First post here so apologies if formatting is poor. Found this at my local big w, plenty in stock. Most other retailers selling for $350+. From reviews I've read it's a great entry level machine.
Are you ironic or serious?
Cheers
The taste of the coffee doesn't change between this machine and the BES890
Ah right! ;)
Want to sell me your BES890 cheaply then?
The internals are the same. The more expensive ones might have some bells and whistles (electronic controls, LCD, pressure gauge), a dual boiler (useful if you want to steam milk at the same time as pulling a coffee), or an inbuilt grinder (saves bench space, but then if one part breaks…).
But the coffee they produce is exactly the same.
more expensive machines will be PID controlled which can certainly make a difference. Also worth noting that the steam wand also tends to be more powerful on more expensive (>2kW) machines - although having said that the DT is 1700W which is pretty decent compared to other entry machines (often 1100-1200W).
These are microprocessor controlled too using a temp probe rather than a bimetallic thermostat, the lack of thermal mass requires responsive heating of the thermoblock.
I think the duo temp pro has PID temperature control as well.
The kW rating doesn't determine the steam output.
On a boiler machine it just means that the boiler will take longer to build pressure.
@spaceflight: Something to do with dual boilers then? the BES920 steams milk far faster than a standard entry level machine does.
@harro112: A single boiler would be the same.
It probably has a larger boiler for longer steam output before the pressure drops and maybe the boiler reaches a higher pressure.
There are some differences. You can control the temp coming out of the boiler to 93 degrees. The BES980 can also auto dose, tamp and throth milk to microfoam hands free and to a set temperature. This ensures a more consistent coffee as everything is regulated and controlled by the machine.
Good price
Good post and welcome to Ozb !!!
I have been looking at the BES870/878 but this seems tempting. Any reason to stick with the 870/878?
was about to write some comments between choosing this + a smart grinder, VS the BES870.
Price wise 870 and the combo are around the same.
I had the BES870 and I can't like it more. I haven't used the dual temp pro but I "guess" their espresso quality would be similar.
BES870 has built-in grinder while dual temp pro need to pair with a grinder, this is a pro or con depending on your need. The integrated grinder of 870 does the job well for me and save some space and plug, but i am sure a smart grinder will grind better (not sure how much better tho).
One thing I like about 870 VS dual temp pro is that 870 has a pressure gauge. At first I thought the gauge was a fancy gimmick until I started to manually control the pre-infusion (basically long press the brew button to lengthen the pre-infusion period) where the pressure gauge comes in really handy.
Got this for $279 from BigW a year and a half ish ago for the wife, then also the smart grinder off ebay bing lee promo for $149 or so, she loves it and uses it a few times a day.
Consider bench space of inbuilt grinder vs separate grinder, but also that (in a combo unit) eventually the espresso machine will break and the grinder still works but you throw away a perfectly good grinder. The Smart grinder is more configurable, but for most that's not a concern; the core grinding mechanisms are identical. The core coffee making mechanisms are identical. Having used both, I think the pressure gauge is a gimmick; you can tell the pressure just as easily by the time of shot.
eventually the espresso machine will break and the grinder still works
I think it will be the other way around.
I also found the smart grinder to be poor quality.
I swapped the first unit after the grinding adjustment broke. The second unit had the same problem too.
without statistic everyone speaks of their experience. one thing for sure tho, by the time my barista is done with its life, I am happy to move on to another barista express, or have myself upgraded to something else.
in the end of the day, choosing between the combo or barista express makes little different, they are equally good imo. so just pull the trigger and enjoy!
If bench space is a concern, worth checking out the bambino.. great machine
Question for those in the know…is there any reason why something more advanced (automatic) machine is cheaper than the one in this deal?
Like this one…
http://www.bigw.com.au/product/sunbeam-cafe-barista-white-em…
When I was researching coffee machines, what I generally found was Breville’s machines are considered to be a lot more reliable. Sunbeam offers a lot of features for the money, but generally (there’s exceptions, I’m sure) their coffee machines don’t last particularly long.
