DéLonghi ECO310 Reviews

Pros: Reliable, fun, easy to clean, tasty coffee

Cons: I havnt found anything yet.

Overall: This coffee machine has changed the way to see coffee. I've been able to try and enjoy numerous different types of coffee without fearing that I've made it too strong or too weak. After about my third try I was making some amazing coffee's that I usually wouldn't have enjoyed without it. It is hundreds of times nicer than plunger or any coffee through a drip filter. Honestly I don't know the science behind it but this thing sure adds convenience. Thanks for this awesome piece of technology that I'll impress my friends with later.

Purchased at: Harvey Norman

DéLonghi ECO310 is recommended by Reuben A.

Pros: Good price, looks great, can use own coffee and not just capsules/pods, super easy to use, heats up fast, easy to clean.

Cons: A milk jug would have been useful.

Overall: This is the first coffee machine we have owned and my whole family loves it. We spent a lot of time looking at all options in this price range and for various reasons decided this was going to be it.

(We bought it at Harvey Norman who price matched Myer who had none in stock.)

It took us a couple of days to each work out how to make our own perfect cup of coffee, as we all like it different strengths, etc, but I can now make a latte I would be happy with in any cafe.

It is so much easier to use than I was expecting, including the frothing of the milk. I like that I can use my own favourite brand of coffee in it and am not restricted by capsules or pods.

Great investment.

Purchased at: Harvey Norman

DéLonghi ECO310 is recommended by Taffetacat

Pros: Great espresso, functional bits and pieces (plastic tray wont rust etc), and looks great... mine is red!

Cons: Not for the casual user or espresso beginner. Has all the mess and fiddlyness of a full manual system

Overall: So far so good.

The espresso itself is really good. I only ever use fresh ground beans from a local roasting company, which is a requirement for success as much as any machine, but it seems to meet the challenge.

The milk frothing is a challenge though.
I think it has more to do with it being a different type of nozzle than I am used to combined with full control of steam pressure rather than some design fault or what not.
This nozzle is more functional, re: its angle and position, compared to other brands I have used (Breville and Sunbeam), but it is plastic and wider at the outlet which has a very different effect than the narrow jets that I am used to. Whats really different is that the steam pressure is fully controlled by the knob on top of the machine; you are basically opening the valve directly instead of having a governed amount of steam come at the flick of a switch. How much steam is too much? That's what I'm learning now...

As at this moment (day 2) I am yet to achieve a marshmellowy thick head on the milk like I did with my old Sunbeam, but as I love the technical aspect of using a manual espresso machine I am determined to figure out the difference in nuance and adjust. Like anything that is hands-on it takes practice, patience and attention to detail (and knowing how milk and coffee work/burn.) If you don't want to bother with that, and don't care for quality, buy a nespresso system.

Purchased at: The Good Guys

DéLonghi ECO310 is recommended by ursus8878

Pros: Looks good, easy to use, and compact.

Cons: Light weigh, cup clearance, and poor milk frothing.

Overall: I agree with the previous review, looks great but too much plastic. Not including a milk jug or proper tamper is annoying. The machine is too light weight. Removing the coffee filter holder requires heavy pressure on the machine with the other hand so the whole thing doesn't move. The cup clearance is just that, only for cups. Steam pressure for milk frothing is weak. Good machine for occasionally coffee drinkers. Now I know more about coffee, and coffee machines I want an upgrade.

Purchased at: The Good Guys

DéLonghi ECO310 is not recommended by CeCee

Pros: Looks great, good warranty, decent coffee

Cons: Doesn't feel as solid as it looks, no milk jug included

Overall: Bought this for $249 from Clive Anthony's, which is $50 less than anywhere else has it at the moment.
Positives
Looks fantastic, I got white, they had no red in stock
Quick to heat up, ready to go in about 1 minute
Built in tamper is good
Decent sized water resivour
Decent amount of steam
Good warranty (2 year)
Negatives
No milk jug for frothing
Feels a bit cheap in parts, doesn't weigh much, and the body seems to be plastic rather than metal, but, all of the important parts are feel solid

It's my first coffee machine and I'm pretty happy, still need to practice my technique a bit, but pretty damn tasty coffees so far.

DéLonghi ECO310 is recommended by nmw