bostonbuzz wrote:Pull the case, and replace it, with a nicer part. Descaling is not an issue either. The thing has pipes, it can't be that hard to figure it out...

My main grip with the BDB is all the newbies that have one and complain about going inside of it. "Longevity" imho isn't a serious concern. BDB has stainless boilers which should last 100 years, wiring, a pump, etc. Unscrew and replace --> repeat. Simple.

Good point. We all have different levels of DIY "foo", and modding is part of the culture in the espresso world.

Some people are _only_ comfortable with the mechanical/plumbing parts and basic wiring. And of course, the BDB has these things too... and not just weird Chinese pieces you will never be able to find. The pump is an Ulka... the industry standard for vibe pump machines... the same one that JohnLyn's "wimpy" Mini Vivaldi has, and that I have on various SBDU machines I haven't even listed. The 3-way valve solenoid is a common Parker Hannifin you can find online all day long. The OPV is plastic, but it is adjustable, and works just like any other, and as linked previously, people _have_ replaced the plastic one with a brass. Many people have adjusted theirs, including me, since I like lower brew pressures than the "standard" 9 bar. It was easy.

Then there's the BDB's complex microprocessor control system. Some people, like Bill Crossland and the many folks like him add in the dimension of being wizards with microcontrollers. Thankfully, many of "those types", are drawn to espresso. While it's a virtual certainty that Breville will never reveal the source code for its controller, (which would allow hackers to rewrite it), it does not seem outside the realm of possibility at all that these types of folks could replace the stock controller with a commonly available open-source one. Imagine people in online communities trading and trying each other's custom ROM's, (not without it's dangers either, when you are talking about high temperatures and pressures). In fact, the BDB might make a desirable candidate for this, since it comes "prewired" with digital sensors that a hacker would not have to add himself to another machine. But all this would presuppose that the BDB gains a following. If it doesn't, then they're probably headed for the scrap heap, the same way old undesirable cars go, when nobody wants to expend any energy or money modifying them.

If you choose the BDB, you will have a life of fabulous espresso... and uncertainty about the future.

-Peter