Gaggia RI9380/47 Classic Pro Espresso

I like the way this Gaggia looks. Way better looking than all other espresso machines in this price point. But beware. You have to hack this machine. My partner has a Breville and it works perfectly every single time. This Gaggia though is a pain. I had to watch hacks to preheat (at least 30 min, most days an hour), to pre infuse, to get the machine to heat the espresso so it’s a hot enough, etc etc. I didn’t believe the people or info on the internet when they said you have to hack this machine. I thought, I’m not going to do that - it’s unnecessary. But I learned the hard way. It is absolutely necessary. Ive had horrible cappuccinos, cold cappuccinos… so now i have to spend an extra few minutes and effort every morning to get a decent cappuccino. And the hacks aren’t always effective. This machine is alive (in a sense). If you want to make the effort, ok I guess you could consider this Gaggia. But honestly I would go with a good Breville instead. Wait for a sale. You can get a Breville on sale for the price of this Gaggia. And it does leak paint chips. All the reviews on the internet are true. I’ll use it because I didn’t return it in time. But every morning I regret my purchase.