I bought a Sunbeam (similar to this breville) and it broke within a year, took it back and paid the difference to get this BES810BSS and have been happy ever since.
I love that it is manual so I could learn to be a home amateur barista.
I'd rather pay for better quality build than automatic features.
Sure, I could get an automatic, but if all I have to do is press a button, that's no fun to me.
Same thing i found when looking at reviews and had a chat with a few coworkers who had Brevilles or sunbeams. All (By all i mean a whole 7 people) recommended Breville over sunbeam.
thanks mate. Funny you said that… guess I have been lucky, I have been running a Sunbeam EM9300 for 4+ years and it's still going strong :)
People like what they buy, unless problems destroy their confidence around the original decision. As more people buy Brevilles (larger market share for many reasons), it is easier to find more people recommending them. That said, both brands have some history of bodgy models and design flaws even for consumer level machines. The modern Breville designs (their Australian team has played a big part of their international success) are getting very polished as they have had lots of iterations and their success is building market penetration. Sunbeam is keen and making headway in the market, not sure how much success they have had or if they are much better or much worse, but their upmarket machines have many advocates. To me they all look pretty similar, only the Italian machines stand out in terms of physical and component quality (but traditionally suffer design flaws and lack the reliable microprocessor controllers found in the cheaper consumer market models)
I agree with @aja12 as personally, I have owned 2 Sunbeam Coffee Machines (EM3820). Their customer service is amazing as my first machine broke after 10 months (internals caught fire) and they sent me a new machine. Unfortunately, the new machine only lasted 6 months before breaking and was out of the 12-month warranty (from first purchase) so I ended buying a Breville Bambino from The Good Guys commercial deal which has been great so far.
You do know your Australian consumer warranty coverage resets with a replacement, irrelevant of your warranty?
I've owned that EM5000 previously and I'd much prefer the Duo-Temp. The milk frother is really not great (average quality froth and minimal control) and the whole milk unit is a pain to keep clean, plus the frother died just out of warranty which was why I ended up getting rid of it. Basically the DT costs more because it's a higher quality machine.
Also worth noting that the DT comes with single-wall baskets which is a great addition at this price point.
Convenience and less noise and cleaning. If your hands shake from old age maybe a pod machine better.
em7000 going on for 7 years - 1 coffee a day each day
Me too, my EM7000 from 2014 won't die!
I have had two of these for over 4 years now, one at home and one at work. Both still working well and making good coffee. I had a sunbeam before this one and that one was good too, still in working order. Breville feels a bit better though.
I've used this and the breville dual boiler (BES920). For its price, its honestly not bad, quick heat up, good thermal stability with just a bit of water flushed through the group, but I never really made more than one or two drinks with it at a time. If you like milk drinks, microfoam is more than achievable, but you do have to spend a lot of time on it… Takes a long time compared to a nicer machine.
Make sure you don't cheap out on the grinder though - a good machine can't make good espresso with crap grounds, but with a good grinder, you can make it work as long as the machine has an OPV and isn't pressurised.
Thanks OP. Unfortunately no stock in Melbourne.
Seems to be stock in rural areas of Vic. Outside of the lockdown zone. It's like big W is toying with us.
It has to be for essential shopping can ppl drive around so better leave it.
Where is jv for an ozbargain initiation?
Get a second hand Jura or Gaggia, pay a little more and get something that will last.
I would get a Rancilio instead
For $299 or even close?
Looking on ebays recently sold, 350-550 is the going rate for used ones.
https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=Rancilio&_…
@Broden: From that link the going rate is more like $500-750.
Buying them second hand is fraught with danger without getting to see it work in person first. You could be up for $500 in repairs if these haven't been looked after.
@serpserpserp: Broaden suggested a Jura.
The last time I checked with them the minimum service fee that Jura charge was about $350
@serpserpserp: Then buy a local one? Lol are you serious you would get one of these shipped?
Enjoy your inferior Breville mass produced garbage, when it breaks you'll think about this comment.
^This
These appliances don't last very long.
Reports (owners) above & below would disagree.
