DeLonghi ESAM3500.N Magnifica Digital Super-Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine
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List Price: Our Price: $1,149.99 You Save: $950.01 (45%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $984.51 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of DeLonghi ESAM3500.N Magnifica Digital Super-Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine
Customer Review: A good super automatic espresso machine for the price
Summary: 3 Stars
Let me start off this review by stating I am not a connoisseur of espresso / coffee. I bought this machine due to getting hooked on cappuccinos on my 2010 summer vacation. After coming back, I acquired my cappuccinos from McDonalds and love them (like I said I am not a connoisseur of coffee, but McD cappuccinos are delicious). Due to time constraints in the morning, I wanted a device that can make them quick without to much work.
After scouring the internet, reading forum posts and reviews. I settled on the Delonghi 3500 and have been using it for the past 4 weeks. I was definitely concern about the robustness of the machine from the reviews I read, so I bought it from a warehouse store that has the world's best return policy (~$1000). Here is a list of pros and cons I made for the machine.
Pros:
* One touch button for cappuccinos / latte (just keep the bean and water container filled)
* Espresso comes out at 165 to 175 degrees F (the temperature of the water in the tank is 60 F)
* Easy to maintain
* Cup warmer on the top of the machine
Cons:
* Hassle to make a drink with both steam and froth milk. You have a milk container lid for steam milk and a separate one for froth milk (see the picture I added). McD cappuccinos has both steam and froth milk. So making the cappuccino like McD is just a pain, you have to switch lids and wash the one no longer being used. The new Delonghi ESAM5500M fixes this issue in that you have only one lid and that lid has a switch to go between steam and froth milk.
* Steam milk comes out at 125 degrees F (the temperature of the milk in the container is 40 degrees F)
* Froth milk comes out at 115 degrees F. This is the reason people complain about this machine not producing a super "hot" drink and I noticed it too. The ESAM3500M uses 1150 wattage and the DeLonghi ESAM5500M Perfecta Digital Super-Automatic Espresso Machine, Metallic Blue uses 1350 wattage. So in theory, the ESAM5500M may produce a hotter froth milk, I hope somebody with the ESAM5500M can chime in someday.
* This unit will not fit under a lot of kitchen cabinets due to the way the coffee bean door opens up. It requires 18 inches of clearance (see the picture I added). I believe this is a problem for all super automatic espresso machines.
* The machine is a little loud for apartment living.
Suggestions:
* Watch the DVD like other people mentioned in their reviews, to understand how to operate the machine.
* Use filtered water for better taste and to keep the machine clean of impurities (you still need to descale... from what I read)
* On a side note, Starbucks sells their coffee syrup for $10 (just asked the barista). "Cinnamon Dolce" is amazing. I read that tip from somebody's review and it is true.
* Get the Bean vacuum canister to keep your beans fresh. Exceptional Designs Bean Vac Coffee Canister (ED150)
If money is not an issue, I would suggest trying the ESAM5500M ($1650, this is an opinion based just on the specs). Being a cappuccino newbie, I am not ready to spend that much on an espresso machine. So I will stick with this one for now.
Customer Review: DeLonghi Is The Brand To Go With!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my second DeLonghi Magnifica Digital Super-Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine I have owned within the last 2 years. I got my first model 4500 from Starbucks and it lasted about 2 years. My warranty expired on my old machine so I bought this one on Amazon. I have checked all the online vendors and Amazon has the best price on this machine. Free shipping and no taxes saves you about $250. I found this machine on Ebay for less but DeLonghi will not honor Warranty service on Ebay stores. So beware.
DeLonghi customer service has been top notch, I had to repair my first machine 7 times. Yes, seven times due to pump failure and thermostat issues. I got this machine for an office so it gets used alot. This machine is meant for home use only. I brew about 50 cups a day, so the average home user wouldn't use more than 5 cups a day.
