Side by Side Comparison of: DeLonghi vs Ivation

 I've owned only DeLonghi EC155's, four in total through the many years. Many were bought as Used, but all have been acceptable. The last EC155 which I purchased new in October started having low pump abilities and it was promptly replaced by DeLonghi. I bought this unit to get me through. I and especially my wife likes the look of it. I feel it is the same pump abilities as the EC155 which can do a nice Cream. I don't like the filters but I learned the EC155 filters and baskets would work on it. I have extra filters and removed the plastic valve in the bottom of one when I'm' feeling adventurous. If you have a decent grinder,(Mine is a; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007F183LK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)by removing the pressure valve your able to duplicate what the purist say is authentic. If you grind the coffee to the optimum size and consistency plus the optimum tamping pressure. You'll get true Crema and maximum extraction. I love the steam wand on the 3420 so much more than the 155's! Beautiful steam, super easy to remove tube to clean, easier to set position of stream wand ! The chrome base cover can be removed for tall glasses/Cups. I think no more EC155's for me. I've added a video of a double shot using the large basket/filter from the EC155, using the EC155 measuring cup, I added two level EC155 cups, did a very lite tamp.

Gave it as a gift to my daughter and she said it is her most favorite item EVER! Easy to operate, best capaccino she ever tasted.

I never write reviews, first one actually. This was the first expresso machine I purchased for myself and it is perfect for what I needed, no bells and whistles and I was no concerned about doing anything incorrectly. I have had this for 5 months exactly now and it was gotten much use. It looks great in my home, makes a good cup of espresso. Milk frother works great too. Some things I would advise, most normal mugs do not fit under the machine, I purchased the delonghi espresso cups and they're perfect, the tamper is plastic (it actually comes with one though) so maybe invest in a metal one, buy a frothing cup, and just make sure you keep up with the cleaning and descaling. I love my machine. I hope it continues to last me.

We're new to home espresso machines, so aren't as experienced as some others who have reviewed this machine. We decided to buy a home machine because my husband is hooked on Mochas and it was getting expensive for him to go to a coffee stand a couple times a day! This machine is super, super easy to use and we really like the quality of the drinks it makes. We're still experimenting with types of beans, types of flavor, frothing the milk, etc., but that's all us fine-tuning to meet our specific tastes. Well worth the money.

Bought it for my daughter as a gift. She loves it. Just note, this does NOT stop pulling the shot on its own. You have to do it manually. Excellent quality and crema for a machine this price. Equal crema/pressure to my $600 Breville.

So far so good. Got this to replace my ec155, which started leaking steam. The ec155 makes a slightly better tasting espresso, and takes a bit of practise to get a good froth. This unit seems to pull shots a little more bitter, i think bcuz it comes out a bit too hot, and the frother requires no skill but makes foam that is not uniform. This one has enough room to brew into a coffee cup which the ec155 didnt have. So all in all since i use it for quick lattes and cappuccino at home, i dont drink the espresso straight, and dont do latte art, it works for me.

Love it! Easy to use, my 11 year old son uses it often for his chocolate milk.

I freaking LOVE this!!!Makes me feel like i just got the perfect coffee at the cafe down the street.So easy to operate and clean- and no storage issues for it's a small decent size too.Hot/cold options, plug in, and press the button- that's it! Soooo easy.Def recommend purchasing this! Great price also!

Beautiful design, easy to use, press a button & the perfect temperature milk is ready within a few minutes. Cleaning is soooooo easy. As soon as you pour the milk out - rinse the inside with a soft sponge (do not use a scrubby sponge cause it may degrade the smooth non stick finish), rinse the lid under running water & that's it! Don't wait for the milk to dry up inside the mug cause then it may take more than 30 seconds to clean. Love my warm cereal in the mornings now!

I just got this yesterday and used it this morning. I had another brand which was loud and stopped working in only a year (my friend had 3 of the other brand in the same length of time. The other frother was so loud I would take it into the bedroom if I had company sleeping as not to wake them.). This milk frother is super quiet and makes lots of froth. In fact, I couldn't get all the froth in my cup. I'll use less milk next time. It recommends using whole milk, but I used 2% and got more froth than I needed. As long as this one lasts I'll use it daily for a long time. Love it. Love it. Love it!

