I was hesitant to plunk down $60+ for what I thought to be a luxury item, but man was this worth it. My wife and I just welcomed our second child, and this thing arrived in the nick of time. I love espresso and had been making a reasonably decent version in my French press, but this is whole new level of quality and convenience. When I take into account how much time this thing saves me and how much money I'm saving not purchasing espresso one shot at a time in coffee shops, this thing has already paid for itself in a month and a half of use.BUILD: It's very durable; nothing seems flimsy or breakable. It's extremely easy to clean; often the coffee comes cleanly out of the filter like a hockey puck. I start my morning with this and considering you're only boiling a few ounces of water, you go from nothing to a finished shot (with every part cleaned and set back on a drying rack) in less than a minute. No exaggeration.THE PROCESS: You may be turned off by the fact that this is manual, but I think it's nothing but a plus. You only need boiling water. It takes no time to pump out a single shot. However, if you suffer from arthritis or some sort of physical issue involving your hands, this probably would NOT be for you. I think that any annoyance that may come from manual pumping is balanced out by the fact that this thing is so portable.TASTE: Thanks to several years of wine tastings and working in fine dining, I can say that my taste buds are pretty refined. Trust me: with a high quality bean and the right grind, this thing produces some stellar espresso. You'll not want to order from a coffee shop after you dial in what's right for you. I found that just touch above extra fine ground gives you a pour that has a very bold, deep complexity with a slight sweetness.FINALLY: This things is well worth the money. Once you get the hang of the steps you can do this half asleep (trust me, I do each morning). Consider the money you're not spending at coffee shops and it's a great value. Within a week I knew I wanted the Barista kit, which acts as an expansion for this unit (two double shot tanks, an extra single shot tank, double sized water tank and cup, and a very convenient tamper). Buy it.