My repair shop says all automatic Espresso machines no matter what brand in this price range use all the same parts. He also said they all fail at least 4 times within 2 years due to the nature of the machine. I told myself that I wouldn't buy DeLonghi anymore but he changed my mind and told me that DeLonghi has more repair shops open for Warranty service than any other vendor.
This model ESAM3500.N is nice, since it is an overall better model than the other 5 models listed for sale. Don't spend your money on the $1999 or $2500 model because they all have the same features and will all break down no matter how well you keep your machines up to date!
If you do need to make repairs on your machine, make sure you find a repair shop near your home. I was able to get extra parts and service O-Rings for my machine cheaper than from DeLonghi webstore.
Also note, the O-Rings on this machine do break down after 3 months of use. It is the because the milk container, you can also find these O-Rings at Home Depot for $10 bucks and if you have problems with the milk function don't send your machine into repairs for some O-Rings you can replace yourself.
I have made over 30,000 cups of Espresso & Coffee with DeLonghi machines and I am glad that I bought it. Even at $3 a cup you can see yourself saving a lot of money.
Also note you should Descale this machine at least once every 2 weeks or else your pump on this machine will fail. Don't wait for the machine to tell you clean it. Only use the Durgol cleaner also, all other cheap cleaners DO NOT work with this machine. Do waste your time, I learned my lesson well!
Low fat or no fat milk works best with the milk spout. Do not use milk that isn't at refrigerator temperature. The coffee mill grinder should be set at number 5, I found this to be the best tasting and best setting for this machine.
Keep in mind if you do need this machine repaired they can have your machine up to 3 weeks, due to a shortage of spare parts. All vendors use the same parts since this is an OEM type of build. The Generic Alarm code is the last breakdown I got. To save you a phone call this means your machine is dead, it needs a new pump and thermostat so hence I came to Amazon to get another!
Amazon was qreat with shipping, price, and product was new as listed! Rated 10 out of 10!
Customer Review: Better than Starbucks
Summary: 5 Stars
I received this machine as a gift (thankfully, 'cuz I wouldn't have been able to afford it for myself). Before this I had a Capresso CoffeeTEC machine. The Magnifica is so easy to use and to clean, it's great not to have to deal with filters, grinders, frothers, etc. My husband is a stickler for using freshly ground coffee beans for his coffee. It's such a joy not to have to sweep up the coffee grinds from the floor now! Anyway, here are some things I like about it:
- Amazing tasting coffee; freshly ground at the touch of a button. Several people have told me that it tastes better than Starbucks coffee
- Machine rinses itself after turn on and before turn off
- Tells you when to clean the coffee grind container (makes 'em into little hockey pucks)
- Wide range of coffee strengths from which to choose: extra mild, mild, regular, strong, extra-strong
- 3 cup sizes from which to choose. You can change the settings so the cup sizes are customized for you. I use the "Long" setting. If you press it twice quickly, it will make 2 'long' coffees for you
- Love the frothing pitcher. Just attach it, press the cappuccino button, sit back and watch it make you a steaming hot cappuccino with thick froth. Frother puts frothed milk directly into your cup and then makes the espresso and puts it in the cup.
- There's a pre-ground "bypass" button. I use it when I want to have decaf. I add ground decaf beans and use the frother to add frothed milk.
- Machine tells you everything that it "needs." "Fill Beans container, descale, add water...etc."
- You can use the water spout for instantaneous hot water for tea, hot chocolate, etc.
- Starbucks will sell you bottles of their flavored syrups, so I bought several of my favorite flavors for my little "at home cafe"
Update Sep 2008: About a month ago I opened the front door of the machine and it was empty. I thought to myself "who would've broken into my house and only stolen the infuser to the coffee machine?" I examined the machine and was able to see that the infuser was stuck in the housing at the top of the machine. An internet search showed that other people had had the same problem but no solutions were posted. I called DeLonghi and went through a few troubleshooting steps with a friendly customer service lady. Finally we gave up and she said I had to send it in to get it fixed. They sent me the boxes, labels and packing materials, which was nice. I sent it to an appliance place in NY. After 3 weeks I called to check the status and they said, "It's on the shelf; we'll get to it." Within a day or two the machine was delivered and working again. It was a bummer to have to ship it out to get it fixed (took a month) and my other gripe is that it came back dirtier than when I sent it (coffee grounds everywhere, etc.). Would've been nice if they wiped it down. Anyway, DeLonghi customer service handled it well.
