My Oracle Barista broke after just short of 6 years of use, I am still deciding what machine to get next.
I saw this deal, not the cheapest its been, but such a good machine.
Hope this helps!
Breville The Oracle Espresso Machine (Black Sesame) BES980BKS $1897 + Delivery ($0 C&C/ In-Store) @ The Good Guys
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daveg1980 on 03/11/2024 - 14:46 thegoodguys.com.au (1500 clicks)
Last edited 03/11/2024 - 14:54 by 1 other user
Last edited 03/11/2024 - 14:54 by 1 other user
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Thanks mate, thats a good price for those who can access that! :)
Is this model better than the dual boiler?
No. You will be crippled by any in-built grinder. Unless you have a serious lack of bench space, you're better off with a machine + separate grinder.
@ATTS: The Oracle, Barista express, Touch and Pro now have identical grinders to the Smart Grinder.Parts are interchangeable.
With Baratza Burrs and single hoppers. In my eyes, there is no need for a separate grinder any more.
@iMagoo: Not crippled, you have the bonus of auto tamping etc. it is much less work to get a coffee up on this than a BDB
@iMagoo: As below it grinds, doses and auto tamps. I've had both manual options and the Oracle in my time and can tell you it is quicker and less hassle to bang out a coffee on this. Really shines in doing multiple coffees quickly. Bonus if you buy a second portafilter so you can be grinding with one and pouring with another at the same time. Makes it a lot easier to get up 4-6 coffees for when the family is around.
Its stand out feature is that it grinds, doses, and auto tamps the coffee. You just insert the head into the grinder aperture then transfer it to the water one. Then time the shot. Personally I like that. Others will want more control with a separate grinder then manual dose and tamp. So "better" depends on what features you want.
"features"
Another word for more steps to bang out a coffee that when not done 100% correct, will yield a worse coffee than the Oracle.
Anyone can. Sign up to ART super.
It’s showing 1773 for me, would the discount be different for Rest Super v Australian Retirement Fund, Origin Energy.
Join 'Rest' Super for free and you'll get a free TGGC sub :)
6 years, stuff that, take them to the ACCC and get them to fix it
ACCC won’t care. Hope this helps
How long is reasonable for a coffee machine to last? Assuming around 2k retail
10 years
Nice
I’ve had 2 Brevilles BES series. In two the pressure guage died within 2 years, both times they wouldn’t fix it but the second time round I decided to look into it and it was $60 to replace with a new one myself. On the first machine the pump died about 5 years in, again not too hard to replace. Then the solenoid rack went at about 6 years (at which point I was sick of repairing it and replaced it, only to find the new ones were just as bad).
Thanks for detailed reply.
Where did u get the diy repair instructions from btw?
Oh not fix within 2 years? Wouldn't acl apply?
My BES870 lost pressure, have ordered a new solenoid valve for it.
An Oracle should last more than 6 years
Mine lasted just over 2 years, but thankfully Breville still honoured the warranty.
Mine is around 4-5 years old
I wish it did, was 800 bucks to repair :(
Did they tell you what the issue was?
Yeah.. was water leak onto the board, which was the main issue. Other isses too with wand etc… they said it had a high cup count too. Id say it made 6 cups a day, but i always ran another cup at the end of each coffee run, just to flush it
These can lose pressure for all kinds of reasons not least of which the pressure gauge is rubbish and fails. That’s been the problem on two of mine so far. Only once had the solenoid fail.
I've got no blockages and pump is fine.
I noticed water coming out of the second valve when pulling a shot so seems like its not fully sealing.
Replacement should come tomorrow.
My Oracle started playing up after 7 years. Made only 10 cups of coffee each week with it. Not planning to buy another one and waiting for a better price on DeLonghi Eletta Explore Titanium.
Have you been servicing it or at least replace the rings once a year?
Can't tell if you're being facetious.
10 x 52 x 7 == 3640 cups of coffee. About $0.50 each. You got good value out of that machine.You're forgetting the electricity, coffee bean, milk and sugar cost my guy
Cup of coffee is $5.
