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    Hi all,


    i wanna get a coffee machine cos i think its high time to get one hahaha (budget aint too big of an issue but i just have to be able to justify the cost). I drink one cup of flat white daily, nothing else and no more than one cup.

    So ive narrowed it down to these few contenders.

    - First hand bambino plus (~$380). I like it cos its small and switch from the pulling to the milk steaming is pretty fast for me (and its the cheapest in this lot)

    - Breville Dual boiler. What else to say except the price is a little steep.

    - EM7000. Also a dual boiler/thermo but significantly cheaper than Breville's offering.

    - Any others around this price point?


    Im gonna get the breville smart grinder (I think for its price, its decent? although ive read that the grinder is more important than the machine so will take other recommendations as well)


    I think i have removed the slower/lower-end Brevilles (and by extension the slower machines from other brands)



    Thanks in advance =)




  • #2
    Just ensure that wanna gunna doesn't become coulda shoulda

    Comment


    • #3
      as in get the wrong product?

      i guess each machine aint perfect so im kinda prepared for that already?


      Nonetheless, any comments?

      Comment


      • Barry O'Speedwagon
        Barry O'Speedwagon commented
        Editing a comment
        I reckon Caffeinator is referring to your tendency to use gonna / wanna / coulda / kinda than their plain English equivalents

        People will find it easier if you are able to specify an approximate budget (rather than ranking machines according to their cost).

        Cheers
        You canna handa man a granda spanna.

    • #4
      Ah, apologies.


      uhmm, i was budgeting around $1200 all in? i can get the breville grinder at around $250 so that leaves around 1k to spend on the machine itself


      Thanks again

      Comment


      • #5
        For 1k it'd be hard to overlook the BDB, unless you can live with a single boiler like Sylvia.

        Comment


        • #6
          yea... just that the bambino plus seems to do very well for a single boiler and at around a third of the price. Not to mention the em7000 which is at two thirds of the price. So as much as i have put aside 1k, the other options seem very valid for their respective price point.


          the bambino's size is just so appealing though.. haha

          Comment


          • Barry O'Speedwagon
            Barry O'Speedwagon commented
            Editing a comment
            I must say that I was genuinely surprised when I saw the current price of the BDB. Used to be a no brainer when you could get them with the grinder at around $1000-1200.

          • gardna
            gardna commented
            Editing a comment
            yea.. i just missed the $850 deal by TGG i believe? i would have gotten it but i guess i wouldnt have seem the bambino plus if i had bought it, haha

        • #7
          Get the Bambino Plus, get the single wall baskets for it, and get the best grinder you can afford with the rest. The smart grinder causes as many problems as it solves. Something like the Eureka Silenzio or Specialita would do well.

          Comment


          • #8
            what kind of problems?

            Comment


            • #9
              To be fair the specialita is like 3 or 4 times the cost of a Breville grinder.

              Which problems are you referring to?
              I would say no other grinder at that $200ish price point can match it. Just need to declump it with a WDT.

              Comment


              • level3ninja
                level3ninja commented
                Editing a comment
                It's definetely the best at it's price point, but it's still a double edged sword. It clumps like mad, is inconsistent in how much coffee it delivers in a given time and the particle distribution still matches its price point. I stand by the priority of a better grinder for this budget.

            • #10
              Grinder aside,


              The bambino seems to be by itself with its single boiler and very affordable price.

              Any comments on the EM7000? ive watched and read too much on the BDB

              Comment


              • level3ninja
                level3ninja commented
                Editing a comment
                You won't really notice the difference between the Bambino and the 7000 other than a couple of convenience features and 54mm vs 58mm group size. They're both thermoblock machines rather than boilers like the BDB, so are quick to heat up and the Bambino will be very quick to change between brew and steam. You want to justify every dollar and it's hard to do in your instance between the Bambino and the 7000 with no further information.

            • #11
              i guess the 7000 can do both steaming and pulling at the same time, hahaha but is that worth an extra $300..

              I guess at at sub $400, nothing really beats the bambino plus eh?

              Comment


              • Whorl
                Whorl commented
                Editing a comment
                Yep, bambino plus is the way to go in that bracket. I almost bought one a few years ago when I was looking to dip my toes into home espresso, but ended up with the EM7000 on an excellent sale. Don’t think you can go wrong with either as an entry point.

            • #12
              and i guess i can always move up from there..

              alright, might perhaps settle on the bambino plus then.


              thanks all =)

              Comment


              • #13
                One last question before i make my purchase..

                does the 54mm group size head matter? vs a 58mm


                thanks

                Comment


                • #14
                  The biggest difference is the availability of accessories, but while 58mm has more available, in the last 2-3 years the 54mm has had heaps more become available and it isn't really an issue anymore. The only concern would be if you were determined to only buy accessories once and you plan to upgrade to a 58mm machine later.

                  Comment


                  • #15
                    At home we have a Decent Espresso DE1 and Niche grinder.

                    I have also had a Bambino plus for a couple of months now in our holiday house and have been very very happy with the little thing, also have the Breville grinder and agree with the previous comments on it's limitations.

                    Just get a bottomless portafilter, an IMS single walled basket and a reasonable tamper and that is a great start. The milk steamer is pretty good, the better half loves it over the manual steaming at home



                    Comment


                    • WarrenK
                      WarrenK commented
                      Editing a comment
                      "also have the Breville grinder and agree with the previous comments on it's limitations."
                      Have you ever used the inner burr adjustment?

                    • level3ninja
                      level3ninja commented
                      Editing a comment
                      WarrenK the limitations are particle distribution, not grind setting
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