Customer Review: extremely bad customer service by DeLonghi
Summary: 1 Stars
Let me express my extreme unhappiness with the handling of a replacement part order by DeLonghi itself, not Amazon.
Two weeks after we received the coffee maker, one of the three O-rings broke which means that the frothed/steamed milk feature is deactivated ever since.
I ordered three replacement O-rings three weeks ago from their web page, get a link that tells me that I can always "find out the current status", which is total bogus because the status never appeared on the web page.
I sent an email to this same address 1 week after the order (Dec 11) to inquire what the status is. On the web page and in the phone message under the service number DeLonghi prides itself that any email would be answered within 1 business day. I have not received any reaction to my email.
I called the DeLonghi customer service number on 12/15 to inquire the status of the order. I was told that there are not 3 O-rings available at this point and this caused my order to be blocked. I was told that 1 or 2 O-ring are in stock and that I would get at least 1 O-ring shipped that same day.
I called the DeLonghi customer service number again on 12/20 to inquire the status of the partial shipment. The person on the phone was unable to find out about the real status, was unable to find the supervisor but promised me that she would personally ask the supervisor for help with an expedited shipment when (s)he becomes available again.
Another phone call today, 12/27, resulted in more of the same, more postponing, no explanations.
The DeLonghi web page trumpets the following:
White Glove Service Guarantee (Available in U.S. Only)
"Your choice of the Magnifica super automatic espresso machine reveals that you have the highest standards, and we at DeLonghi strive to always exceed those expectations. Our specially trained DeLonghi espresso experts are here to serve your needs in any way we can."
Given the history of my order of 3 little O-rings, this sounds like an extremely bad joke.
We are happy with the machine (even though we did not expect its first flaw of a broken O-ring to happen so soon) but extremely unsatisfied with the worst customer support we have experienced in a long time. A real shame given that we paid $1500 for a coffee machine "with the highest standards" and I shudder at the thought that I would ever have to ask for more significant customer service than a little black O-ring.
We will never again buy another DeLonghi product!
Customer Review: Do not buy -- never got one that works, they are 0 for 2.
Summary: 1 Stars
1.0 out of 5 stars Do not buy -- never got one that works, they are 0 for 2., December 11, 2009
DeLonghi ESAM3500.N Magnifica Digital Super-Automatic Espresso/Coffee Machine
By R. Sparks - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
I did much comparison shopping and then finally decided to purchase this machine, in spite of its high cost. There were quite a few online reviews complaining about the infuser sticking, but I decided to try one anyway.
The unit arrived as promised and I followed the instructions "to the letter" in doing the setup and starting. Two test cups of coffee later and it was time to go to bed and wake up to a fresh cappuccino. Not quite!
The next morning I awoke to a "Generic Error" and stuck infuser. Calls to DeLonghi were of no use -- they just said the unit could not be fixed and it should be returned to the seller.
Amazon Returns was a breeze (excellent service - bravo) and they shipped me a replacement unit by next day UPS. It arrived with a water damaged box and when I opened it, the replacement was clearly a factory refurb!!! Some of the documentation that had been in the new unit was missing and the water spout was missing. I hooked up the milk (which replaces the water spout) and the unit still refused to work. I can hear the microswitch click, which means it must be something other than just putting the pitcher in properly.
So it was a refurb, it was broken, and it was missing parts.
The end result is I am out the cost of shipping to send back both units ($61) and do not think I can get a refund for that from Amazon. I am technically and mechanically capable (engineer) -- this machine is not properly designed or debugged. I strongly recommend you spend your money elsewhere.
I gave it one star only because there is no way to give it zero.