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Hmm.. tbh, $120 for an ebay product seems a bit much and risky..
Not sure now but last time I looked Breville is selling most for $190-$200? So for $70, you get a warranty and at least guaruntee working product at purchase..
Yep, Ive had many good experiences buying from the bay. Also had one or two bad ones. for something like this, unless the price is REALLY good, Id want to be able to collect and pay on collection, that way you can see it working and if it doesnt work, just walk away.
Buying online from anyone (auction or internet store) is risky. You have to evaluate those risks yourself.
As noted above, there are often some good bargains to be had on the hardware for sale section of coffeesnobs, or even occasionally on Pay It Forward when people have old gear they want to pass on for free.
For Breville stuff, the Breville clearance outlets have some great bargains and a 12 month warranty. Not sure if there is one within driving distance for you though.
u still might get one "new" at a good price, they are fairly well regarded in the budget class (i have never owned a working one) but have toyed with a few broken ones
Originally posted by 6E77020 link=1163710607/1240#1240 date=1298963649
Thoughts on whether this is way to start
Welcome!
This thread isnt really the place for discussion, so probably worth starting a thread in another one of the appropriate forums.
Everyone will of course say buy the best grinder you can afford, and tell you to contact one of the many CS Sponsors to get a package that would suit (Mazzer Robur and ECM Giotto suit almost anyone, money permitting :P). When asking what would suit, always tell people a price point.
Alternatively, the CS For Sale forum is a good place to get gear. People on here look after their gear, and usually arent prepared to risk their reputation.
Hi Ive been lurking and reading on this great coffee drinkers forum for over a year - and finally joined up as being out in Yorke Peninsula in country SA, just cannot get a good coffee without drivng 120 clicks.
Used to have an old Atomic but left it with the Ex and now have only french press. My fave coffee is a machiatone/half latte (my partners is long black or cap). I would like to purchase entry level machine to and have seen ikon and BCG450 on ebay- seller says only used 10 times, but offers no return.
Yeah some businesses really blow me out like that. I recently had a business tell me it would take them two weeks to get an item in from their Sydney store where it was in stock...I am in Wollongong just down the road. I told them to shove it as I could have it from anywhere in the world in far less time than that.
I have dealt with a couple of companies in China in the past and when I placed payment, my goods were ready to be picked up from the depot in Australia THREE DAYS later...FROM CHINA! (Must admit I was gobsmacked!)
I really dont see an excuse for anyone taking six weeks to get parts in for you. Businesses need to wake up and realise anyone can source anything quickly online these days and dont need to cop their apathy in getting parts in.
No parts in stock at the local agent, not the end of the world, order from Breville. Not in stock there either, ok, not the end of the world, but have been told it is a 6 week wait for the local agent to get the part. 6 weeks!!! where do these things come from, China on the back of a Donkey or something.
Order Part from Aus - 2 mins (email or online order).
Add to part of regular order (shipped weekly perhaps?)
Delivery from Aus to NZ - 3 - 5 days.
Sent from Akl to CHCH 2 days.
So far I am at about 2 weeks +/- a few days, where does the other 3 - 4 weeks come from??
haha I used the same technique on my baskets, I used a small grinding wheel to get rid of any sharp edges. If others try this make sure you leave a small edge around the bottom (as in the above picture) otherwise the plate will pop out under pressure
Its not too difficult to fix the pressurised baskets with minimal tools but it takes a bit of patience. Although I tell people I did mine with a dremel I actually used a cordless drill with the dremel cutting blade attachment locked into the front. A pack of cutting discs and the attachment which holds them in place (which fits into the drill) will probably set you back about $10-15 all up.
I did the single basket first because I didnt really care whether it lived or died. The funny thing about this basket though is that the gap between the two floors (about 4-5mm) is filled with a plastic puck, which I assume the coffee flows around. If you secure the basket to a benchtop cutting the bottom off is easy but getting the plastic puck out is a nuisance. I puzzled for a while afterwards as to why the puck existed but the answer was revealed to me when I used the basket in the machine. The single and double baskets are exactly the same size with the only difference being the gap between the two floors (which in the single is made larger by the puck). So when I tried to pull a shot without the puck in there the upper floor popped down and sat on the ridge where the bottom floor used to be. My single basket was now a double basket.
It sounds rough but I gave it a few more tests and it didnt move any further so it looks like it would be okay to use. However, I wanted to mod the double as well. The double is easier because there is no puck to remove, BUT, you need to be a lot more careful cutting it because the two walls are so close together (>1mm gap) that if you get too enthusiastic youll start cutting into the top wall. This is not ideal.
Anyway, the end result with the double basket was exactly what I wanted and the basket hasnt shifted around at all, although, if you are cutting one of these remember to cut the bottom OUT rather than OFF (dont cut around the outside) because, as I found out with the single, the upper floors are prone to shifting.
God, look at that, Ive just written a couple of pages on cutting up Ikon baskets. I had some really nice Indonesian Java this morning (home roast, of course) and Ive gotten a pretty good kick out of it. Sorry to everyone if I rambled a bit. Hope some of this was helpful. Just to throw in another thousand words, here is the finished double basket (its a bit rough but remember I did it with a bloody power drill).
2nd day with the machine yesterday and my initial observations that the steam is more powerful than the 6910 is spot on. The Ikon it seems requires a totally different technique than the 6910. It creates a much bigger vortex in the milk than the 6910, heats the milk in about 1/2 the time, even the sound of the milk being steamed is different. I can see more than 1 pitcher of milk being less than optimal, ce la vie.
I really really hope that the non pressurised filters arrive sooner rather than later. The shot is definitely the weak part of this machine with the current filters.
It came with 2 double filters and a single, how difficult is it to modify them? I dont have an extensive list of tools at home (cordless drill, side cutters, hacksaw - no special metal cuttine equipment tho). Is ther much of a gap between the two floors of the filters?
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