We have to admit, this is our second Francis Francis espresso machine. However, with Francis Francis being acquired by Illy, the classic design has been completely redesigned on the inside.
Seven years ago we purchased the older model for $899, in classic white, directly from Francis Francis. It worked great for about 3 years — but then it began to have “pump” issues. In doing a few Google searches, we discovered that this was a very common issue with this model. We sent it in for service, which cost $150. Just a few months later, the problem surfaced again. No expresso. No luck… During that time, we noticed that Francis Francis was being sold to Illy. We tried to get support, but little was offered during this transition time.
Our Francis Francis just sat there on the counter. We didn’t want to commit to another “pump” repair. And the other expresso models were “too much” – too many buttons, gadgets, and things to eventually go wrong. We loved the simplistic feel and functionality of the Francis Francis X1.
Then, we got wind that Illy completely redesigned the interior workings of the Francis Francis X1. Even better, they lowered the price to $599. Gone were all the color options, only stainless and black remained.
With much reservations, we ordered a new Francis Francis X1…. Fingers crossed….
While the exterior remains the same, it’s different on the inside. The new internal design features a new extraction group, including state-of-the-art electronics to control coffee and steam temperatures.
Expressos come out smooth and even. Perfect actually. It also makes wonderful cappuccino foam, which is improved over the previous model. We always use ground Illy expresso coffee — which we recommend over the pods. We tested the Illy pod filters a few time, but the expressos came out too watery. And that’s fine, as we prefer the freshness of ground expresso.
And it still looks classic and spaceman retro. So far, no pump issues, hopefully that is resolved — and Illy will provide support if problems arise. The Illy Francis Francis X1 Espresso Machine is Pursuitist Recommended.
