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Sunbeam EM4300 Mini Barista Espresso Machine $199 C+C @ Harvey Norman

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A pretty good coffee machine IMO. I've been using it for over a year with no problems. Not sure if this is the lowest price historically.

You could also price match at JB.

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Harvey Norman

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  • +5

    Thanks for posting. I did notice it's cheaper ($193) with free delivery here.

    https://www.appliancesonline.com.au/product/sunbeam-mini-bar…

    • Your deal should probably replace the one above!

    • Nice one, I'd go with that option. Unless you want local warranty without the hassle of delivering the unit back.

      • +3

        Appliances Online are local and give fantastic service

        • -2

          Can't stand the CEO.

    • Back to $229

    • just arrived .. whoa that was fast delivery…

  • +1

    An FYI, you can get the Matt Black unit from good guys and use this price for price matching. Worked for a friend. (Technically not the same unit but try your luck!)

  • +3

    Bought one of these from Amazon. It pulled some nice shots, but started leaking around the steam wand joint - mostly the occasional drip, but sometimes a spray of hot water somehow found its way out. I sent it back for a refund after my wife said I could have something better, but honestly it wasn't a bad machine at all to start learning espresso on.

    Mine was pulling slightly long shots, so I started weighing and timing the shots manually. It can be programmed though.

    I highly recommend buying the single-walled baskets for this, particularly if you're grinding fresh (which I also highly recommend)!

    • How do you program it?

      • +1

        There's some instructions in the manual. Basically hold the power button down for a certain amount of time, then turn the shot on, turn the shot off, and the machine will remember what it's poured. You select either the single or double when you do this, and it should assign that pour accordingly.

        Mine was doing about 70g output for a double shot. I wanted it to do the standard ~40g output for the double basket (20g….so I guess really a triple), hence I was cutting the machine off before it got there. Apparently I could have programmed it with a shorter volume by doing the above, but I never got around to it.

        You can also reset it back to factory spec. Maybe I needed to do this too.

    • Can you point me in direction of the single-walled basket you mention, and what does it improve?

      • YMMV, but when I ground my beans to anything remotely resembling an espresso grind, my machine simply choked up on the double walled baskets. I did manage to work around this, but I think those baskets are designed for somebody to use with pre-ground coffee, which is expected to be a little more coarse. The small hole in the outer wall of the basket provides back pressure, and allows you to pour a coffee with a reasonable 'crema' on top (or perhaps a faux crema) even with sub-par coffee.

        The single walled baskets allowed me to brew my espressos in what I would consider a more normal fashion. You have more scope to dial in your shots.

        Probably should take what I say with a grain of salt, since I only started down this slippery slope earlier this year, though other sources will probably point in the same direction on this.

        The items are EM69107 and EM69108 for single walled baskets in 'single' and 'dual' shot sizes respectively. The handle for this Sunbeam takes 58mm baskets though, so there may be aftermarket baskets that fit it.

        • Really appreciate your reply, thanks! I never use pre ground and yes, machine can choke up.
          I'll give it a try. Ebay description notes: "Fewer holes than old original filter cups so it makes better creamy coffee than old type"
          I want more intense coffee

          • @hen dawg: The difference is night and day IMO, first thing i replaced when i got mine

            Also just be cautious if you buy it from the eBay seller 'ellis_electrical_dandenong'. I waited two weeks for it to arrive, then sent a message that they ignored, then sent another one and they finally admitted they had to backorder it. Left neutral feedback that they managed to get eBay to delete (wtf) and they leave snarky comments to their neutral and negative feedback that they can't get removed.

            • +1

              @Chickenleg: Ha! Me too…slow as a wet week those guys. Did come eventually though.

            • @Chickenleg: Thank you both, I'll definitely buy these. Wating for http://spares.bigwarehouse.com.au/ to confirm they have right part.
              Had machine (and replacement) over 3 years, nice to know it can get better.

  • +1

    Had mine for around 9 months now, pretty happy with it. My combo is Breville Smart Grinder Pro, coffee scale, single wall filter, and cheap leveler/tamper from AliExpress. Fingers crossed none of the issues mention above and previous deals happen.

