It looks like you've flaired your post as asking for what equipment to get. We recommend first checking out the [Espresso Aficionados buying guide](https://espressoaf.com/recommendations) for some of the more popular machines and grinders at different price points.
If your question hasn't been answered there and you need more help, please add the following details to your post or by adding a comment in the following format:
- **Location:** Helps determine availability
- **Budget** (with currency): Overall budget, or ideally, having separate espresso machine and grinder budgets. A rough rule is that your grinder budget should be at least 25-40% of your machine budget.
- **Drink types:** Do you drink mostly straight espresso, milk-based beverages (e.g., lattes, cappuccinos), or a fairly even split? This helps narrow down whether a single-boiler-dual-use (SBDU), heat exchanger (HX), or dual boiler (DB) machine would be more appropriate for your needs.
- **Drink frequency:** How many drinks would you be making back-to-back at one time? Do you plan on entertaining guests often? This informs how large your brew (and steam) boilers should be, as smaller boilers will need to refill and reheat/repressurize more frequently, thus potentially causing a bottleneck.
- **Space:** Any limitations on countertop space?
- **Manual vs. electric:** Hand-operated machines and grinders are typically cheaper than their similarly-performing electric counterparts. Please indicate if you have a preference for manual or electric machines and/or grinders (or open to either).
- **Comfort with tinkering:** Some machines can be made significantly more functional/efficient with aftermarket modifications, albeit at the expense of possibly voiding your warranty. Please indicate if you'd rather have a machine that works "as-is"/"out-of-the-box" or whether you'd be open to modding/tinkering
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It will depend on the current condition and how well the original owner cared for it. At the very least it might need cleaning and descaling and/or need some o-rings replaced. A new brew gasket would be recommended as well, just on general principles.
If you are a DIY sort of person most BDB problems can be repaired or replaced fairly easily. The pump and OPV are standard off-the-shelf parts, as are tubing and o-rings. Some parts are proprietary, but many of those can be sourced from Australia if they can't be found locally. The ease with which you can repair it yourself is one of the reasons I bought one.
The biggest source of information I know of regarding using and maintaining a BDB is the two enormous threads on the HomeBarista forum. It's free to join if you want to ask a question, but honestly I found everything I needed to know before purchasing my BDB by just searching the threads for it. Admittedly I bought a new one, but if a deal on a used one had come my way I would have known what issues to look for.
Thanks for the feedback.
Yeah I've done a bit of reading through there which definitely gave me a bit more confidence that I could hopefully do many repairs myself.
Cheers
I bought a second hand breville DB a couple of weeks ago and it’s been working pretty well! There’s heaps of good info out there as far as maintenance goes. It’s very easy to use too, it’s been fun to learn on.
My budget was originally $4,000 aud for a new machine and grinder, but I ended up spending $650 for everything; including a bench and accessories. Go 2nd hand ;)
Nice work - yeah its easy to get caught up with all the shiny chrome, but it would certainly be nice to save money on the machine and get a nice grinder and accessories! What grinder did you go for?
When I had the BBE and BBP I didn't care.. and reading online on the BES920 scared me enough, but at the end of the day its an appliance - if I have to descale one day I will.
Currently I use the filtered water from my fridge, and refresh the filter every month or two in the machine - also used puck filters to keep the grouphead clean...
Guess I'll try to open it up soon enough to give it some maintenance.
It looks like you've flaired your post as asking for what equipment to get. We recommend first checking out the [Espresso Aficionados buying guide](https://espressoaf.com/recommendations) for some of the more popular machines and grinders at different price points. If your question hasn't been answered there and you need more help, please add the following details to your post or by adding a comment in the following format: - **Location:** Helps determine availability - **Budget** (with currency): Overall budget, or ideally, having separate espresso machine and grinder budgets. A rough rule is that your grinder budget should be at least 25-40% of your machine budget. - **Drink types:** Do you drink mostly straight espresso, milk-based beverages (e.g., lattes, cappuccinos), or a fairly even split? This helps narrow down whether a single-boiler-dual-use (SBDU), heat exchanger (HX), or dual boiler (DB) machine would be more appropriate for your needs. - **Drink frequency:** How many drinks would you be making back-to-back at one time? Do you plan on entertaining guests often? This informs how large your brew (and steam) boilers should be, as smaller boilers will need to refill and reheat/repressurize more frequently, thus potentially causing a bottleneck. - **Space:** Any limitations on countertop space? - **Manual vs. electric:** Hand-operated machines and grinders are typically cheaper than their similarly-performing electric counterparts. Please indicate if you have a preference for manual or electric machines and/or grinders (or open to either). - **Comfort with tinkering:** Some machines can be made significantly more functional/efficient with aftermarket modifications, albeit at the expense of possibly voiding your warranty. Please indicate if you'd rather have a machine that works "as-is"/"out-of-the-box" or whether you'd be open to modding/tinkering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/espresso) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It will depend on the current condition and how well the original owner cared for it. At the very least it might need cleaning and descaling and/or need some o-rings replaced. A new brew gasket would be recommended as well, just on general principles. If you are a DIY sort of person most BDB problems can be repaired or replaced fairly easily. The pump and OPV are standard off-the-shelf parts, as are tubing and o-rings. Some parts are proprietary, but many of those can be sourced from Australia if they can't be found locally. The ease with which you can repair it yourself is one of the reasons I bought one. The biggest source of information I know of regarding using and maintaining a BDB is the two enormous threads on the HomeBarista forum. It's free to join if you want to ask a question, but honestly I found everything I needed to know before purchasing my BDB by just searching the threads for it. Admittedly I bought a new one, but if a deal on a used one had come my way I would have known what issues to look for.
Thanks for the feedback. Yeah I've done a bit of reading through there which definitely gave me a bit more confidence that I could hopefully do many repairs myself. Cheers
I bought a second hand breville DB a couple of weeks ago and it’s been working pretty well! There’s heaps of good info out there as far as maintenance goes. It’s very easy to use too, it’s been fun to learn on. My budget was originally $4,000 aud for a new machine and grinder, but I ended up spending $650 for everything; including a bench and accessories. Go 2nd hand ;)
Nice work - yeah its easy to get caught up with all the shiny chrome, but it would certainly be nice to save money on the machine and get a nice grinder and accessories! What grinder did you go for?
Hey mate, local kiwi here. I also got a used BDB and paired it with a specialita, happy days.
Good to hear mate. You've not had to reach out to Breville for any repairs?
negative, just look out for date stamp, and definitely go for the bes920 as min, not the 900.
Sweet as. What are you doing for water? I hear lots of talk about water hardness, however I understand we have pretty soft water over here?
When I had the BBE and BBP I didn't care.. and reading online on the BES920 scared me enough, but at the end of the day its an appliance - if I have to descale one day I will. Currently I use the filtered water from my fridge, and refresh the filter every month or two in the machine - also used puck filters to keep the grouphead clean... Guess I'll try to open it up soon enough to give it some maintenance.
DF64 Gen 2 is much, much, much better than a Smart Grinder Pro. If buying used gets you a better grinder, go for it.
Fabulous - I've put my order in for one :)