For those who are waiting on the Breville BES 920 to come on sale, maybe Aldi's offer could tempt you. Features include:
Made by Stirling
Stainless steel espresso machine with integrated burr grinder and 15 grind levels
Removable 250g bean hopper and powerful 360° swivel action steam wand
2.3L removable water tank
Includes tamper, portafilter with single and double filter baskets and milk jug
3 year warranty
Anyone have experience with this machine? Is it single or dual thermoblock?
You have 3 years to return it
They said it's a "Premium" product
So might come with 'pre'-leak
I read reviews of 100 machines there is always some saying they leak
All espresso machines will go to the dogs if you don't maintain them with the chemical cocktail flushes they require as stated in the manual, even expensive commerical machines.
They're coddle appliances, not set and forget appliances.
"coddle appliances"?
@clandestino: To coddle someone is to treat/hover parent them or to be overprotective.
So makes sense in this context.
@clandestino: Perhaps not the best word to use, but basically I meant appliances you have to care for.
To stop all the (possibly false), fuss below check out what Stirling says themselves…
https://stirlingappliances.com.au/product/premium-espresso-m…
Colour me tempted. Would love to hear if anyone has any experience with the machine?
The grinder stopped grinding after about 2 months so I returned it and went with a Breville instead. The only positive was the Aldi return policy as the machine is very poor quality.
Hell yeah
Legend, thanks for the reply!
wow, thank for the link.
Seems like previously it had issues with the grinder stopping working. Apart from that reports were that it did an ok job.
Looks to be this machine by Sencor. Hard to find reviews for it, mostly sells in eastern Europe.
That said, it's an extremely generic design, could just be something straight from Alibaba
I hope Aldi ordered over 10 million units otherwise that's not much of a profit margin!
There's so much that can go wrong with coffee machines. They are also notoriously hard to make capable of producing good coffee at lower price ranges. Tbh there are known good-ish cheap brand name machines at $400+. This one seems like quite the punt given the lack of reviews available.
If it's the same machine as the previous deal then I'd avoid it and invest in something nicer.
Don't cheap out on these. Do it once do it right
Agree, got my Breville Barista Touch five years ago for $1200 and it still making great coffee today with no issues.
I've had my Barista touch for 4 years now, I've had the error ER05 two times - Milk thermistor. But I've done 4800 shots. Breville FTW.
If only the Barista Express/ Touch had the same ring infusion system as the Dual boiler and Oracle. The rubbish single point infusion means you will only ever be able to make a decent double shot (but still will never be an even infusion like the big brothers).
A single shot will always over extract on the right (where the outlet is) and under extract on the left. Also much more likely to channel on the right side.
I can't believe Breville have stuck with the design. I've tried adding a piece of thick aluminium foil under the shower screen, with circular holes poked through to distribute it better. Also using a puck screen. Still working on it to work out the best approach. But that's the reason the DB is better, nothing to do with the extra boiler.
They should also add a pump dimmer dial by default. Besides providing flow profiling benefits (at a cost to Breville of around 30 cents). The OPV spring is a bit rubbish, and the bottom spill tray fills up WAY too quickly. With a pump dimmer, the OPV doesn't need to activate and you only rinse the tray once a month…
Longevity wise, one of the valves sits above a triac. When water leaks on the triac…weird things will happed (including it turning itself on). So make sure you switch it off at the wall.
Does it have a preinfusion step? Or does that not help in this case anyway?
@kiitos: Yeah it has preinfusion, and you can hold down the shot buttons for it to stay in pre Infusion mode.
I got my breville dual boiler on sale for $999 and its been amazing. Such a great machine for the price.
Unbeatable for the $, amazing machine
I agree such a good machine. Maintain it and it never skips a beat.
Agreed, bought Breville Dual Boiler and Smart Grinder Pro for $1000 and they will both last 10+ years.
They rarely last 10 years without issues, usually problems start around 5 years. Just keep on top of maintenance and get it checked out as soon as there's any signs of leaks.
Not crap talking the Breville btw, I would absolutely take one over this. They can make a great espresso, but they aren't without their issues.
Definitely not as reliable as some of the more solidly built machines from Rancilio, La Marzocco etc but the Dual Boiler is genuinely impossible to beat at the price it sells at here.
For any other dual boiler with programmable preinfusion, PID etc you'd be looking at 2k+ so it's a tradeoff i'm more than happy to make.
Highly unlikely you will get 10 years with either, especially the grinder. The internal parts of the grinder will wear. I have already repaired the internal parts of mine, and shafted it to work duties. One of the best things I've done to produce tasty coffee is to buy a decent grinder. The difference is night and day.
i gave up on waiting for the sale, and bought a refurb 920 with all new bits posted for $600.
much better value than this machine
If your don't mind me asking…
Where from, please?
Did you look inside for any leaks or rust damage?
TA
I bought one from the Breville ebay store - https://www.ebay.com.au/str/brevilleaustralia
Wait for a 15%/17% off refurb sale and dive in. They don't seem to have a 920 at the moment but the stock changes quite a lot (I checked a few days ago and there was nothing but Bambinos). Comes with a 12 month warranty from Breville too.
Thanks you 😊
https://www.sparepartsforcoffeemachines.com.au/
From here, and it's leak and rust free.
Such a good unit to use
Thank you! What's your model production year?
I.e. come with new seals or old o-rings?
TA
I got the Sunbeam Barista Max (EM5300) for around the same price when it was on sale (they come on sale semi-regularly).
