You'll notice a box at the top of this page offering an added protection plan on this product. Take it. We didn't. Three days hence from this writing shall mark our one year's anniversary purchasing this item. The top tank has developed a worsening leak around the bottom seam causing all liquids to now spill out. We still use an Ilsa 9-cup we've owned for 30 years which has been so satisfactory that we recently bought two more, the one of which now has the leak. These newest makers have reducer screens made of noticeably thinner steel than the 30-year model's, and are quickly warped and bent just by the normal pressure of steam, casting suspicion on other possible construction vulnerabilities.

Pros: (1) makes a great coffee under the right conditions. Those who are complaining that theirs only makes half a pot, or takes 20 minutes to brew, are likely putting too much coffee in the portafilter. This causes the unit to "stall", meaning the pressure in the chamber is insufficient to force the water through the grinds. See con #1, below. (2) Because it's steel it doesn't build up weird stains, smells, or moldy bits in the water chamber like an aluminum Bialetti does. Aluminum, being a reactive metal, is a pain in the butt to keep clean. (3) No sharp edges, well constructed. (4) Made in Italy (lord knows, their economy needs our help).

Cons: (1) The Ilsa unit is more "finicky" than the classic Bialetti. Put too much coffee in the portafilter and the unit will stall and produce 1/2 to 1/4 the normal amount of coffee (plus plenty of steam and gurgling, as others have complained of). Takes some getting used to. Advice: use less coffee than you would in the Bialetti. In the Bialetti, you would want to mound the coffee slightly over the lip of the portafilter to get the best results. In the Ilsa, you want the grounds to be just under the lip of the portafilter or else you will likely stall the brew. Of course, you also never never tamp the grounds in a moka unit. (2) The round shape makes unscrewing the unit difficult, particularly when wet. You'll want to make sure it's totally dry so you get a good grip (true for screwing it together as well! It won't seal if it's only loosely tightened). (3) The handle is not riveted to the unit and does not feel terribly robust. Because of #2 you're tempted to use it to unscrew the unit, but that's not a very good idea since you could break the weld.

Overall it's an upgrade over the Bialetti, but it takes some getting used to in order to dial in the brew.

Bought my Ilsa in October 2016, and am now writing four and a half months later. It was a little tricky to tighten the two components from the start, but I thought they'd loosen up with time. Now it's 50/50 whether the two sections can be properly tightened. The 30-day window for return closed in November, which is unfortunate, because often it takes a little more time to see if something works. I want to love this pot. It's pretty to look at, and when it works, the espresso is great. But it's so hit-and-miss that I dread using it. I wonder if maybe, just maybe, I received a slightly damaged pot, based on all the positive reviews I see here.

i would like to write a passionate review about this espresso maker, though it is the fourth day morning we are using it, i shall come back in three months to put more feet backs. Coffee has been tested great, the process of making the coffee has been painless, compare to previous makers we had used also from amazon, causing all kinds of troubles like coffee could only come out half jar, or coffee tests too bitter, or gets burned... this one, for four mornings, every aspect of it has been great! this pot speak its own language, although nonverbal, but it clearly speaks to you regarding how much coffee powder you should put it in relation to the water amount, and how tight you should pack the coffee, simple truth ... you shall hear it once you start using it. Finally, i use a stove tamer to put underneath the pot, that was very helpful too. the handle is little hot once the pot is ready to be bring down the stove, but that is not a problem...

This is a very well engineered product with ONE EXCEPTION, and it may be a glitch in manufacturing on mine, but it needs to be addressed. The stamped metal edges on mine were not finished properly. They were sharp. I took a piece of very fine grit emery paper and rubbed the edges of the lid and the coffee container parts and they are fine now. On the plus side: It makes very good coffee. I bought it because I was looking for a stainless steel one (my original one was aluminum and I do not feel comfortable with ingesting aluminum even in minor quantities because when you drink coffee -- which is acidic -- every single morning, you expose yourself to a constant source of aluminum which has been implicated in Alzheimer's Disease.) This pot got good reviews from long term users and, now that I have solved the sharp-edges problem, I am very happy with it.