Got this about a week ago and was ready to submit a one star review. This is really a very nice machine though with a couple of glaring faults. I dont know if other machines for sale have the same faults but one other reviewer had a similar experience. This does not compare to a Breville machine but for the price....its a good buy. I have learned how to use it and find it very nice now....with its limitations.The first time I used this....I looked for the min and max line inside the container. If you are young and have really good eyes...you might be able to see them. Me...not so good eyes and still can not see them when I am pouring the milk in. Have ordered some small flashlights so that I can see them. No biggie after you figure out how much milk you need for your coffee you just repeat the same pour every morning.The first and every time I tried the frothing whip.....it over flowed. Have learned to shut the machine off before this happens. However I really dont use the whip anymore as the milk is so frothed that there is no milk left in the bottom of the container !!!! The froth is super fine. I make cappuccinos and like some millk so I use the other beater and it makes enough froth with enough milk to make my cappuccinos.So if you can live with the faults its a great little machine....easy clean up with the non stick interior.

After spending 3 weeks in Italy I have not been able to enjoy American coffee. This frother is the perfect pair with my stovetop espresso pot. I had used both a manual and battery powered frother prior to this, but I found both to be inconsistent. (And my husband was bothered by the tap-tapping of the manual one each morning.) This frother is worth every penny. It makes perfectly frothed, hot milk in minutes, every time. It is almost silent and easy to clean. I wish I had saved a few bucks on my previous frothers and just splurged on this from the start! It will soon take up the counter space that my Kureig previously held.

Delicious, Smooth Coffee.ISSUES: After a week or two, I noticed hot water dripping into my coffee from the heated tank above. It got so bad that I needed to replace the machine. Much later I realized that this was wholly my fault - the coffee grind was too fine. I was using Espresso grind when it should be 'fine grind' at finest.CUSTOMER SERVICE: Amazon customer service pointed me to De'Longhi customer service, which had me download a video app so they could confirm my problem was real. They then asked me to cut off the chord and send it to them ($28 via FedEx) to verify I wasn't keeping the old machine. After about a month, the replacement arrived.With the replacement, all is back to normal and I'm happy with the product and service

So far so good... what I'm saving in coffee shop bills is worth the price! Not sure if this is standard, but it doesn't stop itself. So, it will run until its out of water. You can't just select 1 shot/2 shots and hit go, you have to stop it so don't walk away. It's not a big deal just be aware. The plastic scoop has the tamper end to compress the grounds, so this works fine. I'm more concerned with the handle on the Portafilter... hope they make a replacement because that seems like it's gonna break first (handle is loose). Again... for this price range its a good machine.

I own the automatic space-saving version of this already. However, after 2 years of phenomenal service, the pump quit. Still warranted, it's been sent in for service. Meanwhile, I tried two replacements - and this is one I'm sticking with. Once you have it figured out - the routine, you get some excellent coffee. Espresso and cappuccino/lattes have been near perfect. I bought this as a back-up, but it's going to be hard to put away with it performance. I haven't owned one that lasted over two years with the amount of coffee we brew, but so far...

I bought this not knowing what to expect considering I didn't know anything about making a espresso or cappuccino and machines can go up to $3K. I was genuinely surprised at how awesome this works, delicious espresso every time once you get the hang of it. I watched a couple of YouTube videos, read the easy to follow directions that came with it and had it down by the third try. If you're more inclined to keeping things simple with k-cups, this might not be for you, but if you enjoy the process and don't wanna keep burning money at the coffee shop, this is definitely worth a try. I paired this up with the Lavazza espresso and I actually prefer it over the coffee shop now.

