First of all, there is not a lot of content or discussion about this machine in comparison to others. If you do a bunch of research from various places online you can get a real understanding of the value of this machine at the price point. This machine solves 2 direct problems with budget home machines. 1: direct plumbing and drain. The included pressure reducer/check valve makes this pump way above it's weight automatically. 2: thermoblock for brewing, steam boiler for milk steaming. No other machine has this configuration, and I have no idea why. Because of the very easily accessible OPV it also defeats an additional problem with spending under $1,500. You usually have to choose between a cheaper rotary or gear pump or a vibratory pump that produces way too much pressure. And while this unit ships with the pressure too high, backing off the valve is very easy. The machine also feels incredibly sturdy, even with commercial machines clocking on the portafilter you can move the whole machine on the counter, but not this one. Solid as a rock. Steam performance is incredible, dry steam because no heat exchanging. Hot water tap is my only gripe, just like every machine that sends water from the boiler, it flash boils and makes a hot mess. A cold blending valve might be a good mod when the warranty expires. Overall the espresso features with the programmable pre infusion, volumetrics from the flowmeter are all you really need to match machines 4x it's cost. I will say that the group head heating mechanism is not the most impressive thing, but it is better than nothing and I like the energy efficiency of the machine overall. It is my favorite espresso out of all the places I go to work on espresso machines in the field and I don't think you can do any better for under a $grand.