It really is good. Not very buggy (it is controlled by an Android tablet…). I have had one for close to 20 months, it replaced a double boiler rotary pump Expobar Brewtus. It warms up in less than 10 minutes, and remembers all your settings. I have it tweaked to exactly what I like (I roast my own coffee, stick with full city roast most of the time, Central and South American single origins are my preference). I do have it linked to a scale, so my shots are drawn gravimetrically. The flow profiling is amazing. It sounds weird, because it doesn’t work the same way a “normal” espresso machine works. It heats the water over temp, and mixes it down to the programmed temperature. The machine has control over temperature, flow rate (gravimetric or volumetric), and pressure (assuming the puck holds the pressure). Out of the box, it works as well without having to tweak as it has a ton of profiles already preset. The results will not lie, and if your puck preparation is bad, you will get blown shots. As many have said before, single dose quality grinders support these types of machines. My typical dose is 18.0g in a 18g portafilter basket, with an extraction at 60g.
I don’t use the steam function, my wife does, and she gets great latte art. The steam temperature is higher than any other 120v machine (in the US), holds much more energy, and steams very quickly. Even though it doesn’t have a double boiler, to switch back and forth takes no noticeable time, and the results are amazing. For power meter metric driven cyclists who like caffeine, this machine will suit them well. It isn’t cheap, but it is more reliable than high end Marzochis, Slayers, etc, AND IT WORKS BETTER at a fraction of the price.