I had a much older Delongi espresso machine I had purchased at Bloomingdales on sale about 10 years ago. It worked well for years but I threw it out when we moved ( a big regret) and switched to Keurig pods for simplicity and at my spouses urging. But after a few years of Keurig I missed the Crema on top and being able to vary the strength according to my whim and of course the high cost of pods. So I started to look around. With the price having gone up a a lot since I first purchased and after reading extensive reviews, I decided to go with this model perhaps a little more than the cheapest. When it first came I had an old grinder and I was pretty disappointed in the coffee I first made. I nearly sent it back but being too lazy, I bought a new inexpensive grinder Krups F203 (works great) and ordered some whole bean coffee (I like Dark Magic). As an aside I bought the coffee from the Keurig Green Mountain site rather than Amazon based on a tip in a review (with a free shipping coupon it was a bargain). Anyway I began making more coffee with this machine which I started to enjoy. I find I get a little less Crema on top with this machine, Coffee is ground fine for expresso. And it might take longer to fill a mug (2-3 minutes. I essentially make a whole cup of coffee with it not just an expresso shot. But today I am satisfied with the value and the product and am enjoying coffee the way I like it. I do not use the frother so I can't comment on how that works.

Every time my husband and I go to Europe we love the rich dark espresso and cappuccinos that we drink there. This Christmas I bought him the ECP 3420 to have a staycation espresso every morning. The coffee is fantastic, it is more bitter than our old drip coffee maker, but that is what I wanted. This is my first epresso machine, so no comparison's but it is easy to use, I am learning that the fine espresso grind is too fine and that makes for a very bitter cup, where as a courser espresso grind works perfect. The frother works great and I love my cappuccino's. It tastes like the coffee we have in Europe and we are happy.

Does a great job but only with about 4 oz milk or it overflows.

The product performs well. Milk is heated to correct temperature. Adapters fall out during wash. Perhaps make them of metal or supply a couple more ......very ease to loose down the drain.

I've had this less than a week, so not sure about longevity. However, it is exactly what I wanted. It heats my milk so quickly, in less than a minute, and I love that it has 2 attachments so that I can heat my milk without a lot of froth for my tea, or heat my milk with a lot of froth for my cappuccinos.Keep in mind, it will only heat & froth a 1/2 of a cup, or heat 1 cup of milk with no froth, at a time. If you try to heat & froth a whole cup of milk, it will either over flow or turn off automatically. But it's the perfect size for me. I gave it 4 stars because the stand could be made a little more sturdy. It has a tendency to tip towards the handle side of it, if you put any weight on that side when picking it up. I put a spot of play-dough under that side of the rim, and it stays level.

This is a very good product

Not my favorite Delonghi. Not sure if the temperature is higher but something is different. I have had other Delonghi machines and this one does make the best espresso or frothed milk.

I owned the cheaper version of this that I liked. So, bought this one. Used about twice a day for about six months, then the filter crogged. It didn't happen with the cheaper one. I wash and leave the filter in the water for hours after each use. It is quite maintenance.

This is a great machine, and it worked really well for us until just recently. The only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because we've had it less than a year and it's not really working anymore. We keep it clean and flush it out every so often, but the motor is really straining and it no longer makes a good espresso. It takes about 25 seconds to even START pouring the espresso and it just tastes like dishwater (same beans, same process, the only difference is that the machine is a year old).I loved this when I first got it - it was so easy to use and made a perfect latte every time, but I am really disappointed that it didn't last a year. Maybe 3-4 espressos per day is too much for a home machine :(

This machine made perfectly acceptable espresso for the short time that I had it. However, after just under three months of use (2-4 times per day, two shots at a time), the pump failed, and the machine no longer worked properly. While it was working, it made decent espresso, but never quite managed to reach the quality that I would like, even with a good grinder, and good beans.The frothing wand worked reasonably, but it was short, and inconvenient for most use. It was difficult to achieve the correct texture, due to the design of the tip.I returned the defective machine, and went with another manufacturer.

This is a one and a half month update from my original review. Very fine coffee for espresso tends to clog the pressurised filter basket, even with virtually no tampering. I get better results pulling 30 seconds double shots with medium coarse grounds and heavy tampering. I'm waiting for a manual coffee grinder to make other tests. Milk frother performs better covering air intake hole at top of the pannarello stick with some adhesive tape.+++++I have only two weeks with the machine. In those weeks I think that it's a really good entry level esresso machine, but not more, entry level. I have a concern regarding the milk frother, first I doesn't make lightly froth steamed milk, it makes a lot of froth, and the milk foam doesn't last, I think it add too much water to milk. Good for capuccinos, but not the best for lattes. Usually it takes 20 - 25 seconds to pull an espresso single shot, but I my short experience with this machine, I think that 17 seconds is better [less bitterness]. I had other steam espresso machine, and I think they performs very well compared with this pump machine. In conclusion, not really bad machine, espcially for the price, but, you get what you pay for.This review is for first two weeks of use, later I will make another review.