Beans are $15-30 for a kg(70c per coffee) which probably last just over a month. Milk is probably $3(30c) a week. Sugar is negligible and might not even be used. Electricity is probably .50c at most per use.
Add it all up and you pay about $2 per coffee made at the higher end of costs. $3 saving across the life of the machine per coffee. If you make 520 coffees a year the machine pays itself within 18 months.
Could get it for less using aldi stuff and cheaper milk options. Less again if you get a more efficient thermojet unit that doesn't need to preboil the water.
That said I wouldn't go an oracle unless it's a business thing. Because making a coffee at home is easy with some ease of use tools.
@fremeer: Electricity is no where near 50c per use, it's almost nothing. If you have this machine and use sugar then you shouldn't have this machine.
@TEER3X: Definitely using a high number. The machine is 1700w I think. For 30 mins of use(including start up) then it's closer to 30c per use. If you make 2* coffee with each use thats closer to 15c per coffee but I was more using a round number assuming worst conditions.
@fremeer: It's not using 1700w for 30 mins straight. Use a power meter if you want the actual number, but it's nowhere near that.
@fremeer: At my local cafe the beans used are $65 a kg.
You should be comparing apples for apples. You're also not factoring in descaling, coffee machine cleaner, water filters, accessories to make comparable coffee, decent grinder etc. coffee wasted dialling in grinder etc.
You're probably looking at about $3 a cup with this machine.
You need to keep in mind that a dose would be 21g coffee which is about $1.60 given that you'll need to dial the grinder in.It's why in Melbourne coffee is going up to $7 a cup very soon.
It would take you about 7-9 years to pay this machine off if only having about 2 cups a day.
If the machine broke outside of warranty you'd be worse off.You'd have to sacrifice on quality of coffee to reduce costs - alternatively buy 7/11 coffee.
@[Deactivated]: Sunset Blvd coffee by Inglewood is basically as good as nearly every cafe I've been too near my area. About $28/29 if you get it delivered every 4 weeks.
I'm going by the quality of the end result, the flavour of the coffee . The oracle is good enough in most aspects even with the built in grinder to get a very good coffee.And also Breville uses smaller baskets so it's closer to 18g. That's about 52 cups of coffee. So 10 bags over the year. $300/365 days. 80c. At 21g it's about 90c per coffee. And that's assuming $30 for a bag of beans. Yes you can get the higher quality $60 beans but honestly I think most are shit and the only decent one that might be worth that is supreme.
Breville descaler is about $35 for 10 uses. Do it about once a month. Filter is barely an issue unless you have very hard water. Can get away with twice a year or even once a year. That's gonna be $52 for 520 coffee. Or 10c a coffee. That can be reduced further by finding cheaper options too.
I live in the suburbs. The coffee I get at my local coffee shop is much worse then the coffee I make myself.
Even at $3 total cost the actual pay off is easy to work out. You have 2* 520=1040 saving a year. Pay off is 2 years. Even at $1 saving it still says itself off in 4 years. Not sure where you are getting the 7-9 from.
@fremeer: See sunset Blvd isn't very good coffee at all it's like a veneziano. it's also "$60 a kg full price" when they do 60% off sales all the time because the blend is crap. You'd be better off buying aldi coffee at $14 a kg. It's not specialty coffee so I 100% wouldn't compare it to being a $5 coffee. It wouldn't even come close to a $3 coffee from 7/11 (they use $22,000 coffee machines)
But this is my point, you're sacficing quality and maintenance costs but then comparing it vs a $5 coffee speciality coffee with 3m 3 stage water filters, descaling, back flushing daily and $65 coffee running through a $16,000 machine and $3500 grinder.
It's hard to compare crap quality blends such as Inglewood when the whole business model is to sell to cafes and they include a machine and grinders, training, servicing under the contract.
Because a Breville will pack up to the point beyond repair within 5 years I think you'll be out of pocket vs going to 7/11.
