The first couple of weeks with this machine have been a blast. It's exactly what I was hoping for, blazing fast heat up time and instant swapping between steaming and brewing, in fact doing both at the same time. All while allowing for excellent control over temp, pressure and final volume. I came from a barista express and am very happy with the upgrade.
As I'm in Canada, I got the 15A model, and have had no problem pumping out a latte in record time.
Based on some reviews I had watched, I had planned to get a good tamper and 18g basket, but in fact it seems like Ascaso now provides those items, the included tamper is in fact quite nice.
So far my biggest gripe with the machine is that the LEDs are so bright! But some transparent tape and colored markers have turned the blinding white into a nice orange glow.
Purchased from Kitchen Barista for just under 2500$CAD Shipped.