Pros:Steaming wand works wellEspresso comes out consistent and tastes greatFor this price, it's a good little machineCons:Can't leave water in the tank because it leaks into the tray at the bottomVery light weight. The picture makes it look better than it is, but it's all plastic except for the little bit of stainless steel used on the front.

This is only to create froth, it doesn't hold much liquid. You cant heat up a cup milk and froth it. It only froths some if it.

As with many other reviews on here I've run into issues when frothing the milk. It works perfectly when steaming the milk but the problems happen when you go to froth the milk. The seal is not very good so when you froth the milk it spews over, doesn't matter if you have the thing filled to the max line or just barely the milk spews and makes a mess each and every time. This is the reason for 3 stars. If Ivation fixes that problem and sends a replacement lid I will be very very happy to revise my review to 5 stars as that little improvement will would make this one excellent little machine!

Not completely satisfied...when pouring frothed milk into cup, liquid is at bottom. Hasn't frothed completely

Does not froth as expected. I e Higher percentage of milk vs froth after procedure

This is my first electric frother, which I bought with an aeropress espresso maker to make cappuccino. It makes great hot foam froth, hot steamed milk, and cold froth. I have not tried the hot cocoa yet. You can get big bubble stiff froth or tight bubble loose froth, you have to play with it to get it the way you like it but with practice, it can be done. I use whole milk so I have no problem getting a thick foam like a coffee shop. If you want steamed milk AND thick foam to make a cappuccino but do not want to make two separate batches, if you turn on the hot froth (press button UP) and when it starts getting thick, pull the top off, move the foam to the side a little and pour the hot milk that has not foamed yet, into your coffee, then complete the cycle for foam and top off your coffee with thick spoonfuls of foam. The full cycle makes it so thick it cannot pour out, awesome!! It is easy and quick, easy to clean,etc. Practice fixes most problems.....But the problems are not acceptable, it's just that I can still get steamed, frothed, and foamed milk.PROBLEMS:1. It overflows almost every time I use it, even when I barely cover the whisk with milk. That is a minimal amount of milk. I started out filling it to the line, knowing I would have a few cups of cappuccino and it overflowed everywhere. After a major cleanup, I tried just under the line and the same thing happened. I have made many pots now, using less and less milk and only twice did it not overflow and both times I had barely covered the whisk with milk, and I stood there and stopped it, or used some of the hot milk, just before if overflowed, and then continued to froth the remaining milk. Bottom line, you must stand watch while it froths or make very small batches and cross your fingers. This is on the Hot froth mode (pressing button UP). No problem whipping cold milk that stays cold. The chamber/pot is not big enough for the amount of milk they claim you can froth, not even close, they could have made it an inch taller and I could press the button and walk away, they didn't.2. Burnt milk- for some reason, at least half the time, there is a layer of scorched milk along the bottom. It happens when using the max amount of milk, and when filling just at the whisk height, I just cannot get a consistent reason why. Sometimes it is with a lot of milk, sometimes a little, sometimes when it runs the full cycle and sometimes when I stop it early. The good news is, it stays stuck to the bottom, it does not pour out into your coffee, and does not change or effect the flavor. But if you are spooning out your thick froth, do not scrape the bottom or you will get a bitter burnt milk taste. It cleans out easily,does not stick to the bottom when cleaning, you do not have to scrub or anything. But it is a problem. I use an electric kettle for boiling water to make espresso with an Aeropress. I fill the kettle to the top and then pour the leftover boiling water Into my frother to clean it and it gets very clean, removes the burnt milk instantly and cleans the whisk, which usually has some burnt milk on it also.I almost gave it 4 stars because the froth is perfect and can be modified to make it thicker or denser or fluffy or whatever you want. But as I described the problems I thought hmmm...I have to stand there and monitor it to stop the inevitable overflowing mess, and I usually have a layer of burnt milk on the bottom, neither are acceptable and on their own would have docked it one star, and I w o of tell my friends/family to try another brand. That makes it a threes star item in reality.I am keeping it because the resulting froth types are great and practice has now made a great cappuccino for little money. None of the others in this price range have any better reviews, they all have issues. If it breaks or I win the lottery, I will replace it with another brand in the same range or higher end (lottery winnings). But I am at least pleased I have the ability to make a great cappuccino at home, quickly.

