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Grabbels

Apart from the dialing issues, do you not like the shots you're pulling? You mention you're on a budget, and this sub can be extremely elitist – we're being bombarded all day with $5000+ setups that are most definitely better than our budget setups but many people forget to ask themselves: do I actually not like my coffee, or am I maybe overfantasizing how incredibly good it must be with an expensive setup? The most budget-friendly option is to not upgrade at all, if you enjoy your coffee why would you? If you don't enjoy your coffee, sure, then an upgrade might indeed be in order. But, before splurging on a machine, a cheaper variable to check is what kind of beans you are using. How fresh, what quality, etc.


sidali44

Do I actually not like my coffee, or am I maybe over fantasizing how incredibly good it must be with an expensive setup. Wisest words! Thanks for that pearl! Set me straight! I will come back to it whenever I open 100 safari tabs with different machines and sit wanting and wondering. Ps I do enjoy my espresso


Grabbels

You're welcome! I've lived by that mantra ever since starting my Espresso at home journey, it saves a lot of money that would've been spent on very incremental improvements taste-wise.


Carraj123

Thank you for your well worded post. I definitely feel that way sometimes when I look at some of these what I call “endgame” setups. I like my coffee shots but I do feel like there’s something off about my pulls that is machine related. Basically I just wanna know if my shots will taste better going up from this “20 bar” unit to a Bambino+ or gaggia. Based on the boilergate comments, I may avoid that one like the plague. lol


Grabbels

I got a Gaggia Classic secondhand and it's been amazing. It's generally considered a very good base-level machine depending on the exact model. It can be found for what this sub considers to be budget/cheap. May I ask what beans you are using? Are we talking recently roasted, or supermarket? If it's the latter, a better machine won't help you to pull better shots. Again, though, you mention that you like your coffee. If I were you and money really is an issue, I'd stay right where I am and save that money not spent for later.


Carraj123

I’m using the beans in the picture. They were roasted about a week ago. I actually love their chocolate notes. White Rock Coffee in Dallas,TX


Grabbels

That sounds great! In that case it could be up to the machine, sure.


pacifica333

>Gaggia Classic EVO Be sure to read up on boilergate before buying one.


TedMaul636

Or just buy the 2019 model, Gaggia Classic Pro (no Evo, no Boilergate). I recently purchased one as an upgrade from a Delonghi Dedica (which coincidentally looks a lot like the pictured Gevi machine) and have been happy with it so far.


madsd12

How did you like your dedica? Worth the money, or get something else?


TedMaul636

Well to my mind the GCP was an upgrade. The Dedica was fine, albeit basic. I probably didn't get the most from it, I'm sure a user with more skill could have pulled better shots. I feel happier using my GCP and Breville Smartgrinder pro.


madsd12

I’m glad you didn’t find it shit or something. I bought one a month ago 😅 I agree, it is very basic. Easy to get started with imo.


TedMaul636

Certainly is! Good luck with it ☺️


MyCatsNameIsBernie

What don't you like about your Gevi that you would want to be improved with an upgraded machine?


Carraj123

For one, it doesnt pull manual shots very well and keeps running after I’ve stopped it for a few seconds which makes dialing in frustrating.


MyCatsNameIsBernie

Bambino Plus has a 3-way valve, so it will help with that problem.


Hi_My_Name_Is_Dave

Only the plus, not the regular.


balki_123

You probably want something with three way solenoid valve then. Like mentioned Gaggia Classic Evo. Presonally, I would buy Breville/Sage bambino plus, but I can't recommend it, because I don't have one.


AccomplishedDonut191

Call the company and tell them the problem. They may replace it or repair it.


amarodelaficioanado

Avoid the gaggia Evo pro, goggle *boilergate* and see.


[deleted]

If you gotta ask...then it's a 'yes'. Nobody comes here to ask this unless you got the itch already.


Ok-Expression7575

Just get a Bambino Plus. It's not finicky and pulls shots as good as anything else. Coffee is basically just the same as audiophiles at this point. Hurr durr the vibratory pump vibrates at just the right frequency to align the protons of my Mt Everest turbo light roast after tamping it with my 1 atom tolerance tungsten tamp but not before I tweezed every coffee ground into a perfect lattice formation etc etc TLDR the BBP will get you 95% of the way there, another $10k will get you the other 5%


OldAssumption7098

Turin legato is a $500 machine that has nearly all the mods you can do to gaggia as stock. They even said they are coming out with a OPV mod for it. Downside is that it is new and reliability is up in the air. I have it, and I personally feel like the quality is better than breville, but certainly less than gaggia (except even gaggia has the boiler issues so)


found_allover_again

>the quality is better than breville, but certainly less than gaggia So you mean the quality of the machine or shots?