Grand Total:
$399.90
That was in January 2022 and the machine hasn't had a single issue since.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Sunbeam-EM5300-Barista-Espresso-Ma…
Just get a reliable brand name one that you can contact or get replacement parts if any issues.
Whats your setup? My puck wet all the time:(
Watch some videos on YT if you're having problems with dialing in etc. It's very helpfull.
Same coffee, same setup but my breville never leave any wet puck. Also YT doesn't show any setup with sunbeam machine
Try grinding it finer or putting more coffee in the basket (or using a smaller basket)
Mine too
Got the same one (probably at the same time too) and can't fault it!
Found this post as my EM5300S has just starting emitting an electrical smoke coil / smell when grinding the beans just yesterday. The machine is not overly used and has been pretty well maintained….. it is almost 3.5 years old though…
If anyone has any suggestions im all ears. Cheers
Given that the machine does say clearly to keep water away from the grinder when filling the tank…
Just wondering if maybe water got into the grinder?
It’s either that or it’s been jammed and like all motors under stress will start to cause too much friction.
I think its the later, we tried to use it again as sunbeam said to take a video of the issue for the support ticket i opened up. We made sure to clear / clean the grinder (just using air not water) - tried to grind again and its like it does a half rotation then stops like its jammed or potentially the motor has gone
Whilst the machine is 3.5 years old, it didnt get a heap of use - maybe 2 or 3 times per week. I wont hold my breath the support ticket will be able to help with anything esp as outside warranty
After reading the comments here looking at a Breville Barista instead… hopefully can wait out for a BFCM deal
@chriskq: If you don’t use it a lot the bambina or equivalent might be better.. just no grinder integrated
Damn maybe this IS a case of ‘looks good from far but far from good’
I’m still tempted especially with ease of warranty claim
Watch the James Hoffman review of this machine it's hot garbage mate.
Just save and get a Breville Dual Boiler or Oracle
James' review appears to be a different machine from UK aldi just FYI
not even the same machine sheesh!
Not the same model but Ambiano and Stirling are the same company.
Are you really suggesting there is going to be a significant enough difference between the model he tested and this one to warrant purchasing this low quality straight to landfill junk?
This is a BES870 equivalent which can be had for $500 on sale. Save your pennies and wait for a deal on the BES870 if you’re contemplating this.
I couldn't agree more
Keen to read comments from people that have bought one.
Often read comments on these deals from people that don't have one, commenting what more expensive coffee machine they have that they are happy with.
Copy pasta comment from previous deal:
"For what it's worth I've got the one without the grinder that the review in OPs post talks about. Have it for a few years and it's been going flawlessly paired with an old Breville dose control grinder. Got a bottomless portafilter/handle from aliexpress which has made cleaning easier. Also got a reusable filter screen, which we believe improves the pour, and keeps machine cleaner. Just my 2c that no one asked for."
Just fyi next time
You can click on the timestamp next to the commenters username to hyperlink to the exact quote. Just put link text in square brackets then the link in normal brackets.
Alternatively you can also use > in front of a text block to block quote
Ooh cheers, learnt something new
Often read comments on these deals from people that don't have one, commenting what more expensive coffee machine they have that they are happy with
Given how important just a good grinder is (and how precise a grinder has to be to be 'good') I think that a massive dose of scepticism would be warranted even from anyone who owns this machine.
Manual says Espresso shots pull through at set temps of 65, 70 and 75 degrees on this machine. I believe the ideal espresso shot is 90+. Probably spend $399 on Breville bambino and use pre ground coffee until you can afford a grinder.
94C at the group head is supposed to translate to 74C at the cup… But surely you should have a selectable group head temp, not the 'approx temp' at the cup.
it’s cheaper, no i don’t want to pay a grand plus, yes aldi has like 3 yr return incase anything goes wrong
Bes870 reguarly comes on special for +/-$500. Is a much better machine than this.
Breville or Oracle or don’t bother. 😏
What about a Jura fully automatic?
Apples and oranges.
Jura is good if you don't care about making good coffee and just want a machine that works. But comes out tasting like 7/11 coffee.
Breville Oracle/Dual boiler will allow you to get closer to an independent cafe quality coffee.
Edit: or Barista Express for the budget option
Jura and Delonghi auto's are pressurised basket machines. Plus variables you cant control…ie..how even the grinds fall into the brew chamber, the tamp pressure.
So they are inconsistent (never know how your grinds are going to fall).
They are ok with 'user friendly beans' - darker roasts.
I have a Jura for a quick up and go coffee, but use a manual when I want a proper coffee.
I strongly suggest that if you are happy to spend this on a machine to stretch your budget ever so slightly and get a decent brand one.
Legit, just save for 6 months and get a Breville.
Buy it right, buy it once.
Destined for the landfill.
Just buy a Breville Barista Express refurb from Breville's eBay store.
Honestly, if you drink enough espresso based drinks to get a machine you should just save and invest in a decent one.
I've had a Breville Dual Boiler for 5+ years, never skipped a beat. Paired it with a Smart Grinder Pro.
I think $1500 all up and I really haven't spent any other money on it.
Drink at least one coffee a day from the machine so I've already easily made my money back compared to buying coffee.
Buy a good quality machine once and not crap like this from ALDI which will just break and end up in landfill best case scenario.
Is this the one that Papa Hoff hates?
Not as much as the Drew Barrymore coffee machine. That review is golden.
Will pair nicely with Aldi's one dimensional tasting cheap beans!
if its from Aldi I don't think its going to be "Premium "
Horribly reviewed, wouldnt risk it and waste $399. Lot of money these days.
You can return it within 60 days if you're not happy with it so it's not a big risk.
I reckon it will leak.