I have a sunbeam 6910 that's still going after 12 years.
I had to replace the pump as it was surging, but guess what, its the same ulka pump that's in a silvia…
Just pay the 10k extra and import a full size coffee machine from Italy.
Or just buy what I consider the best machine on the market (for its small form factor and features). Only 4-6k from memory: https://decentespresso.com/overview
In this late hour, when a coffee would've been nice, I'd have definitely pulled the trigger had it had an in-built grinder.
Happy with mine. I have been using this machine for 5 years. Just last week the steam wand started leaking. Have ordered a new steam wand.
I've had this machine for about 6 years. It cops heavy use (especially since I've been working from home) and it hasn't put a foot wrong in that time. I highly recommend it
Good luck getting a decent coffee out of any machine that uses a thermoblock instead of a proper boiler & grouphead.
I have this and love it. No issues so far but not using as regularly as I'd hoped to!
How does this compare to DeLonghi Dedica which is slightly cheaper?
I've got Dedica.
For one thing, the breville has a proper steam wand not that useless rod on the dedica.
The espresso making will be better on the breville as well for finer grinds, dedica won't pull the shot if it's too fine up to a certain level.
edit: actually never mind, they both have 15 bar pressure. So seems like the only difference is a better steam wand.
I have lost my breville filter .. is there anyway I can get the original cheap? Can’t seem to find on eBay!
$284 with officeworks price beat.
You're lucky. No officeworks in my area have this in stock.
Can this machine make a small coffee? I'm the only coffee drinker in the house and generally only have a small coffee.
Yes, they all do. 30mls is the std single dose of espresso, double is 60ml. The choice is yours each time.
Ok I'm expecting to get some flak for this and if possible constructive criticism would be appreciated.
I have had no problems with my $89 Kmart Espresso Coffee Machine even though it is an Anko product. Have been using it two to three times a day for over two years now and I have found the coffee it makes is great and consistent. While it does use a pressurized portafilter (of course the machine can't produce enough pressure for a standard filter basket) this means you don't require a perfect grind or accurate tampering pressure. I also rarely use the milk frother so can't comment on that part.
It reviews well by CHOICE reviews Kmart Anko Espresso Machine
Good price for current market prices. Bought mine for around the same price as this couple of years ago and it came with a briville burr grinder worth around $200 for free as a package. Amazing deal at the time. Then ended up getting a manufacturer refurbished Breviile Oracle BES980 for around $700 on ebay (worth 2.5k+ new) and have been using that for the past 12 months and have never looked back.
As per my comment above there are some major differences between this my BES980: The BES980 you control the temp coming out of the boiler to 93 degrees, it auto doses, auto tamps, there is a time visual 30 second shot (stops at 30 seconds), and auto throths milk to microfoam hands free and to a set temperature. Basically this machine is an automated and controled manual machine and this ensures a more consistent coffee as everything is regulated. Also has automatic cleaning cycle which is great.
Cons: Recommended 12 month servicing. Apprently parts are freakin expensive too. Not sure on standard servcing costs are either. With the $299 breville you can probably just run it to the ground.
The manual machines cost less to service and are more reliable. Manual ones like this and the 860, 870, 900, 920, for example.
Full auto is very appealing to many, not sure if its worth it as it only takes two minutes to do manually on a dual boiler, and maybe 3 or 4 on a basic machine. But I don't own the full auto, so would think that….
Delivery doesn't seem to be an option, at least in metro Melbourne for me.
I had one of these back in 2015 - I think from an ozbargain deal where it came with a basic grinder for $274 (a pretty bad one).
It made great coffee, but the water supply into the showerscreen seems to flow mostly through one side, which resulted in oil build up on the other side of the showerscreen unless you flush it regularly, although you can clean the showerscreen by removing it with an allen key.
From my notes earlier, it brews at 93 degrees and PID holds it within +/- 1 degree but you cannot change the temperature.
One on the shelf at BIG W Sunbury VIC
I can't tell the difference in coffee between this and my $800 Breville machine.