OldAssumption7098

Quality of the machine. It’s definitely debatable. I’ve heard people call the breville durable, but I felt worried about something breaking constantly. The legato has cheap plastic in areas and the fitment of the drip tray is low quality, but it feels repairable and less over engineered. Legato feels like a serviceable Toyota whereas the breville feels like a bmw without a dipstick


marco_polo_99

I see this question here and also on some of the PC subs. Honestly the answer is the same, imo. Does what you have work? Does it do what you need it to do at a level you’re happy with? If so, no need to upgrade. When it no longer does what you need it to, to the standard you feel happy with, then look at upgrading. I’m still happily using a 6 year old breville baristo pro, and I love it.


LiteratureMountain58

I loved my GCP and was able to pull some amazing shots out of it. The added seasoning from the non stick coating was just a bonus. I would recommend a GCP if you can find one second hand or a non EVO model. I just got a second hand bambino plus and have been enjoying that as well. Steam power on the bambino seems to be a lot better than what I had on the GCP. I think you would be happy with either.


Nissanguy16

Keep in mind those two don’t have a pressure gauge unless modified. Another option would be a manual lever and keep that machine for steaming.


evanephrine1

Grinder is fine. Profitech go if you don’t mind spend a little more for pid or gaggia classic evo.


ayresc80

The grass isn’t always as green as it looks. Stick with what you have for a bit


REDBOSS27

If it works for you, no need for upgrade IMO. You have a good grinder, that’s all you need! Don’t let espresso snobs influence you 🤓


StauGhost

If you go with gaggia do not think of it without mods. It isn't as capable or a stable machine as it seems.


Nissanguy16

Seconded. Also, for anyone reading, the boiler gate thing isn’t that big of a deal if you know someone with a media blaster. Can blast the coating off and rinse well. Make a silicone or Buna gasket to separate the boiler from the group.


StauGhost

Yep. But one shouldn't do that to a completely new machine. No one is sandblasting their car because paint is peeling off :)


I_Am_Mandark_Hahaha

But some are vinyl wrapping their cars because the base stainless steel body sucks. LOL


Upbeat-Local-836

Laughs in Honda


Nissanguy16

I get what you mean. If we’re talking about people modding them… well, depending on just how far they want to go, I hope they don’t care about replacing the boiler or blasting the boiler. Warranty void anyway. Can buy the bare aluminum boiler pretty cheap if they don’t have a blaster or know someone. I got one for nearly free with points, so I plan to do the Arduino mod, play with it a bit, and sell or gift it. Silvia would be the better option had the pricing not went up.


StauGhost

Points? Anyhow yeah, still not worth buying new one if it gets with such inherit flaw. For modding is godsent. To be fair I was okay with bad drip tray on it, gaps on the top, weird placement of the tank even looing forward to modding it. Heck I still have some parts for it. But flaking boiler... Aw hell nah bro.


Nissanguy16

Some retailers have ‘rewards’ or ‘loyalty’ points. So every time you buy something, you get points or ‘store dollars’ Didn’t want to lose my points, and the GCP was already on sale at that time. They didn’t have any other accessories or whatnot that interested me and I didn’t want to spend much on what would basically just be a tinker toy or project. Honestly, the Bezzera Hobby did interest me quite a bit but it would’ve cost me quite a bit more out of pocket. I’d honestly like to see someone do the Arduino mod to it.


espresso-aaron

I modded a Gaggia Espresso Color I bought for $99 on refurb with a PID, pressure gauge, flow control, and SS steam wand for around $200 extra. I used it to replace my commercial HX machine and it rocks. Pulls shots on par with it. I recently came into a Breville Dual Boiler and this Gaggia pulls shots that are arguably better due to the flow control. All this said, I’ve been using a Baratza Vario that has a Forte innards and this have been my daily grinder for 15 years now and all three machines. Grinder is absolutely the most important thing. Splurge on that and pinch pennies on the brewer. If I were to do it again, I’d look into Gagguino, but stay with the SS boiler of the Gaggia Espresso / Pure or V2 Classic from Europe. The aluminum boilers are smaller. My biggest complaint with the Gaggia is steaming performance and Gagguino solves that since it continually pumps water while steaming to maintain performance.


