I am a college student who works as a barista and absolutely loves coffee and espresso. When I first saw this machine at Target, it immediately caught my eye. If you are in a tough financial situation like many college students are, or if you are looking for a beginner machine that won't cost an arm and a leg, this would definitely be the one. Although this doesn't have a barometer, for the price point you can't really complain, especially since it has a pretty good steam wand. First, I'll get the leaking issue out of the way. The original unit I received did have the same issue many other reviewer's did in that it was just leaking a ton of water on my counter. Once I did a return and exchanged it for a same unit though, I noticed the issue was gone. I'm not sure what kind of quality control issues Delonghi is having, but I hope they get it fixed as soon as possible. Next, I'll get the cons out of the way. Since this doesn't have a barometer, you have to kinda just put your trust in the machine and simply taste and experiment as you go until you find the proper grind consistency for a good, layered, shot. Once you find it though, you'll be happy you did, as shown in the photo above. Second, since this is a manual machine, you'll have to either use a scale(another reason to buy one) or some other form of measurement to measure your shots for consistency. There is a 2 pack of espresso-measuring shot glasses on amazon that sells for only $12 that I would highly recommend for this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NWGC82N/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_QWM2KQN1W5HKTG4977CG The scoop/tamper this thing comes with is garbage. I hate to say it but since it is plastic and has a weird lip-type thing near the base, it is difficult and actually somewhat painful to hold it in such a way that you can comfortably tamp your espresso. Also, lets be honest. If you are brewing espresso, it's kinda common knowledge that the best results are gonna be from measuring your beans by weight. Not volume. Just get a kitchen scale if you don't have one already. My kitchen scale is easily one of my most useful kitchen tools, and if you use it properly, it'll probably be the same for you too. The portafilter is a pain in the butt to put on. IDK how Delonghi designed this thing, but in my experience, this portafilter always requires the strength of Hercules to put on straight, even when it's empty. IDK how this got overlooked, but because of that, even with all my force, I usually end up with the portafilter at a slight angle before I brew. Final issue: The steam wand. The steam wand is very powerful and is amazing at steaming milk, however the issue I had with it is the control. The steam wand will do 2 things: shoot out steam for steaming milk, or simply shoot out hot water for americanos. Differentiating it between these 2 actions is definitely not an easy task at first, and it is definitely more confusing than it needs to be IMO. If you are having trouble with it, here's how it works. Turn the dial in front of the machine all the way left to steam milk (wait for ON light to turn on), if the dial is in the ON position, the wand will do a weird thing were it keeps going back and forth between steam and hot water, and then finally turn the dial all the way right for hot water. Once your dial is in the proper position, turn the dial on the side of the machine all the way down to activate the steam wand. Design team definitely could've made the steam wand easier to use.If you are considering this machine, I would highly recommend it. If this is your first espresso machine, keep in mind there are a few extra items you'll need if you wanna use this thing to it's fullest potential.Kitchen scale. If you don't already have one for other kitchen applications, brewing good espresso is gonna come from consistency above all else. Measuring your beans by weight is already a massive step towards upping your espresso game. You should also be measuring your final product by weight, but you can also measure your shots with the glasses I posted above.Tamper. You can find the Delonghi one on Amazon for about $20, and once I bought this, I immediately noticed a HUGE difference in the quality of my shots. Since you are supposed to tamp your espresso with approximately 30 lbs of pressure, the only way to comfortably and accurately do this is with an actual tamper. The tamper Delonghi sells on amazon is the perfect size for this and fits like it was designed by NASA or something. Grinder. Obviously brewing fresh is going to be a huge improvement to any coffee game in general. Don't cheap out on your grinder. If you want to be as cheap as possible, you can go for a manual burr grinder and just grind your beans by hand. This will also be best for keeping the noise level down. I don't personally have too much experience with manual grinders, but just look for ones with many good reviews (see if you can find reviews of verified professionals) that mention espresso and grind consistency. If you do have the extra cash, I recommend an electric burr grinder. Never use blade grinders, as they provide no way to give consistent grinds. Probably the cheapest electric burr grinder you'll be able to find that gives good espresso is the OXO one. I believe it sells for approximately $110. This is the grinder I personally use and while there are better ones on the market, you won't be able to find any at the same price point.Steaming pitcher. Believe it or not, you will need one of these if you want to do things properly. You can find some pretty cheap ones on amazon at around $10. You'll want a steaming pitcher for 2 reasons. 1, for easier and more accurate milk measuring as well as pouring your milk for latte art if that interests you. 2, and the more important reason is this: Milk burns at 170F and breaks at 158F. Because of this, you need to be able to quickly gauge your milk's temperature so that you know when to stop steaming. Using a glass measuring cup may look ideal, but it will take so long for the heat to transfer to the outside of the cup that you may have already broke or burnt your milk by the time the outside of the cup feels hot. This is why steaming pitchers are so thin and are metal. Faster heat transfer means more accurate gauging of temp so you know when to stop steaming your milk.While it will take you some practice, with the proper tools and technique, this is in my opinion, probably one of the best espresso machines to start with or for anybody if you are confined by size or price.