    • +1

      The scale was one of the more important acquisitions I've made. Such a simple thing, but so handy.

  • +1

    Does anyone know if this is comparable to the Delonghi Dedica?

    • +1

      Both in the same price range and do the same thing. That steam wand in the Dedica looks a bit funky though. The Sunbeam has a more traditional steam wand with one hole in the tip, though machines at this price point don't produce the steam volume of better machines (I still got some nicely textured milk out of the Sunbeam, but it was slow in comparison to the Silvia I'm using now, which itself is not the strongest machine out there for steam).

      Apparently the panarello attachment can be removed from the Dedica, and you are left with something vaguely like a plain steam wand (albeit plastic/silicon/something).

      58mm baskets in the Sunbeam (more broadly used standard)…Dedica is a 51mm. Not sure if this impacts the shot.

      Dedica is tiny…good for tight spaces. Sunbeam isn't exactly huge though.

      Dedica will do pods…though I just watched a video and the shot it produced looked terrible….maybe just forget about their E.S.E pods, as there seems to be no point.

      Drip tray in the Dedica looks quite small. Sunbeam is reasonably sized.

      Dedica is a bit pricier normally? Maybe it has a nicer build…dunno.

      I think both of these machines are made to allow the user to achieve a level of consistency, but perhaps without the flexibility to dial in truly excellent espresso based drinks. The pressurised baskets are part of this, as is the panarello steam wand on the Dedica. Still good fun though, and way nicer for the environment than a year's worth of pod capsule waste.

    • I think one major difference is Delonghe Dedica has 51mm filter group size, and this Sunbeam has 58mm. 58mm is commercial standard. If you compare them side by side the difference is huge (A silly example maybe condom sizes?).
      But commercial parts may unfit to Sunbeam mount.

      In addition, a full set of filter usually include 4 filters:
      Size 1 cup, Pressurized (Dual wall),
      Size 1 cup, Non-Pressurized (Single wall),
      Size 2 cups, Pressurized (Dual wall),
      Size 2 cups, Non-Pressurized (Single wall).
      Some brands / models (many of them) don't come with the full set for various reasons (cost is only one of them). In general pressurized is easier but taste is average, non-pressurized is more fun but requires more skills.

      For more detail:
      https://www.espressoschool.com.au/blog/filter-baskets-explai…

      • I did notice the group itself was aluminium, is there a replacement group you can buy from another machine this would fit?
        I'm presuming this would be a decent upgrade for anyone that does own one of these

        note - I don't own one, just saw one owned by a friend and thought that might be easily replaced off say an EM6910 or something?

        • Possibly, but it’s certainly not anything like the handle that fits an E61…lugs are different if I recall. If there are other handles matching this, I think they would be rare and specifically made for this machine (and any other Sunbeams that happen to use the same handle).

          Note that there is a plastic insert in the bottom. The stock handle is also very light compared to that I got with my Silva (the Rancilio handle could be used as a weapon).

          I think the most useful upgrade would be to buy a spare and chop the bottom off it so that you can go naked.

  • I’ve had one of these for a couple of years now. Great compact machine. I kept it simple with double wall baskets and lavazza pre ground beans. The Aldi pre grounds were too coarse for it.

    I recently had trouble with the baskets outer wall gunking up and stopping the shot from pouring, So I just drilled out the outer wall. So now it works like single wall basket. Coffee actually tastes better but do not get the fake creama effect of the dual wall basket. Need to buy a grinder and go a finer grind probably as the double shot pours for 16 seconds which is too quick in my understanding. But for now it’s still a nicer coffee than before so living with it.

    • +1

      Because there's two layers of the basket, you need to run a blank shot afterward to flush out the gunk inside. Would also pay to run a cleaning fluid through it every so often without the cleaning disc in it.
      Probably a bit late now you've gone and 'hacked it' though

  • I have had mine for about 3 years now. Still going strong. Use it for instant hot water and coffee.
    All I have had to do was always use boiled water and basic clean after coffee. I only use the 2 cup basket.
    Beats Nespresso for black coffee in taste and value
    I paid about $175 for mine

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