I gave birth for the first six months, after that the problems started. And believe me, there's more going on here than just bad luck. I'm not writing this review because I'm mad at how long the below has been going on, there's just something wrong with this product, but Philips won't and will never admit this.
Two people, a few cups of coffee every day and all with milk. Not that we run a small office and run out of the device in no time.
The milk cup is made of plastic, which eventually causes cracks in the small round steam chamber due to temperature changes. Why isn't this just made of strong glass? A new milk cup costs 50 euros. Fortunately, this was given to me for free up to 4 (!) times by Philips as an extra service due to all the problems that arose with milk frothing. However, a new milk cup did not solve my problem, so in the long run this is another problem that will come into play.
There is a sticker on the milk cup stating that the thing can be kept in the refrigerator. The same sticker states that the thing can go in the dishwasher. But Philips itself says that it might be better not to do this and not to use the cup straight from the fridge. Temperature changes would cause the problems. This also goes against their promotional videos and I think says everything about how weak the cup actually is. If you keep your finger on the round steam chamber of the cup while frothing milk, you will feel it warm up slowly. So the material does not get such a noise.
The design of the teat cup holder has been adjusted since the device was launched on the market. This makes the milk frothing function even worse due to one small adjustment to the ring that falls into the steam chamber. This one has been made wider and sticks out a little further. This causes the appliance to choke on the milk (the chamber is filling up) and it is pushed out more quickly, without being properly steamed and heated. This difference is also clearly audible. I now know what the difference is between the two versions, because of all the problems and tests with various holders. Anyone buying the device now doesn't know any better. Does Philips test these kinds of adjustments? It may help to briefly remove the milk carafe from the steam spout during frothing, so that the steam pressure is restored. But you don't want to have to deal with this for this money.
Due to the problem with milk frothing, Philips, or rather e-care, has replaced the boiler pin and grinder motor. All this after I was first a guinea pig and was allowed to test a new milk cup and holder 4 times. This took half a year in total, you think it will eventually be solved, but unfortunately. In addition, after the repair, the device came back damaged: the front was scratched from poor packaging and the metal drip tray bumped into the device during transport. Again the device was returned, the fronts were replaced but again damaged and with signs of use that clearly indicate a used part. It even looked as if one damage with a silver touch-up pen was even tried to get rid of and it was definitely not my previous part.
Actual milk frothing issue still unresolved, “device is working properly.”
Perhaps repairs/returns via Coolblue go through another repairer, I immediately let Philips run it and thought it would be wise to do this. Sent the third time for repair via Coolblue itself, it eventually took 3 weeks, after which Coolblue said it would send a completely new device because the device was still not repaired. I immediately asked if I could also choose a completely different device, which fortunately was possible.
Nothing but praise for Coolblue of course.
The fit of the fronts is very poor, there are a lot of large gaps between the different parts. I understand that the product photos are perfect 3D renders, but the final product is very different from this. Fit of the drip tray and metal tray is also mediocre, metal tray does fall into place on the tray but is not really fixed. This will vary per batch, but that variation is not something you want to bet 600 euros on.
Cleaning is really more than just rinsing the brew group and running a cloth along the inside. Inside the device are a lot of nooks and crannies that get dirty and need to be cleaned well from time to time, otherwise it will get moldy. Or perhaps the fact that coffee grounds settle into corners here and there is another one of those variations in production quality.
Once in a while, brush the brew group well and carefully if you still have to lubricate it according to schedule. I've always done this neatly and I don't mind, but know what you're getting yourself into.
When a cleaning tablet is to be used for internal cleaning of coffee oil residues, the user must unplug the appliance halfway through rinsing to allow the tablet to soak. Not a disaster, but really couldn't this have been programmed more elegantly in the device itself? The umpteenth little thing with which Philips has not really transcended itself.
For this money I would look further at, for example, Siemens or Krups, maybe save a little longer. Do yourself a favor and, despite the many rave reviews, ignore this thing. Or buy a good coffee machine and buy a separate frother.
I seriously wonder if all the rave reviews from users are that the device has been in use for a long time.
