Fast shipping, answered a question about the machine quickly & great Illy espresso maker!

Fast shipping, answered a question about the machine quickly & great Illy espresso maker!  Read Less

Great, compact coffee/espresso maker. Simple and easy to use. The illy coffee is delicious! I feel like I’m in Italy !!

Great, compact coffee/espresso maker. Simple and easy to use. The illy coffee is delicious! I feel like I’m in Italy !!  Read Less

Been a Nespresso user for 20 years and compared to real espresso Nespresso is weak or thin. Tried Illy and found their espress...  Read More

Been a Nespresso user for 20 years and compared to real espresso Nespresso is weak or thin. Tried Illy and found their espresso to be more robust and denser, much closer to what a high BAR (15 to 19) espresso machine produces.We now have both the Nespresso original system and the Y3.2 Illy machine. Side by side no question the Nespresso machine, which is made of metal with some plastic parts, is sturdier and should last years (each of our previous Nespresso machines averaged 5 to 6 years of daily use. The Illy model we have is made of plastic and within the first 30 days the tray for short espresso broke, no big deal as it still makes espressos only there are a few drops that spill out from the smaller espresso cups as the coffee drips from the higher level. You can feel from making espressos that the Illy is a more fragile machine and needs a gentle touch. No doubt the Illy machine won't last as long as the Nespresso will (and has). But at $100, we figure the Illy will last 3 years so the cost of better coffee is $30 a year.Like copiers and computer printers, which are loss leader to sell ink cartridges and toner, the Illy machine is cheap but they make their money on selling proprietary capsules. The machine is well-designed just not made from materials that will stand up to daily useThe other factor is recycling the capsules. Nespresso is way ahead of Illy. We get self-mailer bags for the used Nespresso capsules and put them in the mail back to Nespresso. Illy recycling is much less convenient, requiring you to locate a Sur La Table store to take used capsules to. You'd think that Illy, which claims to be an environmentally responsible company, would come up with self-mailers too, particularly as the capsules are plastic.Recently we tried the Gevalia Nespresso pods, which are made from a biodegradable material you can compost. The coffee is very good and haven't been problematic as other capsules we've tried. We just ordered Illy's new line of Illy capsules (made of aluminum like Nespresso) designed for the Nespresso original machine. If the Illy Nespresso capsules are as good as the Illy capsules, we won't need an Illy machine.In short: Illy does great coffee/espresso but makes a throwaway machine. They need to up their recycling game and get some better made machines. The other Illy machines cost a lot more and seem to be as flimsy as the Y3.2 judging from the negative reviews.  Read Less