my morning latte. The customer service department acted like I was bothering them. GOODBYE KRUPS. NEVER AGAIN!
