Well regarded machine to start with $50 cheaper than GG/HN promo price. ~$200 off rrp as cheaper than last deal on here as this has the grinder, which will get you started
This along with manna beans or such fresh roast coffee not to far from producing cafe quality coffee and absolutely destroy any pod machine (@ $50-$100kg v ~$30mannabeans) ozbargain style
Came up with free shipping for me in perth
Good price for a solid machine. I had the EM6900 for 3ish years (second hand off my boss who had it for 3 years) and recently replaced with the PU6910 for the same price at the GGs. One big plus for this machine is the thermoblock design. In a very practical sense i can turn the machine on and it will be up to temp by the time i have ground the beans and got the milk ready. Other boiler types require a bit more planning to make sure the boiler is up to temperature when you need it first thing in the morning.
Just beware that I don't believe the included grinder is that good. There are well known issues with the EM0480 grinder requiring extra shims to achieve a fine grind. From what i can tell the included grinder is a cheaper version of the EM0480 grinder that cannot be shimmed (the top section is a single plastic molding).
Note I don't use the included grinder, i still use the old EM0480, so this is from a quick inspection. I am keeping the included grinder as a backup.
Just beware that I don't believe the included grinder is that good.
There are well known issues with the EM0480 grinder requiring extra
shims to achieve a fine grind. From what i can tell the included
grinder is a cheaper version of the EM0480 grinder that cannot be
shimmed (the top section is a single plastic molding).
I wonder whether this has been fixed along the way.
I had an early EM0480, which I never set to anything coarser than #3 (out of about 20 positions) with very fresh beans, and ran out of adjustment to fine the grind up on less fresh beans.
It died several years ago (mostly through user error when trying to fix the grind adjustment, but under warranty), and the replacement has been much better. Fresh beans are perfect for espresso on #10, old stale beans give good extraction time at #4-6, and I can do a coarse grind for plunger on #15+. I haven't put shims anywhere, and haven't found any shims when I've pulled it down for cleaning.
If they fixed the EMO480 so long ago, they may well have tweaked the EMO440 at the same time.
+1 for the deal because you won't find a better machine for anywhere near this price.
I wasn't even aware Retravision was still around, all their stores near me have closed up years ago.
Unfortunately, unless I am doing something wrong, shipping interstate is not available, to WA only.
Yep no good for me either i would have to drive to Rockhampton to buy one ;) 1200klm return trip
I've had a em6910 paired with the em0480 grinder for around 4 or 5 years now. The grinder I had to get sunbeam support to send out the shim to make the grind finer (as mentioned above), but they did it for free, no fuss, and were really good about it. The machine itself has worked fine for this whole time, only thing being the group head has needed the occasional carboard ring hacked out of a cereal box inserted into it to get a good seal. Probably because I was over dosing the coffee grinds a lot when I first got it to compensate for the grinder not being able to go fine enough.
Plusses are that you can froth milk and draw the coffee shot at the same time (twin thermoblock), so you don't have one or the other sitting around getting cold while you do the second thing.
It's certainly a lot fiddlier than a pod machine, but well worth it once you get it right.
It is noisy though, if that's a concern for anyone.
I paid about $600-$650 I think for mine way back when, after some haggling. It included the em0480 grinder, but that required a redemption through the post and some waiting. Later combo deals included the grinder in-store. Looks like they've downgraded the included grinder now.
I got this package from myer about 3 weeks ago for $470. BTW it includes a free lesson at a coffee school (limited locations).
Just a heads up that The Good Guys are currently selling this combo for $466.65+shipping through their ebay page with the 15% off coupon: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/143800
Great price for a very capable machine. I suspect they're clearing all these out because it's been superseded by the EM7000 (which fixes a few minor issues and performs a lot quieter).
There's a great side by side comparison of the Rancillio Silvia, which is considered one best machines in the sub-$1000 category, against the EM6910 here: http://www.coffeetamper.com.au/kb/reviews/sunbeam-silvia/
If you've only got $500 budget for a grinder and a coffee machine then I think this deal would be very hard to beat. If you can extend the budget a bit or already have a good grinder you might want to consider something like the Rancillio Silvia or the EM7000. I saw the EM7000 at HN last week for $799 with a $100 cashback (eftpos card). They've got rid of the cash back this week to probably maximise profit from last minute mothers day purchases so I suspect if you wait a while they might put down the price again for EOFY sales.