I have owned 3 of these great Krups minis since 1990. They last and last—except for the cap. The center "plug" fails. Finding an intact replacement is a challenge on eBay - and Krups discontinued them. I took a chance on this item and it turned out to be new, seemingly never been used. Very happy. Super-fast delivery too.
Sometimes it is hit and miss with something like this - a design about 40 years old, in use who knows how much. We like this kind of espresso maker (in name only - not really much of an authentic espresso maker) because of its ease of use/cleanup, versatility, and compactness.