If it were a profitec or lamarzocco you would save money if you're willing to have the same machine for 8 years on end..
@[Deactivated]: I'm the snobbiest of coffee snobs and I don't even understand what you're referring to as "specialty coffee". Do you think cafes are serving you batch numbered Geishas in flat whites?
3460 is basically new.
Our Jura has just ticked over 15 000 cups.
But I've 'fixed' it here and there. Spent the whole $27..ie. Stepper motor needed to be opened and re lubed, Brew unit needed a clean and lube, changed the o-ring ($2), new burrs (haven't actually fit them yet, but I think the brew quality will improve slightly when I do). But 15k cups and still works like cup 1.
That being said, the 'dead' Breville machine will still be new internally. Except a plastic elbow would have cracked and leaks ($5 for a brass one off eBay). Might of taken out a triac ($4). I have Barista Express (hard rubbish pick up). Same problem, same fix. No idea on the brew count. But I've done maybe 1000 cups with it. Works well.
Just society has lost the ability to understand how simple things really are.
Just a heads up. The Eletta is a basic pressurised basket brew system. The milk system is also a draw through. So you will end up with a much more basic coffee flavor profile (needs a much a coarser grind) and colder pull through froth milk.
Personally, just buy an entry level DeLonghi (identical brew system) with a wand (only way you will get proper hot micro foam).
Any advantage for the oracle over the plain dual boiler?
My 8+yr barista express timing has been failing on and off over the last 3 years (works 6/7 days), the dual boiler was on my list to upgrade to whenever this dies.
I believe the dial boiler is getting discontinued?
Interested to hear why you think that
Touch screens are replacing dials
I was chatting to someone that sold Breville products, specifically coffee machines, and said they could get me a discount. I mentioned that the only one I was interested in was the dual boiler, they said that's interesting as it was being discontinued.
I was intrigued, but they weren't Breville, so who knows if it's true or not.
There have been other rumours going around that they're not restocking it, but nothing official.
It's a 10 year old design from a company that iterates designs a lot.
Will it be replaced with a new version, or simply set off to pasture? Maybe a dual boiler with a touch screen so there are MORE things to go wrong?
who knows, time will tell, etc.
None. Get a BDB and a separate grinder.
Thanks. It'll stay on my list as the preferred replacement
Oracle has some auto features and a simplified workflow.
Does this have plastic tubing ? Looking for one with just metal tubing at least where hot water comes into contact
All internal tubing is plastic if that's what you're asking
Ptfe tubes are common in all espresso machines, even high end.
All use Teflon tubing (PTFE).
This or wait for bes920 with grinder?
BES920 with a DF54/DF64, Eureka Mignon or Baratza Sette for comparable price.
Squint, and it looks like a barbecue.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/364788516436
Refurbished by Breville. $1799 before the regular 15/17%/20% off refurb item deals => <$1530.
Still recommend just getting a BDB and buying a separate grinder.That seems to be the way forward
OK boomah
No prob champ.
I have one of these, they are OK provided: you adjust the dose with some scales (there's a little screw to adjust how far down the auto-tamp goes which sets the dose). Not difficult and no disassembly of machine. And you ensure its warmed up before pulling the first shot - i run just a water-shot through it. Given this, it will pull a reasonable shot. I did also need to adjust tamp strength through the menu.
Took me ages to work this out, as id set it right (after everything was warmed up) and puling decent shots, then the first shot or two when cold were absolutely shit.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
I wouldn't mind having an all-in-one PC or iMac. but all-in-one coffee machine is generally a bad idea.
Genuinely curious why? If the grinder fails, sure half the machine will not be usable but it’s the same thing is you got two seperate units and one failed isn’t it? Plus getting two units mean two plugs needed and probably more counter space too.
For starters, beans - you don't want to keep them anywhere near the heat, the heat from the machine can accelerate the deterioration of the beans' flavour.
