Ben_C Senior Member Joined: 2 Dec 2012 Posts: 13 Location: Vancouver Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Dec 3, 2012, 12:29pm Subject: Need a machine - used HX or new Breville?
Hi all,
Hello from sunny (?) Vancouver. I moved to Canada last year and left my coffee gear in Oz (wrong voltage). I had basic single boiler machine (Isomac Venus) which I found perfectly acceptable for my daily coffee. My wife was just starting to get used to making the odd coffee herself.
I am now getting sick of driving to the local cafe and getting a hit-or-miss coffee and I am looking for a machine. Like many I thought the new Breville looked interesting, although I am not sure it's what I am after. I would prefer the "old school" style machine and have my eye on a second hand HX machine with an E61 group head.
I haven't seen one of these in action but I am assuming that any "flush" etc required will be less mucking around than my old single boiler machine required. My only real concern is that my wife will be intimidated by the E61 HX machine and won't use it at all - whereas the Breville looks a bit more novice friendly. How do other coffee geeks find their other half getting along with their equipment?
Coffeenoobie Senior Member Joined: 11 Dec 2011 Posts: 2,314 Location: PNW Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: N S Oscar Grinder: Vario W
Posted Mon Dec 3, 2012, 12:59pm Subject: Re: Need a machine - used HX or new Breville?
Husband will not touch it. Rather me do it for him. He doesn't even WANT to learn.
As a girl that likes cooks it is no big deal. Does your wife like cook? If she likes it she should be ok following the steps for espresso no matter what you get machine wise. Tamping etc are steps that must be followed in order like cooking. My HX is a good deal if you can find one used. It is not shiny and as such bread wrappers will not melt on it or you burn your hand. Easy to clean and I don't think looks scary at all. I also think my grinder is easy to use and a good price.
Coffeenoobie
Buying advice: GRINDER GRINDER GRINDER. Don't cheap out on the grinder. My coffee treasure map... Click Here (maps.google.com)
Coffeenoobie Senior Member Joined: 11 Dec 2011 Posts: 2,314 Location: PNW Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: N S Oscar Grinder: Vario W
Posted Mon Dec 3, 2012, 1:03pm Subject: Re: Need a machine - used HX or new Breville?
And NS is in Seattle so there are a lot of OSCARS around. The Brevilles look good and so far has been good machines but they have to over come a lot of years of bad products. ALSO you have to send it in for cleaning and maintenance. You can't do anything to it yourself unlike Oscar.
Coffeenoobie
Buying advice: GRINDER GRINDER GRINDER. Don't cheap out on the grinder. My coffee treasure map... Click Here (maps.google.com)
cuznvin Senior Member Joined: 6 Oct 2011 Posts: 412 Location: NY Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Dec 3, 2012, 1:25pm Subject: Re: Need a machine - used HX or new Breville?
My worry is that with Brevilles supposed track record in a few years I will have a $900 door stop instead of a $2000 still working perfectly top of the line espresso machine. Will I get 2.5 times better espresso from a high end machine costing 2.5x as much with the grinder being a constant?
They say lower 48 shipping included. I don't know if they will cross the border for an additional fee or if you need someone on our side to meet you at the crossing after having it sent to them. YMMV!
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
Ben_C Senior Member Joined: 2 Dec 2012 Posts: 13 Location: Vancouver Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Dec 3, 2012, 6:32pm Subject: Re: Need a machine - used HX or new Breville?
That 1st Line machine has some positives - ticks the boxes with HX and E61 - but is it in the same class as, say, a Quickmill Andreja in terms of build quality? My logic has been that I could trust a second hand quility machine to last me a while. Skimming through the owners thread there seems to be some niggly issues that can be fairly easily sorted out but the same could be said of the Breville DB machine.
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