Customer Rating:  
Summary: Buyer Beware
Comment: I love espresso and have searched for a machine that could produce a rich espresso, with bountiful crema. You know, like the kind that can be found everywhere in Europe and nowhere in the U.S.
I have purchased three Briel machines. Two Chamonix models and one higher end Due (costing approx. $300).
My experience with all has been similar. The machines produce a beautiful product. But only for a matter of months. Then, for one reason or another, they break down. The quality of manufacture is mixed or poor.
Nevertheless, I have shelled out $160 - $175 for one Chamonix machine that lasted a year, and another similar amount for a second one that lasted about the same.
And then, like Charlie Brown trying to kick that football and having it be pulled away by Lucy every single time, I hopefully purchase a new machine. This last time I purchased a Due, costing almost twice the price of a Chamonix, hoping perhaps that it would be more enduring.
The Due broke after six months. The pressure guage - - which for the first six months registered a consistent 11 - 13 bar every time - - would no longer climb above 6 bar. The coffee was weak and watery. I ordered a new crema filter at my own expense from Electra-Craft, the exclusive East Coast servicer for Briel products. That made no difference. I changed the grind every which way. I changed the tamping every which way. I sent the machine in to Electra-Craft for repair, paying for the shipping at my own expense and then paying Electra-Craft for the return shipping. I tried putting in a new filter basket, borrowing one from the Briel graveyard that is in my basement.
Electra-Craft said the machine was fine, according to their standards. They say that, although the pump is warranted, the fact that the gauge will not climb above 5 - 6 bar does not indicate a pump failure.
I followed up with a telephone call. Spoke with a technician. No help.
I followed up with another call. Another technician. No help. They gave me the name of a supervisor, Frank.
I wrote to supervisor Frank, I explained all of the above, that I was a repeat Briel customer, that I had spent hours tuning the machine. That the performance was no longer proper and asking, please, what can you do to fix the situation.
Briel wrote back to explain that the machine is fine and that if I were to send the machine back for repair a second time, they would impose an additional service charge on me.
I now have one more Briel corpse in my basement. And in the meantime have swelled Starbucks's coffers during the period that I spent trying to deal with this problem and being unable to use my expensive Briel paperweight.
Briel would be well served were it to replace Electra-Craft as their service provider.
If these machines were built to last at all, they would be perfect, and would merit 5 stars easily. Buy a Briel product only if you are willing to buy another, and another, and another, as each prematurely breaks one after another. Don't bother with shipping a unit to Electra-Craft - particularly because the terms of the limited warranty require you to pay for shipping both ways. Save the shippingt cost and invest it in another machine.
I, however, will never buy another Briel.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great machine for the price
Comment: I only use this machine to make espresso. So far I have not been dissapointed. Having the built in tamper on the bottom of the machine is a very nice convienince. It heats up fast and makes quality espresso. The only weakness is the slider to select how much espresso you want. First, how tightly you tamp the grounds has a lot more to do with how much you get than the slider does. Second the slider for me keeps popping out and I have to try and push it back in and get it to re-seat. I've had times where it's barely let out half a shot and times where I thought the cup was going to overflow with the slider in the exact same spot. If it wasn't for that I would give it 5 stars. Don't be fooled into getting an espresso machine with a 'cup heating tray'. The trays don't get hot enough to heat your cups by the time the espresso is ready. If you want a hot cup run it under hot water for 20 seconds and your good to go.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Espresso Workhorse
Comment: I've owned this machine for over five years and have beaten the bejesus out of it.... after thousands of espressos it is still going strong -- ! Highly recommended!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good and Bad
Comment: I have a love-hate relationship with this machine.
On the good side, I've probably made thousands of excellent cups of espresso and latte. So, it has paid for itself (compared to Starbucks) about 20 times over!! This machine has the minimum features, 15 bar pump and dual stage heater - don't buy a machine with less.
On the bad side, this machine is not the quality you would hope for (probably explains the reasonable price). The first thing you'll notice are the drips. The steamer drips, then the heating tank drips, then... I've had this thing apart about 10 times, and finally have tighened and adjusted and added o-rings until if finally doesn't drip anymore. The steamer valve is the worst part. Unless Briel has redesigned it, don't bother paying them to send you a new one, it will drip too. I found an o-ring that was close enough to shave down to fit - seems to work just fine. The other annoyance is that if I don't clean everything immediately and take the tumbler off right away, the next cup of coffee tastes terrible. I'm still not sure where the bitter is hiding, I think the "no drip" feature is sucking old coffee juice back up into the machine.
Anyway, if you fix (or live with) the drips, and are super diligent about cleaning everything immediately, you can make really good espresso and not wreck your budget. Just realize that you are not buying a top-end machine, so keep your expectations modest.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good machine, needs a betterr basket
Comment: This is my third Briel espresso machine. Other than gasket problems I like the products a lot. The latest machine has a basket that is smaller than the one on my previous machine, so slow to filter that I kept my old basket and got rid of the new one.
I did have problems with the first machine I received (did not work) and the second (broken basket retainer) but Amazon was quick to replace the first and give me credit for the basket on the second.
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