looking forward to using this one day!! (during the winter) Well that one day finally got here and boy was I disappointed!!! 4 months ago I bought this machine and this morning I used it for the first time. I started the machine at 8:10 a.m, It's now 9:00 a.m. and still no expresso coffee. In the mean time I've had two cups of regular coffee from my coffee maker I bought at Walmart. The two stars is for the the expresso machines looks. Its' really pretty, but still doesn't work.

The machine worked pretty well and the coffee was very flavorable. However, it has gotten nearly impossible to get the coffee holder to turn into the correct position to make the shots. I had to take out the water container, unplug it and the tap it with a mallet to get it nearly in place. Very unsatisfying experience. Any tips on fixing this problem? It was never easy to get in place. Probably should have returned it at the onset.

It lasted 10 months before the pump lost pressure. I will try and get it repaired under the 1 year warranty but I suspect they will tell me it's normal wear and I'm out of luck. Irrespective of the result, I did expect this to last a few years before dying. Still, cheaper than 10 months worth of Starbucks so I guess I could just buy another one,

I am so disgusted with this machine. This is the second one we have ordered. The first began to show a low stream and then none at all. About 1 month after we received the second one it began to do the same thing. This was purchased on June 18, 2016. In looking for the serial number I turned the machine on it's side. When set upright again it magically began to work. Since then we have had to repeat this process with the second machine as the machine will once again begin the slow then no stream. We have probably used this procedure at least 5 times to get the machine to start working again. This is ridiculous that we have to go through this repeatedly. I will never buy a Delonghi product again.

This espresso maker was a great disappointment. I never got to make a decent cup of espresso with it. Before i learned how to use it properly, it stopped working. Although it had plenty of water, the pump was working, nothing came out of it. I would definitely recommend against others buying it. On the other hand, I had a De'Longhi espresso maker before this one that gave me years of reliable service. My problem may be specific to this model, or even this particular machine, but I will not order another.

I ordered the ecp3420 based on the positive reviews.The machine worked great for 5 days and 10 espresso shots. Then, the pump broke and it would not brew anymore just like another reviewer had mentioned. Frother arm still worked and the boiler would still get hot....just wouldn't brew anymore.If the pump was updated, I think this could possibly be a really good budget espresso machine.

This product worked wonderfully until it broke about 9 months after I ordered it.

Looks simple enough... but I found it difficult and too messy to use. Now it's in the back of my cabinet.

Meh...not great. The manual frothers work much better.

I feel so pampered, it's such a treat and is quick and easy to use. Loved it until it quit working 7 months later :(

The Aerrochino is more expensive but worth it.

It broke on us in less than 30 days. Luckily we were able to return it.

I cannot recommend this machine. When the espresso cup is full and the machine is turned off, the filter continues to drip, very messy. It's poorly made, not what you'd expect from the De'Loghi brand.

