Thread: Upgrading our old machine

Welcome to Coffee Snobs Dutchie.

Its not that simple.

You said you are "now getting taste for fresh coffee".
A $700 budget is not going to get you a grinder with some of those machines listed.
Without a decent grinder youll be wasting your money on any machine.

I have experience with the Sunbeam so am able to tell you it can make a decent coffee and do reasonable job on the milk too.
Youll need to matching grinder at a minimum.

Im confused though.
Firstly, the Delonghi Magnifica ESAM3500 is a fully automatic and despite Delonghi sponsoring my footy team, fully automatics are not recommended in general.
Also, my research indicates a new price of $1700.

The Silvia is also over your stated budget.

Please confirm your budget before we proceed any further.

OK some valid points........the Sunbeam 6910 has sold previously (last month) with the free $220 grinder....I spoke to a Sunbem rep and was told they will most likely offer this again towards June to compete with the BES 860.
The BES 860 is currently on sale for $620.00

As for the Delonghi, they too are currently on sale for $999 with one retailer and Im sure I can get it cheaper....also, I am led to believe this unit does also have a manual setting and you can take the milk container out and froth the milk manually.....

Hope this helps

PS I have read many reviews over the past week and many with negative reviews on the Sunbeam but not sure its all justified.

Ive used a Sunbeam extensively over the last 3 years.
If looked after and youre lucky regarding parts failure, they make a good coffee.
A lot of those bad reviews are justified.

Fully automatics are overly complicated, hence more prone to breakdowns.

So how much is your total budget including grinder?


P.S. Myers, DJ, Good Guys etc. are good places to buy appliances e.g. toasters etc., but if you want a real coffee machine e.g. Silvia etc. you need to see a real coffee machine retailer.

I voted for the silvia. I would recommend you to go to a sponsor or a specialized coffee retailer and check out the range of machines. Then you will see what is on offer. Also they offer better service and knowledge then an appliance store. Most appliance store clerks know very little about coffee machines. :P

Originally Posted by 516061767D7C70150 link=1265017445/2#2 date=1265018867

OK some valid points........the Sunbeam 6910 has sold previously (last month) with the free $220 grinder...

I voted for the Sylvia - the above grinder (assuming its the 480) is available at any of the big retailers for for around $175 . I didnt even have to haggle at GGs - on the floor at $220 but walked out with it for $175. Keep this in mind when considering the package cost.

I dont recommend this grinder though - but I suppose you could always sell it and put the dosh toward a better one :)

The Lelit would be line ball I reckon.

I vote Lelit.

Great package at the price. Available from a couple of sponsors.

The Silvia does get rave reviews for good reason, but for the price I think the Lelit is on top.

Thanks for all the feedback.......I am obtaining a quote from one of the sponsor sites for the Nemox Fenice.....i read good reviews and is also within my budget and have around $150 left for a grinder although I could wait a month and have a bit more to spend on one.......

I read that brass compared with Stainless Steel etc is much better so this now has swayed my buying $$$

Just a quick question, will the Nemox Fenice Espresso Machine make 2 cups at a time?? Silly question I know.......

Yes it will.

Thanks Junky.......
Sorry for all the questions, but my thinking after all the reading Ive done, its best to spend money towards the grinder and then get a good espresso machine.
If this logic is correct, how would say a MDF grinder and a Gaggia Espresso Dose go together.....??
Any view on this espresso machine as I cannot find many reviews on this forum on this model........cheers

I have an MDF; they are a good little grinder.
I thought they were hard to come by at the moment.