I'm a very recent Decent buyer. After my Breville Dual Boiler 920 failed (it's served its purpose, about 5 to 6 years), I was faced with the question: what is a logical next step? Another Beville BDB would have been my choice if they had new machines for sale for 1k or 1.2k. But at the current asking price, that was out of the question. The BDB makes a nice espresso, but it drove me nuts that this thing really is as consumer machine, looking better than it was actually built.

I wanted a La Marzocco for quite some time, and if money and space (countertop) in the kitchen was not object, I would have loved loved to buy a real Linea. BUT, it is too big, to expensive, too everything for my real needs.

The Linea Mini looked good, performed quite well, but was actually too much money for my taste.
When the Micra came around I first thought: that just got to be too small, too toy, too something. Well, actually: it is quite a nice machine, and actually fit my space perfectly. BUT: there are still a lot of things that (in my opinion) the Micra could not accomplish for me. As a tank machine, it offers very limited control over the extraction. One of my concerns was: there were lots of coffees I could just not get to taste well with the BDB, and I was afraid that the tank Micra would be even more limited. My opinion is: I would have searched for coffees that work well with the (stock) Micra, and that I enjoy.

With the Decent, I opted for something that will hopefully serve me very well for at least the amount of time the BDB did (6+ years). I will have greater flexibility to dial in parameters to make a wider range of coffee taste good. I will be able to fine-tune parameters, and then (maybe) even put the tablet computer away in the cabinet and control the machine without tweaking parameters - we will see. I purchased the tea portafilter, so my wife can use it to make tea (that would actually be great).

In a nutshell, even though I thought I want a simple machine - I think (as an engineer) I am able to adjust things to the point where I can leave the tinkering and just make great espresso again and again with at least the same great results compared to the BDB, but with a wider array of variables like different coffees.

In the end: the ONLY thing I did not like when buying the Decent XL was that they actually charged shipping cost - and a hefty amount.

P.S.: another great feature, and I absolutely love it, is the mobility of the machine. Usually, with any proper espresso machine, it is next to impossible to move it, mind you even to take it to another location for some time. With the Decent, the travel ready, custom travel suitcase, was such a nice feature, maybe the most underestimated aspect of the Decent.

U2u wrote: Just gone through this entire exercise thinking of upgrading a 5 year old V2 R58.
This after making a huge mistake by upgrading my grinder to a Kafatek MC5.

Deleted. My post was based on a misunderstanding.

Question for those that have/had a Decent and Micra/Mini: Is the Linea much quieter than the Decent? My wife really does not like the sound from the Decent (but loves the shots pulled!).

It's different, more a constant motor hum than the pulse noise of the Decent. The Decent can certainly seem weird or unusual sounding and the Micra will sound more like an appliance, maybe quieter, maybe not, neither is noticeably loud. Certainly the Decent is more flexible, no way the Micra could make my morning pour over like the Decent does.

Thank you guys for sharing your experiences with Decent repairs and customer service. I wanted to take a chance to update my original post.

John from Decent was very helpful and personally reached out to me via call and text. After rapidly diagnosing the issue, I was able to return the machine and get a replacement in again, in less than 5 business days. Technical problems can happen with any machine and what gives me confidence in Decent machine is that they stand by their product and are dedicated to making things right.

What you're getting with the Decent is cutting-edge technology, portability, serviceability, and most importantly John's passion for his products.

Even after going through some initial issues, I would not hesitate to recommend Decent over any other option on the market.

i own a decent, bdb and silvia v6. imo decent gave good coffee. most i use Londinium. turbo turbo.. when decent before this high price. i look at it and forget it. it is vibration pump with this price tag. once i own it. the pump sound let you know what it is doing..n

Spitz.me wrote: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.

ysc wrote:One more factor that we should consider is if OP really decide to keep your espresso machine beyond its warranty period.

For La Marzocco machines, the advantage lies in their extensive service network, readily available spare parts, and ease of repair. Repairs are often straightforward and budget-friendly. Many issues can even be resolved through DIY efforts if you choose to go that route.

@ysc you are significantly spinning the perceived benefit of ease of repairs towards the Linea when in reality the opposite is true.

Unless you have specific knowledge or experience in repairing machines, you are much more likely to be able to fix your DE1 yourself at home with the support of Decent than you are with a Linea Micra. With a Linea problem, unless you are experienced in repairing the machine, you will need to send it off to a mechanic/tech for repair. With Decent, they will support you over video to fix it yourself, sending you the parts you need if any are required. If you don't want to do the repairs at home or feel unable to do it, you can choose to just send the machine back to them. Under warranty they will pay for everything including shipping both ways.

If you're out of warranty on the Linea, you're stuck having to pay full cost for any subsequent repairs for the rest of the useful life of the machine. With the Decent, you can opt to extend the warranty if you want to even if the machine has been out of warranty for several years or is second hand. The warranty can be extended at any time whilst currently active and you don't have a 60 day period of not being able to claim.

Read the terms of the DE "warranty" carefully. As I understand it, it doesn't cover shipping in the machine unless it is a repair that they deem can't be done in the field. In most cases you're getting parts shipped out to you from HK. Parts on a DE1 are generally cheap and prices can be found in the DE website.

I also disagree with "you will need to send [a La Marzocco] off to a mechanic/tech for repair". They are generally designed for rapid, on-site repair. They tend to be easier to service than consumer machines as a result. Many of the common service parts are generic and inexpensive.

Jeff wrote: I also disagree with "you will need to send [a La Marzocco] off to a mechanic/tech for repair".

Sorry Jeff I should have been more specific. What I meant to say was that if you aren't able to repair it at home, you will need to send it away to be fixed. As I understand it you do not get any tech support from LaMarzocco included with the machine, whereas Decent will walk you through how to fix the machine yourself over video.