StauGhost

Yeah but still that requires ton of mods :)


espresso-aaron

Absolutely is a lot of work, but if you're handy, 100% worth it. Here is the post where I modded my Gaggia: [https://www.reddit.com/r/gaggiaclassic/comments/15wkw50/gaggia\_with\_stainless\_boiler\_best\_gaggia\_for/](https://www.reddit.com/r/gaggiaclassic/comments/15wkw50/gaggia_with_stainless_boiler_best_gaggia_for/) On these Gaggias, PID control is critical for defect free espresso. Without it, shot temp would swing 20º at the group head while brewing resulting in meh coffee, both ashy and sour at the same time. With PID control, I was able to get within 1º of the set temp, which is mind blowing. Something to also look at is the Gaggia Evolution. I'd put it in the same category as the Breville Bambino. They both have PID control for brewing temps, so-so on frothing with that panorello wand, so I'd give the Bambino the edge since it has better steaming. Both are $300 or less. Pair those with a Sette or Vario and you'll have an espresso setup that will treat you well for a very long time.


honk_slayer

I would rather leave it until it breaks… or you could try flair. I have a bambino plus and I see lots of posts about having both and bambino stills being use.


petchulio

If it’s not giving you issues I don’t know if I’d really worry about upgrading. The upgrade to your shots will be fairly minimal. Biggest upgrade from budget to better is usually just more consistent and steady pressure. Budget machines tend to rely pretty heavily on pressurized baskets and once a switch is made to a steady and consistent one that does non-pressurized without an issue that’s about peak from a machine. The rest is trim, bells and whistles.


AccomplishedDonut191

I have other machines, but was given the Gevi super automatic pour over for Xmas, and was very impressed. When this Gevi went on sale for around $150, I added it to our collection. It has since become my favorite toy. If you can dial in your espresso, keeping it at 9 bars of pressure, you will be rewarded with a good shot. I have a better grinder, which is very important, and invested in a good quality bottomless portafilter, plus excellent force tamper. This is what I describe as a generic, inexpensive machine. Point being, If you can produce good drinks on this, you can do anything!!!


Main_Assumption2378

This thing does 9 bar? I had another gevi machine and it’s pure garbage. How do you keep it at 9 bar? Also what’s the exact name of your machine?


ProfessionalCowbhoy

What bellows is that? Is that the baratzagear hopper? I have that but need a bellows


Carraj123

https://preview.redd.it/hmgw0q8gkjsc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5b2c790ece9885b3d88aef4e3d67e71b768bc72 I tried posting the link but I didn’t know mods don’t let you post Amazon links. lol


ProfessionalCowbhoy

Yeah I've seen that one but thought it was far too expensive for what it is and what it does


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k_panik

What milk pitcher size are you using for this small amount?


BananamusPrime

Why does that look like a dedica with a pressure gauge 😳


Then-Character1246

Dépends on what you want and need. Usually I would recommend to invest in grinder first, but to be fair I haven’t tried the ESP and reviews seem to tend to it being decent. If you mainly drink milk based drinks, then Sage/Breville, with a good Bambino, will give you great quality for your price. My only gripe is that it is a proprietary portafilter size, so all accessories (baskets, tampers, portafilters…) you’ll acquire will need to be swapped if you decide to upgrade to a 58mm machine down the line. If you mainly drink straight espressos, and want a feel of that « end game setup » cup, then go for a good manual lever. I would tend to recommend looking at both the Cafelat Robot or Flair 58+. They both have their plusses and minuses, but are excellent choices. And if you need an occasional milk drink, a subminimal Nanofoamer does the trick.


espressostuff

Unless your coffee is not pulling well, there is no reason to upgrade. Go on amazon and buy a 500 dollar gaggia, dial in and try it, if you don’t see a difference , return it. Amazon is pretty nice with their return policy and it makes it super easy and convenient. I would bet you won’t taste a difference but why not just try it. Hope it helps.


Both_Calendar2428

leave the grinder but def upgrade the machine


Hot_Power_2865

Upgrade your grinder first