I have an original version of the Isomac Mondiale from like 2004. (Issues info here, here & here). I have owned, moved 3x, modified, restored and occasionally been briefly tormented by this very pleasant beast for the past 13 years of ownership. (that's a long time Dan !!)

Maintenance is a NECESSITY....doesn't matter which machine you buy.

Mondiale is a very predicable e61 single boiler HX unit with a Procon pump (now externally located). If I absolutely had to buy a new machine, I'd buy a newer 2-boiler unit from a provider with better build quality, (Profitec seem nicely built at a lower price point than say, LM), but I have no regrets........parts for Isomac are still readily available, maintenance is way cheaper than a new unit, and....... Mondiale still makes great espressos & lattes.

Truth is, I wanna 1-group LM Strada and a Titus grinder.

Good luck with your decision.

Anyone?

Randy

La Marzocco GS/3 - AV. Purchased 2009.
All the "problems" solved since via product improvements.
5 years into owning - sputtering water ingress into main board caused a short that was easily repairable (a corroded track and a zero ohm resistor).
LM resolved this one by capturing the water from the vacuum breaker and preventing water pooling in the brain box.
6 years into owning - a failed check valve
LM resolved this one by doubling up the check valves up on this particularly hot line.
Other issues included stuff between the portafilter and the floor:
1. I moved to a 220v country. Had to use a trafo or replace the pump motor, 3 solenoid coils and two heaters. Opted for the latter.
2. used the above opportunity to outboard the pump.
3. Added low flow preinfusion since I read it was worthwhile. It indeed was.
4. Updated odds and ends as LM published them on their website.

Versalab M3. Purchased 2010.
Replaced 4 belts which are considered consumables.
When I moved to a 220v country replaced the controller board with a 220v version.
Last year replaced Controller with a Bodine 0866 and replaced pulleys with timing pulleys and a timing belt. Why - because I could...

Quest M3. Purchased 2011.
Nothing to date but I heavily modified mine. All motors, and 2 heaters are stock and have been doing about 2-3 roasts weekly for about 4-5 years.

Part of me likes the spreadsheet idea from EDChris, however, listing out all of the possible problems with Yes/No responses may prove to make your spreadsheet longer (e.g. are there only pump, boiler, or grinder issues? What about HX issues, control board issues, flow meter issues, vacuum breaker issues, wand issues, steam valve issues, etc, etc)

I would also argue, some "anecdotal" information can be quite useful. I will give mine a try, in the order I have owned machines:

Manufacturer: Rancilio
Model: Mrs. Silvia
Year: 2000
Years Owned: 4
New?: Y
Problems: None, worked fine till I sold it
Reliability (1-10, 10 best): 10
Personal preference for this machine (1-10, 10 best): 5
Notes: Reliable box, but very entry level compared to later machines owned.

Manufacturer: Expobar
Model: Office Lever
Year: 2004
Years Owned: 9
New?: Y
Problems: See notes below.
Reliability (1-10, 10 best): 1
Personal preference for this machine (1-10, 10 best): 1
Notes: Machine broke under warranty, retailer refused to fix it. Machine sat for a year and a half until I could get around to fixing it. Heater was blown (after only a few months), still under warranty, I paid for everything. Machine had spats of problems for the next 7 years. Vacuum breaker valves, control box, replaced pressurestat 8 times, power switch died, pump died four times, water level interlock switch broke three times, etc. etc. Admit, my water was hard, but machine had other issues too.

Manufacturer: Elektra
Model: McAL
Year: 1997
Years Owned: 4
New?: N
Problems: See notes below.
Reliability (1-10, 10 best): 4
Personal preference for this machine (1-10, 10 best): 6
Notes: Elektra Microcasa a Leva with jerky lever action, this machine cause me much grief, but I believe it was the previous owners fault. It is finally (after spending 1/2 the cost of the machine in parts) working mostly. It is reliable now.

Manufacturer: Salvatore
Model: Famosa
Year: 1999
Years Owned: 0.1
New?: N
Problems: None really
Reliability (1-10, 10 best): 10
Personal preference for this machine (1-10, 10 best): 8
Notes: Salvatore Famosa '99 Grouphead When this machine arrived, it could just not be dialed in with my setup. Of all the machines owned, this is the one that presents the most feelings of regret for selling. When it was sold, it was taken apart and drained. When the top was opened, the construction of this machine was striking. Well thought out, well done, the best components (as a former electronics tech, the build was just great).

