Espresso Machine advice

Hodors Appletart

I'm in the market for a straight up espresso machine, not B2C

Anyone have any advice? Budget is probably not more than 200 quid, would I be wasting money getting something in that range?

I've previously had a DeLonghi Icona Micalite and it made ok espresso

fminus

Personally - had two De’lLonghi in the €200 price range over the years. Could not pull consistent shots with either (but I also knew a lot less about coffee back then). I think how you grind your coffee is far more important. Not sure if you intend to buy pre-ground or grind yourself.

Amazon is in the middle of a two day sale atm. Whilst most sales like this are filled with useless deals, coffee machines are a rare exception that tend to get decent discounts. You may be able to buy something that would otherwise be outside your initial budget.

Hodors Appletart

I have a decent grinder, which is why I don't want a b2c

Sage Bambino is 230 ish so I might go for that

Sam the Sham

Used Gaggia Classic

mossie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119733387#Comment_119733387

I have a Bambino Plus and find it very good. I know it's not as good as Gaggia etc but it's fine for me.

cpwestcafe

Based on your budget of 200 quid, you may want to consider the De'Longhi Dinamica Automatic Coffee & Espresso Machine. This machine is well-regarded for its solid build quality, user-friendly interface, and consistent performance. It's a great option for those who want a machine that can handle both espresso and coffee with ease. Another option you may consider is the Gaggia Classic Pro Espresso Machine, which is known for its durability and excellent espresso quality. However, it may be worth stretching your budget a bit for a higher-quality machine that can deliver better espresso shots in the long run.

Hodors Appletart

what's the story cpwestcafe?

are you a product seller, or a bot?

limnam

If you're willing to go second hand you might be able to pick up a used Rancillio or as mentioned a used Gaggia Classic

dakar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120223322#Comment_120223322

If you were interested, HA, I have a Gaggia Classic with the Silvia steam wand and the OPV valve mod done which I really don’t use (don’t make any espresso based drinks these days) which I might move on. It’s not advertised anywhere, just prompted to think about it when the thread popped up. Let me know what you think.

garbanzo

I’m in the same situation as the OP. My trusty Gaggia Classic, which I’ve had for nearly 10 years, has finally packed in. Had been leaking and repair guy tells me the boiler is goosed. Expensive to get repaired. He doesn’t recommend the new Gaggia Classic as says the build quality ain’t what it used to be.

I’d also be interested in people’s view on a replacement. Only use it for my daily morning espresso.

Cheers

g

alec76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120284714#Comment_120284714

Boiler kit cost about €50 .

If you want to buy new machine and not interesting in Gaggia Classic Pro then probably Lelit Anna with PID ( only issue is 57mm group head unlike 58 mm Classic , so new tamper/basket etc needed)

Ps . What wrong with old boiler ? Limescale?

How bad is your water and how often did you descale it?

garbanzo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120285164#Comment_120285164

Thanks Alec76

Machine itself is 10 years old. Used daily. Guy just said the boiler ‘was gone’. I’m not in an area of the country where limescale is an issue but I did de-scale it, probably every three months.

Mrs g is a lot more mechanically minded than I am and I am kinda leaning now towards having a go at replacing the boiler. The guy said I would have to send it off to the UK and it might cost €175 plus with shipping, customs etc. As you say a replacement boiler costs around €50.

Anyone here actually ever replaced one on a Gaggia Classic? Any advice?

alec76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120286678#Comment_120286678

They used to have it in stock ( Irish based)

https://www.bluestarcoffee.eu/gaggia-boiler-kit-3823-p.asp

Popular machine, you should find YouTube guides how to

Here the first I found on Google

https://youtu.be/N9i-EH7qXOc

You might only need to replace rubber gasket / heating element. Probably easier to replace boiler than old element though.

Those machines are quite simple, any DIY person with basic experience can do it. Definitely any plumber could fix it with ease.

Try to remove the old boiler first before buying the kit or gasket ,element or anything. Removing the old part always the hardest .

garbanzo

Thanks a mill again alec76.

We are going to have a go at replacing the boiler. Will report back.

Apols OP if I hijacked the thread.

g

Newtown90

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120287985#Comment_120287985

Handy enough to replace with the help of YouTube.

They're great machines for DIY very straightforward.

seylen

I, also, am looking for a good coffee machine option. But the prices of a quality coffee machine terrify me, to be honest.

DaireQuinlan

I've replaced the boiler on my classic, also the pump, the thermostats, the group head, all the seals, now looking at the steam valve which is leaking. In fairness I bought the thing in 2006 or something, so it's almost 20 years old, but it's definitely the Coffee Machine of Theseus at this stage. Anyhow, they're a marvel of mechanical simplicity. If you're handy with a hex key you should be able to disassemble and replace almost everything in the machine. Might be difficult pulling the thing apart though if it's never been serviced or disassembled though.

Bawnmore

I've a Gaggia Classic for the last 12 years too, and bought it 2nd hand at the time, so who knows how old. Have never had any issue with DIY jobs with the help of Youtube in the past (thermostats, OPV valve, changed steam wand, seals etc). Was interested in this thread too as I've fancied a new machine for years, but it's very hard to justify when my machine is running grand.

ErinGoBrath

Just upgraded from a Delonghi Bean2Cup Caffe Corso, had it 5 years and was a workhorse.

After wayyyy too much research on youtube I ended up with a Gaggia Classic Pro and a Sage Grinder Pro

After the initial shock of a semi auto setup I've got the hang of it and I'm loving the coffee it's producing.

Major downside is the clearance between trip tray and portafilter, it's tiny, had to get small espresso cups to remedy. Alternatives would be 3D printed low profile drip tray (available online) or a bottomless portafilter.

I'm looking into some mods for the GCP (e.g. 9 bar spring) and have purchased a few cool accessories so far.

I got it from cafeitalia which apparently don't have a great rep on here however it was on sale so probably 380 delivered

Only regret is not upgrading sooner, hope this helps.

Newtown90

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120301409#Comment_120301409

The 3D printed base and bottomless portafilter were the first items I got for my GCP..

I would recommend the extended lower 3D base which allows get the regular timemore scales on if your that way inclined.

I have a PID in the press for a rainy day next to be installed.

garbanzo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120287985#Comment_120287985

So, the update is…..we chickened out of doing a DIY boiler replacement. Mrs g and I came to the conclusion, after looking at a few Youtube clips, that we’d probably end up divorced if we’d tried it together.

i did a lot of research and found a guy here in Ireland who did it for me. It wasn’t cheap but it is back and is working as good as new.

g