sashaman wrote:Descale procedures - this is probably the biggest difference, as people argued that one of the biggest downsides to the 900 was that it wasn't meant to be descaled by the home user. You'll have to decide how important that is to you (and may not be a big deal depending on your water source).

Hmm sounds like that 600 might be better spent on a good in-home water filtration system?

I can't assess whether the 920 is worth 600 more to you, but let's just turn it around a bit and consider why the 900 is so much less money.

Most of the complaints posted about the BDB are from the 900 model, and seem to get posted as canon for the BDB by non-owners. For me, the 920 has solved all of the complaints about the 900 that I had: The group head/portafilter mount is solid, stable, and strong. On the 900 it was sort of weak and 'squishy'. Steam pressure on the 920 is greatly improved, whereas on the 900 it was somewhat weak and led to longish times to steam larger volumes of milk. There is more adjustability in general on the 920, so you can experiment if you like. A small thing that I didn't know I would like so much is really nice: when you start a shot, the display automatically changes from the temperature to the timer, and retains the shot time after the shot completes. On the 900 I had to select timer display. Not a big deal obviously, but just something they did to make a better experience for their customers.

The sealing between the portafilter and the group head is better.

I'm now making presumptions: given the time that Breville had with the 900 and the number of complaints about it that they fixed, I would also assume (but do not know) that it makes sense that they might beef up some of the internals that were causing them warranty service. They doubled their warranty time to 2 years with the 920, so that lends some support to the idea that the 920 will be more reliable over time than the 900.

If you can afford the 920, I'd say go for it. And the black one is nice looking. Haven't seen the cranberry colored one in person (and it may be less popular, as sometimes I see it on sale for a lower price than the black or stainless).

I didn't read through the entire list of responses, but having owned a BDB and multiple commercial machines, e61's, and now a GS3, I can weigh in. As for shot quality, it does a remarkable job. It is a bit more finicky then I like, but one can easily master a great espresso on the BDB. My problem is that the POS died just outside warranty. It wasn't my main machine and only used it a few times a week at my office. For the money spent, go buy a different machine as repairs on these are very limited. Most other E61 machines can be repaired, at home if you have minimal mechanical aptitude. The BDB worked out to cost $50 per month of use. The GS3 cost more up front, but I can't imagine ever buying another machine, & produces exceptional espresso consistently. As for E61 machines, almost all are below the $2500 price tag, I would recommend going that route.

kramerica wrote: I'm looking for the easiest way to get a very good espresso.

Your local barista?

I wish. A really good espresso is quite rare at coffee shops. I only drink cappas outside, usually that's good enough.

Reading Brett's reply, I would agree with him and go with the 920. I didn't realize there was anything different between the design of the 900 and the 920 with respect to how the portafilter locks into the group head.

We had a 900 at work (which was admittedly a bad call - it got WAY too much use than what it's designed for, by people who didn't know what they were doing) and eventually a ring in the group head wore out and the machine started leaking from the portafilter, and replacing the grouphead gasket didn't fix it. Breville was great in that they replaced the machine with a brand new one. Also, I think the ring probably wore out because people would crank the portafilter all the way to the right like it was a strength contest. Still, it's nice to know Breville fixed this flaw in the design.