Manufacturer: Faema
Model: Charisma (sp?)
Year: 2014
Years Owned: 2
New?: Y
Problems: Intermittent fuse blowing
Reliability (1-10, 10 best): 1
Personal preference for this machine (1-10, 10 best): 1
Notes: Machine would randomly blow one or both fuses. Retailer said there was a mistake at factory and sent new fuses. New fuses blew. Sent machine in to retailer. Retailer said it worked fine and sent it back. It blew a fuse in three days. To make this story worse (better?) we moved to a different state, so when I call the retailer and say it is still blowing fuses, they start blaming my house wiring. Well, we were not only in a different house, but in a different state with a different power plant altogether! Machine kept blowing fuses (keep in mind, changing the fuse out in this thing is not trivial, you have to take it 1/2 way apart). Sent machine back again, retailer kept it a few weeks, said it worked fine. Received machine back, blew a fuse a month later, sold machine. Worst gremlin ever.

Manufacturer: La San Marco
Model: 85-16M-2
Year: 1993
Years Owned: 0.5
New?: N
Problems: Entire unit rebuilt
Reliability (1-10, 10 best): ??
Personal preference for this machine (1-10, 10 best): 6
Notes: This machine was rode hard and put up wet. Rebuilt entire machine. Only putting in this list as it seems very well built, and other owners talk of legendary reliability. It makes a good espresso, and seems reliable

Salvatore E61 Club
Coming up on its 3 year birthday and no real problems. I had him install a vacuum breaker which can be a bit balky but not a big deal.

La Spaziale Vivaldi II purchased new from Chris' Coffee Service in November 2010.
- November 2010: Out of the box both toggle switches inside the machine (for 15 or 20 amp operation and for use of the La Spaziale Timer) were labeled in the reverse by the factory. I called Chris' Coffee Service and the technician quickly figured out the issue and provided me a remedy. Issue resolved.
- June 2011: Approx. 6 mos. of use and I could hear steam escaping from the steam boiler. Called Chris' Coffee Service. The technician walked me through on how to re-tighten the steam boiler bolts. Issue resolved.
- July 2015: I moved so I decided to send the machine back to Chris' Coffee Service for a check up. The unit needed some new gaskets but was otherwise in fine shape. No major repairs necessary.
- June 2017: To recap my ownership - I regularly back flush with Full Circle, scrub the dispersion disc and group head, clean the screens and have done so since I bought it. The LSVII is used daily to make 2 - 4 drinks - cappuccinos, espresso and Americanos.

I am very happy with my LSVII - it is a solid performer. I am very happy with Chris' Coffee Service.

Also, I have always run the LSVII off of bottled water using a Flo Jet on demand jump. My Flo Jet has worked flawlessly since November 2010.

Todd

My parents were gifted an espresso machine as a reward from their business. It sat unopened in our basement for years in a plain white box. They are Folgers aficionados. I wonder why I didn't ever like coffee until after college? I finally got into coffee after working in my first restaurant and having my first iced latte. From then on my coffee interest slowly started. I inquired if they still had that machine sitting in our basement. Knowing I still lived with roommates from my college days my parents said once I get my own place it was mine. I didn't understand then but I thank them now. Fast forward 5 years to July 2011 and I buy my first place with my girlfriend. Once more I inquire about this mystery machine and to my delight they deliver on their promise. At this point I'm pretty excited but cautiously not overly hopeful for what is in this box. After undoing the first box, it was double boxed, I find out it's a Stainless Steel Francis Francis X1. Not knowing anything about it the adventure began.

Sorry onto this threads purpose. Since I have owned the Francis the the control board and was replaced in November 2013 because it would no longer hold brew temperature and would go straight to steam temperature. I also replaced the group gasket once. I now only use the machine for espresso and have probably steamed milk twice since the repair. It runs pretty well now considering its age. After many years of getting 1lb coffee bags ground at coffee houses I upgraded to a Capresso Infinity Conical Grinder. No issues except burrs never looked attractive/rusted looking. Kept up with a thorough cleaning after every use as recommended by some reviews. The constant maintenance caused me to upgrade last July. I convinced my wife to upgrade to my forever grinder a used Mazzer Super Jolly-E. Zero issues, changed out the burrs more recently which made a huge difference. Oh I forgot to mention I'm on order for this current production of the Monolith Conical . Upgraditis is a real thing.

