Gaggia Platinum Swing Up

Easy to use, makes the best coffee – The quality is amazing, won't even buy coffee out anymore as it's the best. Very consistent as it's all automatic it does the same everytime, all you need to do is push the middle button :) Temperature is perfect, I take it in a coffee cup to uni and it stays hot

Excellent – Would definately buy but would try to get it cheaper because I think they are a little too pricey.I would rather this brand than a cheaper one though as they are designed well and are easy to use once you read through the instructions. It looks good and is really easy to use.It will tell you on the digital screen when it needs filling,descaling,what coffee you have selected,when you have not shut the steam off properly and more.I really like the tray at the front where you put your cup as I can press a buttton to automatically raise the drip tray so when its filling my cup with coffee it doesnt splatter or for cup thats not as tall is really handy.I really have come to love this machine and I got a great deal online at a way below retail price because mine was a demo model but would reccommend it to anyone as I was new to coffee machines and didnt have a clue how to use one.You can also get parts and extras for it through Saeco in Sydney as they are their manafacturers.

Also they are easy to clean! That my husband worked out a secret to making the frothiest coffee ever!haha!

Also I think brand new they are pricey but I would buy and try to get one on a great deal because they are well made.

Excellent – Really love this machine. Time will tell whether it'll last the distance, but so far it hasn't missed a beat. This is a great machine! Very easy to use, and has all the features we were looking for. It makes about six coffees a day and hasn't missed a beat for a year now. First of all, and most importantly, it makes a really great cup of coffee. The crema is very good, and the adjustable 'strength' dial on the front works well. The froth nozzle is probably the best I've used, and while it's perhaps not as powerful as others I've tried, it's far easier to control - allowing you to easily produce thick and creamy froth for your latte/cappuccino. We were thinking of buying the Milk Island too at first, but soon realised we didn't need it!

The machine is very easy to clean, and I strongly advise giving the Brew Group a rinse every week or two as recommended - it takes about 30 seconds. The machine also swivels in position, allowing you to empty the coffee grounds or fill the water container more easily when it's squeezed in between other appliances - very handy.

As with any coffee machine, it's very important to clean the 'pipes' on a semi-regular basis. We live in Melbourne, so there's not as much need to descale the machine as the water here as very low in calcium (the water is 'soft'), but about every 3 months you'll need to run one of the espresso machine cleaning tablets through to remove the coffee oils and residues that build up over time. If your coffee has become bitter, than it's a sure sign you need to remove the oils - a simple descaler won't do this, you'll need to use the proper cleaning tablets. We use a brand called Cafetto bought from Coffee Mio in Thornbury ~ $12 for 8 tablets. Both descaling and using the tablets is extremely easy - the machine pretty much does it all for you :)

Finally, we bought our machine reconditioned for about $549 through Kitchen Gourmet via the Extrastock website - [url censored]. They also sell them through ebay at 'buy it now' prices, but it's cheaper if you buy directly from their online store. Hope that helps.

We couldn't be happier with our purchase! I give this machine 5 out of 5 stars with confidence, which indicates that the following issues are relatively trivial - but here goes anyway.

We've found that occasionally the automatic tray lifter (which is great I might add) sometimes gets stuck 'going up'. It has only happened 3 or 4 times, and we only need to turn the machine off and on again to fix the problem. But obviously, it still shouldn't happen.

Cosmetically, although the bottom tray looks great with it's polished stainless steel appearance, it feels a touch flimsy. Beefing it up a bit would really add to the quality feel, and match the rest of the machine. Similarly, the steam knob on the side is plastic. A strong stainless steel knob would improve the machine's quality appearance and feel.

And that's it for the cons. Buy this machine and enjoy :)

Excellent – Great coffee machine, highly recommended, get's used every day looks classy, easy to use, good warranty makes hot coffee. Really excellent coffee machine had mine for two years has 2 year warranty easy to use and clean but best of all it makes a hot coffee not luke warm like other machines that i have coffee from. the only repair it has had was a rubber seal on the steamer no charge because it was still under warranty,but had to wait 5 weeks for repairs,