Breville BES900XL Dual Boiler - Page 3

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Beezer
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#21: Post by Beezer »

aecletec wrote:What is the general reliability of Breville?
I think some people have had trouble with Breville's thermoblock machines failing after a year or two, and then not being able to get much customer support from Breville. I would hope that Breville would offer more support for this machine though, given its price point and two-year warranty.
Lock and load!

Intrepid510
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#22: Post by Intrepid510 »

Well to be fair I think most thermoblock machines fall apart, even the Gaggia Baby Twin has the reputation of doing that.

I hope this machine works and does well. More competition is always a good thing, and leads to a better product.

Louis
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#23: Post by Louis »

Intrepid510 wrote:I hope this machine works and does well. More competition is always a good thing, and leads to a better product.
+1.

When I perused the different offerings before deciding for the Vivaldi, one of my main findings was how far most of these equipment were from a clean industrial design. If Breville can come up with a challenge to other espresso machines as I feel Baratza did for grinders with the Vario, the whole market should benefit; assuming others will look and learn (if this is possible for established, conservative, Italian shops... which occupies most of the market).

espressojr
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#24: Post by espressojr »

thanks for the hands-on review Nic...

as i was reading through your review i was looking for how well the machine pulled espressos. this was the only tidbit i found:
shapeshifter wrote: I backed off the tamp and pulled a few shots that were drinkable, even a small latte that was delicious.
not terribly persuasive in my mind. could you elaborate on this a bit? I think Mark covered the workmanship, design, and materials in his CG article but what I really want to know is how well it does what it is supposed to do.

jim

shapeshifter
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#25: Post by shapeshifter »

Jim you have to remember that this was just a 'launch review'.

There were many people there, all fiddling and changing things. I spent some time with Dave Gubbin, who is the Brand Manager and Coffee Specialist for Breville, going through how the bar pressure gauge worked and what needed to happen to get the right pressure for the right person of time, so as you could imagine a lot of sink shots in there. What I did pull in the end for the espresso and latte was acceptable to drink and I feel could only get better when I have the chance to have the machine at home and fine tune it to our needs.

Just so people are aware, the people that have spent the last three odd years designing the Dual Boiler are not just 'coffee drinkers' they are 'coffee lovers'. The main engineer on the project has even left after the project finished to pursue a career in the coffee field. Phil McKnight who IS the Coffee Specialist, also owned a cafe for 7 years.

At a recent conference in NZ people trying the coffee from the Dual Boiler said that it was the best coffee there :)

I realise that this still doesn't really answer your taste question Jim but no one has had the machine in their possession for more than a few days. If you would like a specific answer you could contact Dennis at Cuppacoffee in Sylvania in Australia, he was the one that had the Breville sitting on his benches for a few days :)

oconee
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#26: Post by oconee »

Where is the machine made?

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pizzaman383
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#27: Post by pizzaman383 »

Curtis
LMWDP #551
“Taste every shot before adding milk!”

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homeburrero
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#28: Post by homeburrero »

Also on sale in the Nov 2011 Williams-Sonoma catalog, and supposedly you can get an in-store demonstration. That seems like a good sign, no? I may just wait and hope they change their mind and unload them at a huge bargain (remember the $299 La Pavoni's a few years ago?)

One thing that worries me about this machine is that (according to Seattle Coffee Gear) the user cannot descale it, that must be done by a service center.
Pat
nínádiishʼnahgo gohwééh náshdlį́į́h

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bowie
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#29: Post by bowie »

homeburrero wrote:One thing that worries me about this machine is that (according to Seattle Coffee Gear) the user cannot descale it, that must be done by a service center.
I just received the WS catalog featuring the Breville too, haven't heard much about it for awhile. Also, every machine I have owned claims the above, but none of them have ever seen a "service center..."
May you be cursed with enthusiasm for products manufactured in "developed" countries.

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pizzaman383
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#30: Post by pizzaman383 »

homeburrero wrote:(according to Seattle Coffee Gear) the user cannot descale it, that must be done by a service center.
If you think about Breville's typical products they don't require service and the typical Breville customer (or even the general consumer) is not technically astute. Add to that the fact that descaling requires the use of acid. Further add that getting the steam boiler to fill requires some special actions. Given this, I think that the risk of consumer injury and legal liability is too high for Breville to make it "user serviceable".

Many of us are more technical, more willing to learn before doing, and are willing to not blame the manufacturer for every mistake we make. Given this, we should be able to descale this machine like we do others.
Curtis
LMWDP #551
“Taste every shot before adding milk!”