Bought this 7 yrs ago, and still making one great coffee with lots of crema.
Easy to use and sturdy and yes I bang my the pod to get the coffee out. If the coffee pod filter gets clogged (you"ll see it holding it up to the light, hold a lighter against it or put it on a hot stove( yeah yeah, shouldn't do all this, but thats how it goes in a italian restaurants where I worked in europe)
A few tips: use a recommended de-scaler every 3 months
As soon as you get less cream on your coffee. (run you finger through the water container if if feels slimy or oily, time to clean the container.
Ours is on 12-14 hrs a day and coffee is great.