CW -
If you know the difference between gelato and ice cream, and you are not willing to spend a few thousand dollars on a commercial gelato machine to satisfy your gelato urges, then this Delonghi ice cream maker is for you. I have made french vanilla, lemon gelato, and peanut butter cup gelato and all have been excellent. The advertised differences of less air and more dense concoctions is not hype but reality. I am not ready to say this machine will rival the gelaterias of Italy for truffle smooth creations, but what it produces is close enough for my taste buds. The Peanut butter cup gelato was very close to truffle smooth. For the cost of this machine compared to what it produces it is a winner in my book. The noise level is tolerable, and it appears to be well built. I believe if you follow the manufacturer's directions for use, the machine will perform admirably for many seasons. I would suggest buying Terrance Kopfer's book "Making Artisan Gelato." Delonghi's recipes are of the mix it freeze it sort---if you really want the flavor rush unique to gelato, invest the time to prepare it the way it should be and you will be rewarded with this machine. The 1.2 pint capacity was concern for me initially and caused me to postpone my purchase a few months. I can now say this is really an asset since you can have more variety for entertaining with the potential for waste and ultimately cost. The longest freeze time was 25 minutes and the hardness of the product at the end of the cycle was much more frozen than I expected. Right now in its price range, this is the best gelato, er ice cream machine in the marketplace.