So you just put in enough beans for one cup. That’s what I do and I have a separate grinder; keep the beans air sealed in the cupboard
@dtc: That's not how many of these grinders work, they require some weight to grind consistently. to achieve that it's best to use single dose grinders like niche zero etc.
@OzHan: 3D print a single dose hopper. It works well.
These machines now use Baratza Burrs.
No need for a separate grinder any more.@tunzafun001: interesting. So between the pro version and the bambino plus + the smart grinder (which seems to be what people suggest as a good beginner setup), the latter setup is not superior to the pro unit anymore?
@roofyapple: I'm in the same boat, tossing up between the two options. Would like to hear some opinions.
@roofyapple: The burrs are the same/interchangeable.
The only benefit might be in the features. ie timer (which you can do with your phone/ use scales anyway),
@tunzafun001: Are the grinding options the same as well between the two? The SGP seem to have a wide spectrum of grind options - not sure I’ll be using them all tbh but good to know whether the same grinding results can be achieved on the pro
I like the idea of 1 unit than 2. Don’t need a seperate electrical plug and I would assume occupies less counter space
@tunzafun001: To each his own, If it works for you then its great. personally I much prefer a separate grinder like DF54.
Yeah I have been considering the dual boiler option since my Oracle died. I am currently using an AeroPress, better than instant I guess!
I know the dual boiler was posted, but feels expensive, but i don't want to consider the Breville express, as would take longer to do the milk etc.
I am leaning towards the Breville Barista Touch Impress (BES881BSS2IAN1), but hoping for a black Friday deal.how long did it take before it died?
Just under 6 years…. for the price id expect ten years. But from what ive read 6 or 7 is the average life expectancy
I have a while to go then :D its only 2 years old.
I've had the oracle for over 10 years, every few years something breaks and I take it to the store for repair. Highly recommend taking it to your local coffee machine repair shop and asking them to have a look! Sometimes cost $700 to fix sometimes $200. Cheers
Was over 800 for mine. Kinda figured id be just as well looking at a new machine
when I got the main a few years ago it was 1700 bucks from harvey norman the machine still gets used daily
They must be repairable (and profitable to do so), I got one off these off fb market about 2y ago for about $900. Advertised as refurb’d, I checked the service menu and apparently it had done about 150 coffees at that point.
Good nic minus a dent here n there, been working well for me. There was a bloke out north in melb that seemed to have a shit load of em, diff models at diff grades all around 11-1300. I ended up getting mine from someone closer
I have an Oracle and Mazzer mini grinder. Ended up just using the built in grinder. The convenience was worth it over the minor taste difference.
I've had mine for about 7 years and very happy. It's a nice middle ground between a full auto and full manual.
It does great foam every time, consistent shots as the tamping is done by the machine. That also minimises mess and makes it much easier to whip up a good coffee before work in just a couple of minutes.They are reasonably serviceable. I recently replaced the pump on mine… It was fiddly as hell but only cost $80ish. You can (and should) also service the rings in the boilers cheaply and pretty easily yourself.
Jeez, got mine for around $700 a few years back (combo of black Friday deal and gift cards).
Not sure why I'm gonna do when it inevitably dies, cause I'm not paying $1500+. I'd love an Italian machine but I feel like I can't go without the auto milk now, I don't think any Italian machines offer auto milk do they? Also I can't find dedicated milk frothers that look any good…
At this price point you might as well get a proper coffee machine like the Profitec Go.
Interested to know why the Profitec is a good option?
That's my next machine. Profitec pro 700. Really good machine. Usually about $3999
I wish I had that kind of cash to get that model. I'll keep dreaming for now.
Double the price is not the same price point as this deal.
The Profitec is a coffee machine and not an appliance, which a breville is.
Build quality and longevity is another reason. Every breville post I see, including this one always has someone saying the machine died and only lasted 2yrs. Not saying they are a bad machine but, if you're wanting something that will last more than 2-5yrs, I'd choose the Profitec.
My Rancilio is almost 20 years old, I'm the second owner. Going strong
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it's 1662 at tggc btw