I picked this up from Homesense for $80 3 years ago, it's a fully metal construction DeLonghi kMix but what was interesting is that its only branded DeLonghi in North America. It's actually 'k'Mix since its made by Kenwood of Japan and better quality than the plasticky Delonghi espresso machines in this consumer price point. Weird.
Good pressure but it has pre-pressurized baskets so I cut out the pressurized part on one of them so I could get a regular basket as another option. Works great for Espresso shots and short latte/cappuchino cups but otherwise too small for regular mugs to fit. Generic milk wand though - makes generic foam but can't do latte art thickness even if I monitor the temperature and use a proper stainless milk pitcher. The size would make sense for small Japanese homes.
I get way more extraction with this than other coffee methods (drip, french press, cold brew) so my beans last way longer.
Regarding de-scaling, I only ever use Zero Water filtered water in the reservoir so I've never had any build up whatsoever. I used to have problems when I used Brita as Brita sucks at filtering out minerals and metals.