Thank you for sticking with my story if you've made it this far and I'm sorry if this post doesn't belong here. I mainly wanted to thank those who created and contribute to this website as the information is invaluable. We are building a house hopefully starting in the next month. In the dining area is two built ins one of which will house a 4' wide by 24'' deep hutch that is ceiling height and will have a bar sink for my growing coffee obsession. I will eventually have to decide on my "forever machine" to join my new monolith conical. I'm beyond excited to take this to the next level and really appreciate everything I've been able to learn through this site so far.

I know your request is specific to espresso machines, but just wanted to give a plug to 2 Mazzer Grinders I've owned, one for 11 years (mazzer mini) and one for 4 years (super jolly). Bulletproof. Mazzers are not perfect, but I don't think anyone can deny how reliable they are. If I had to choose one grinder that needed to last me a lifetime it would be a Mazzer.

Machines. I've owned a Gaggia Coffee (2005), NS Appia, and now own a Duetto III

- Gaggia: owned for 7 years and used daily. Never any issues other than maintenance items (e.g. There is a spring valve that keeps the group from leaking whe steam is turned on, needs to be disassembled and cleaned) other than that, was bulletproof.
- NS Appia: bought used and owned for 2 years. Full scale commercial machine that is build like a tank and super easy to work on given interior layout and space. Never had any issues to repair, but did tinker and change gicleurs etc.
- Duetto III: owned for 4 years, awesome machine. Only issue was brew boiler developed a minor leak during warm up and cool down (3 years in). Chris coffee were awesome to work with and diagnosed it to boiler gasket needing replacement. I replaced it myself and it was a PAIN to work inside the machine. It feels as if there is no thought put into serviceability. I know they cram a lot into such a small frame, but feel it could be improved on (I am very handy and do all work on my cars, but I never want to work on the Duetto again). With that said, as others have mentioned, it has been bulletproof otherwise in the time I've owned it and feels like it will stay solid for a long time to come.

Manufacturer: Nuova Simonelli
Model: Oscar (direct connect)
Years owned: 4? (I don't remember exactly when I got it, but we were still in the house that we sold in 2015)
Bought new or used: used
Reliability (1-10): 10
Mods: cut out 1 PF bottom, added GS3 steam tip, put Lutron dimmer in pump circuit on new plug-in wiring harness to leave everything stock

I bought Oscar from a local Craigslist post, made a 3 hr round trip drive to adopt him, and it was love at first sight. The seller was "selling it for a friend who moved", so I have no history at all. I bought it after a quick look around revealed no serious warning signs. It was set up for pods, and the PFs had enough patina of use to suggest that it'd seen light but consistent commercial service (coffee shop? sandwich shop?). It came with 3 PFs (1 single and 2 double) plus single and double baskets and pod baskets. The case was almost perfect - completely intact with only a few minor scuffs and an unmarked bottom. The original flexible water line was factory length and in perfect shape but did not look like a replacement, so this machine was almost certainly not moved around much before I took it home.

I stripped it and replaced the diffuser, shower screen,steam valve / wand assembly, and PF gasket (with Cafelat silicone - GREAT!). There was no dirt and very little scale, and everything worked perfectly. So I cleaned it inside and out, reassembled it, and it's been great ever since. I backflush with water after every session and with Ascaso backflush detergent weekly. This keeps the group head parts spotless (I take it apart and soak the diffuser & screen every 3 months or so).

Manufacturer: Isomac
Model: Relax
Years owned: 14
Bought new or used: new in 2003 from Aabre Coffee (when they were in Oregon)
Reliability (1-10): 7-10
Mods: Added lights for drink shelf (see this thread) in 2009. Also plumbed in and mounted pump externally in 2016.

This machine worked great with no issues for about the first 5 years. Then it went through a series of issues, all of them relatively easily fixed (but not all easily trouble-shot). I have replaced the controller box (after about 6 years), heating element (5 years), the boiler (11 years), both gauges (my errors during repairs), OPV valve (after about 5 years), pressurestat (7 years), one pipe, Group solenoid o-rings, lights (also because of human error), and of course the usual gaskets, thermal fuses, etc.

As said earlier, any good quality machine will last a ver long time if you maintain it. Look for something with commercial-quality and easily-available parts. My replacement(if ever necessary) will be likely LM, Vibiemme, or Profitec.