Decent vs La Marzocco Linea Micra (or Mini) - Page 7

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
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Ypuh
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#61: Post by Ypuh »

Quester wrote:How did you reach the "plastic" conclusion?
Just echoing one of the many user reviews that mention this on the forums:
The Decent Espresso Machine Review - Reddit
La Marzocco GS3 vs. Decent DE1PRO

From what I understand they changed some parts to metal or ceramic but in general my statement refers to the lack of size/weight/heft compared to a machine like La Marzocco. This could be a benefit to some as previously stated in this topic. If you bring your coffee machine everywhere you go and travel a lot; the case is a nice bonus and definitely don't buy a La Marzocco. For me personally I want to insert a portafilter one handed without the machine moving.
I don't want a Decent

Apparatschik
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#62: Post by Apparatschik »

i read this thread with great interest since I'm thinking about the Linea Micra as a successor of my Dalla Corte Mini. Missing flow-control is one aspect I don't like. My current machine has got flow-control and preinfusion even when not plumbed in. Anyway there will be mods for the Linea Micra which will give you preinfusion control. (They are already available for the Linea Mini.)

An aspect I really like at the micra is the the fact, that the water reservoir can be accessed from the frontside. There are only very few machines, which got this feature. (Faemina, Sanremo you)

One machine, which hasn't be mentioned yet is the Dalla Corte Studio. No pressure/flow profiling and no cool touch wand but everything else. In my eyes also an option.

Plinyyounger
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#63: Post by Plinyyounger »

Ypuh wrote:I'd love to explore the Decent for a week or 2, but that's also just it. In my opinion it lacks the feel of a coffee machine.
It may be more beneficial for the OP if we provide facts based on actual use. If I was in the Netherlands I'd let you use my machine so you could get hands on experience.
Family, coffee and fun.

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Spitz.me
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#64: Post by Spitz.me »

I owned a Decent for several months. I'm confused by the idea of an objective "feel of an espresso machine."

A lever isn't the same feeling as a semi or automatic machine.
A manual lever isn't the same feeling as a spring lever.
A small lever isn't the same feeling as a commercial lever.
An e61 isn't the same feeling as a saturated group with a paddle.

It felt like an espresso machine because the general behaviour required by me was effectively no different than what was required with my BDB, and handful of e61s before that and now my Flair 58. I still lock in a portafilter and press a button/pulled a lever.

Also if you're going to focus on the ability to customize a shot, let's not get into semantics here. Whether you're hitting some tablet sliders or not. You're thinking about it all the time. You just get to actually do something more measured about it with the decent.
LMWDP #670

ayn
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#65: Post by ayn »

I spent a couple of weeks deciding between the Micra and the DE1PRO, went with the Micra in the end. But I'm still very much intrigued by the Decent, ideally I would have both, maybe later when I have more countertop real estate. The main thing for me is that I really don't think I can deal with an Android tablet, I get that I don't have to use it, or even have it attached, but I just can't deal with it, if the software runs on an iPad Mini natively I would be all over it. Otherwise the Decent seems like a super solid machine and I think it looks cool too. The price went up a bit with v1.44, but having it in a couple of days (to the west coast) was tempting, compared to the 6-8 weeks wait for the Micra.

The Xmas Tesla software update was so good that it almost tipped me toward ordering the Decent lol, but I don't know if I personally agree with the "X vs Tesla" comparisons, it shows up in all sorts of different things and it definitely over-simplifies things.
mastodon: @ayn@trunk.lol

HH
Posts: 478
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#66: Post by HH »

Ypuh wrote: I'd love to explore the Decent for a week or 2, but that's also just it. In my opinion it lacks the feel of a coffee machine. I work in IT, but the next person forcing a tablet in my face adding multiple complications instead of resolving them gets thrown out of the nearest window. If you take away the software that 100% depends on a community to progress, you're left with a cheap plastic machine making funny noises.
Posting opinions when you have not used or handled a machine is less than helpful. It implies you have something useful to say based on a true evaluation of a product. Perhaps wait until you have used a Decent before putting forward the third-hand opinions of others as fact. It uses ceramic and powder-coated steel. There is no plastic in the water path unlike almost any other machine I can think of. It is light because it doesn't have a boiler. The machine doesn't need the tablet to make great espresso. If you don't want to use the tablet you don't have to, just put it in a drawer. It then becomes similar to most other espresso machines out there, making one profile until you change it. Regarding the funny noises, that's the pumps. I just watched a video about the ACS Evo Leva and have to say I infinitely prefer the sound of the Decent pumps to the Evo. Unless you go for a manual lever, all pumps are going to make noise. The Decent sounds different to what we have come to expect as it uses pumps more intelligently to ensure precisely the right temperature at the puck, but the pumps are quiet enough in real life that the loudest sound whilst it's pulling the shot is the coffee dripping into the cup.
Ypuh wrote: For me personally I want to insert a portafilter one handed without the machine moving.
The machine weighs around 13kg (30lb). Unless your technique of locking in a portafilter is decidedly unusual, you're not going to move the machine by inserting the portafilter. If you're tightening the portafilter so hard you're going through a gasket a week then maybe you might want to bolt your espresso machine down. I guess at that point the machine moving is likely to be the least of your problems.
Ypuh wrote: Fwiw, most Decent's end up in the marketplace after a year or two when exploration is over. You can likely make your money back for 80%, so all-in-all I don't believe it's a bad purchase and you'll learn a lot.
This is just false. Where are you coming up with this from? I understand you are staunchly anti-Decent as reflected in your signature, but it seems a sad indictment to be so without ever having used the machine.
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ira
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#67: Post by ira »

I would disagree with the loudest sound being the coffee dripping in the cup, the pumps are clearly the loudest thing on my Decent, but I don't usually find them annoying and you can listen to them and tell how the shot's doing. It's certainly a different sound than anything else out there and I guess the apparent randomness of the sound might be found annoying by some, but it comes with pretty significant benefits and most users get used to it soon enough.

HH
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#68: Post by HH »

Hey Ira, I find there is a loud pumping during the preinfusion phase and then it gets pretty quiet for me for the rest of the shot.

This is pretty typical in terms of relative volume for me.
It does depend on the profile used though, I agree the more flow and temperature changes to use I find the more the pumps tend to activate.

ira
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#69: Post by ira »

In general, each click the pump makes is some small amount of water so the faster the flow, the more the clicks. Besides that, there are two pumps, one for cold and one for hot so as the temperature changes the hot and cold pump change their individual activity changing the sound. I never said it was loud, but I could never get away with claiming that the dripping coffee is louder than the pumps.

ira
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#70: Post by ira »

Probably in your case because the double wall glass rings. Heavy ceramic cups are much quieter.