Used Bezzera DE Single Group

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
chimpy
Posts: 16
Joined: 8 years ago

#1: Post by chimpy »

Hi guys,

I've found a used Bezzera DE 1 group, that seems to be from before 2011 and I'm wondering whether I should jump on this opportunity.
I've included a pic below.
It's going for 350 euros. It seems this a commercial HX machine. I currently have a Nuova Simonelli Oscar. I know this machine will be slightly bigger, and I'm wondering whether it could be a good idea to get this for temp stability, reliability, etc as it is a solid commercial HX.
Thoughts?
Thanks for your input!


DeGaulle
Posts: 545
Joined: 10 years ago

#2: Post by DeGaulle »

It looks to be a 1-group Bezzera Elisse. On the Bezzera website you can find a breakdown of parts for this machine. EUR. 350,- seems like a steal, provided it has had its share of TLC maintenance.
Whether it will be more temperature-consistent compared to the Oscar probably depends on your usage pattern. The added value of commercial gear apart from steaming endurance is consistency under heavy load. To accomplish this, I reckon the size of the steam boiler, the hot water hold-up of the heat exchanger and the mass of the grouphead have to be in proportion. A large steam boiler with a small exchanger and group head provides a large thermal buffer, but the group will quickly overheat during use and cool down when idle, i.e, no thermal memory. If the boiler and the group head are large, but the exchanger is small, the grouphead won't get to brew temperature easily, unless it is heated independently (e.g. by a dedicated heating element).
For typical home use, the size of Oscar's boiler is already substantial (2 liters) versus 5 liters for the 1-group Elisse. Shape-wise the group head on the Elisse looks identical to the one on the BZ10, but it is probably larger to accommodate thermosyphon connections with the exchanger instead of a heating element. If your usage pattern is an occasional shot with long idle times throughout the day, then all the same there will be cooling flushes involved to get to the right brew temperature, albeit these may be smaller with the commercial unit.
Bert

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chimpy (original poster)
Posts: 16
Joined: 8 years ago

#3: Post by chimpy (original poster) »

I just wanted to say thanks for your input DeGaulle! :)

I didn't end up getting the machine in the end as I ended up with the same conclusions as you. Thanks!