Sadly, I am unable to say much good about the DeLonghi ECP3420. I received my new machine in January and immediately there were a number of small but unexpected issues. I don’t think it is just me who expects a new $150 espresso maker to be flawless — at least at the beginning.First, when I loaded a filter basked with espresso ground and seated the basket and holder onto the machine, it would not seat completely. The handle would only turn about 70 degrees, vs. the 90 degrees expected. On the surface this may not seem like a big issue as it still made espresso. However, once the espresso was made and the cup was removed, drips from the basket would not fall through the holes in the drain and into the drain pan. This meant that espresso would splash around the machine and make a mess every time I made a serving. (More to come, see below.)Next, I made the mistake of putting the basket and basket holder in my dish washer. Sadly, the dish washer removed the surface plating from the basket holder, leaving an unattractive gray surface. For $150 buck I expected better. The espresso basket itself was unharmed.Next. Six month into its use, the machine began to perform poorly, just dribbling espresso until finally I decided I had to contact DeLonghi. I had twice descaled previously with white vinegar, but to make sure I bought the DeLonghi descaler and used that to no avail. I contacted DeLonghi, they evaluated the machine via a video link over my smart phone, and they replace the machine very promptly.With the disappointing first six months of experience with the DeLonghi ECP 3420, I asked if DeLonghi had an upgrade program; unfortunately they do not. In addition, DeLonghi stated: “Please be advised your factory warranty continues from the original date of purchase and does not restart upon receiving your replacement unit.”Lastly, I received the new machine, I set it up, freshly ground my favorite espresso roast, inserted the basket holder in the machine and guess what. That’s right, the express basket holder only rotated about 70 degrees. So I am back to square one cleaning up the mess.I am now selling the brand new unused ECP3420 at a garage sale in two weeks.

One of the most frustrating machine I've ever owned. I've had 3 different machines break on me!! The first I owned for about a year and a half and the water pump broke on me(at least I suspect). Basically, when I would have it in coffee mode, it would suck in a bunch of water and never spit it out, would get stuck in the pump and I would have to leave the steamer on for 10 mins to get it all out. If I didn't touch it for a day it would give me espresso again. This was a constant problem, and eventually it stopped working altogether. Because it was relatively cheap and made good espresso, (like an idiot) I bought it again, but with insurance this time. I didn't have it for a year before it broke again with the same issue. They sent me a new one, which I've had for a month, and BAM. Broke again. After research, I've found this is a problem across all Delonghi products. Save yourself money and frustration and go with a different brand.

I purchased this machine on January 17, 2017 and on May 15, 2017 it stopped working. If you are looking for a machine that makes espresso well for 4 months only then this is the machine for you! The pressure was gone and coffee made tasted very weak. Because I've owned it for more than 30 days I now have to deal with the manufacturer's warranty even tho I purchased the square trade 4-year warranty as an additional item.

do not recommend. works inconsistently and the galvanized portion on the coffee handle has black stuff that is coming off. i wish i could return it. i am passed my window though.

I bought this for my daughter for xmas present. It worked until end of january. then the troubles began. we tried everything the manual said to correct the drip, nothing worked. then, it would work ok enuf to get a shot of espresso, but only for a week or 2, then back to not working. We have maintained the machine as per instructions too the entire time. We have tried all troubleshooting ideas in manual also, we have also adjusted coffee grind to see if that helped. Nothing did. Do NOT waste your money. We sent inquiry to customer service, so will wait and see now.

I see that this frother is currently unavailable. That's a gift for consumers so that they aren't tempted to buy this fragile appliance. The first one that I purchased stopped working after a week. I was able to exchange it for a new one. The second one just gave out after a little over a year. The limited warranty is for one year. It's like they know.While it was working, it was a great little frother. Quick and good foam. When warming the milk, it left a skin of milk at that bottom that was both (1) kinda gross if it detached and ended up in your coffee, and (2) a complication to cleanup since the milk skin stuck around the motor spindle. Hopefully this thing is discontinued. I just purchased the new version of Chef's Star MF-2 milk frother. Fingers crossed.

Stopped working after 3 months. Loved it just sorry it's not built to last at all. Last just long enough to not be able to return. Sucks.

Makes great foam when it's actually working but only works half the time. Seems to be an electric connection issue with the appliance - have to press the "on" button a million times before getting it to function. Frustrating. Have to send it back.

I love this for the 6 days that it worked. I will never order an Ivation again. This is the second just like it that I have purchased and they were both garbage. Buyer Beware!

Stopped working after just 3 weeks! Initially it worked great. The best foamed milk ever, but after daily use for about 2 weeks it only worked intermittently. Eventually it quit altogether. It's unfortunate because as mentioned when it worked it was fantastic.

I love this when it works. Since the first use it has been very temperamental - one minute it works, the next time no luck. For 2 months, I used it daily (when it worked) then one day it stopped working all together. Can no longer return. Piece of junk that I will recycle.