The Best Espresso Machine Under £500 

Me in my teens: Modding my PC. Me in my twenties: Modding my car. Me in my thirties: mOdDiNG mY cOFfeE MAcHinE.

PLEASE do a video on baskets! what makes a good basket? what changes with the differences in baskets (hole size, hole number metal thickness etc)

I don’t have the kind of money spare to buy a £500 coffee machine but here I am listening intently to all of their pros and cons how does James make me care so much

Since I was coming back to rewatch just some of the machines. I thought I'd put in the work for others: Build, Shot 2:13, 7:42 Lelit 3:22, 8:47 Delonghi 4:07, 10:31 Rancilio 5:03, 11:43 Sage / Breville 6:05, 13:10 Gaggia 15:42 steaming.

James "I am a fancy man" Hoffmann

"If I was teaching someone to steam milk for the first time..." - very kind of you to offer. I'm free next Tuesday, James. Let me know.

Quick DeLonghi Dedeica tips: 1) the drip try can be removed for taller cups, 2) keep single or double button pressed until desired water dispensed, it remembers it for next time, 3) hold the steam button for 10 seconds to enter settings mode, press single cup button, now choose temperature, single = cool, double = warm, steam = hot.

I just really want to think you for putting this series of espresso machine comparisons together. While it ultimately helped me decide that I am *not* ready for my own machine, all these videos helped me 'dial in' what I will be looking for when I am ready :)

*_Timestamps:_* Start of *how the espresso shots review* will work: 07:18 Espresso with Machines: * 07:18 - Lelit Anna * 08:47 - DeLonghi Dedica * 10:32 - Rancilio Silvia * 11:53 - Sage Bambino Plus * 13:10 - Gaggia Classic Pro Grind setting per machine: 15:05 How the *Milk steaming review* will work: 15:10 *Steaming* with Machines: * 15:36 - Lelit Anna * 15:55 - DeLonghi Dedica * 16:11 - Rancilio Silvia * 16:35 - Sage Bambino Plus * 17:35 - Gaggia Classic Pro Start of *Conslusions* : 18:05 * 18:10 - Lelit Anna * 18:39 - DeLonghi Dedica * 19:06 - Rancilio Silvia * 19:58 - Sage Bambino Plus * 20:41 - Gaggia Classic Pro

Once again, sense and sensibility. You've relieved the 9 bars on pressure being in lockdown for 7 weeks now (Melbourne). You're such a breath of fresh air. Thanks :-)

For anyone looking at the Dedica I think it is worth noting that there is now an upgraded version of it (ec885) which comes with a normal steam wand and a normal tamper. As other people have already mentioned, Dedica has programmable buttons, where we can adjust the brewing temp and the amount of liquid coming from the single and double espresso. Also, the machine is highly moddable (replacing the portafilter, adding the pressure gauge, changing the spring to mod the pressure) which makes it quite versatile for the money. With all that, it still remains fairly cheap so if you break something the loss won't be as big as with more expensive machines.

There should definitely be a merch T-shirt that says “I’m a fancy man”

literally waited years for this. well done

In coffee I only trust people who keep their spoons in a case

Having binge watched about 20 videos it is only now dawning on me the man has taken at least 5 shots and sure the delivery gets a little faster but the hand is brain surgeon steady. Thoroughly impressed.

I inherited a Sylvia from my uncle, which he bought at least 15 years ago. It’s an incredible machine and still brews great coffee (even after being transported across the country multiple times)! I’ve always been frustrated w the temp control, so this was affirming. You’ve inspired me to finally take the plunge and modify!

I have owned a Rancilio Silvia for 10 years and estimate I’ve made about 7,000 espresso shots in this time. With the exception of having to replace the gasket in the brew head, it’s operated flawlessly without servicing for this entire time. I feel this was a great investment and would recommend this machine to anyone tired of the endless cycle of disposable household technology.

At 12 minutes when he throws the filter, my jaw dropped. So much drama. So perfectly timed. Beautiful James moment.

The Renaissance Dedica is all respects the same as my recent purchase of the Calphalon Espresso Machine I purchased from Amazon. I’ve wanted an Espresso machine for years and this is the first time I was able to get one. As a novice 71 year old coffee drinker, I really do enjoy my first machine and it does taste good to my untrained taste buds. Thank you for your videos I’m enjoying them and learning a lot about coffee.

I have had the Bambino plus for around 1.5 year. I have been always using a naked portfilter. I confirm that it is great for making cappuccino: you really need to be very good at making the foam to beat the automated settings. Now I am buying a Dedica for a kitchen where space is a key selection criterion.

Hey James , could we please turn auto-captions on? As a deaf person I find it very difficult to watch videos without captions, even if they are slightly off/inaccurate.

James "big ol' hands" Hoffman

i own the Rancilio Silvia V3 for almost ten years. just changed the group head seal and shower net, the VST filter baket, installed an Auber PID to it, set the temp at 104C and the espresso shots are now very consistant. now i am a avery happy man. learning a lot from your channel. thank you.

I have the delonghi dedica since 2 years back. I am a former barista but had a limited budget when buying it. I modified it by switching the steamwand (to the rancillo) which was a little bit tricky but the end result is great! The delonghi has the perk of being a cheap machine, which makes modifying it not as scary as for example modifying the rancillo och gaggia🤷‍♀️ so far I have to say I am very satisfied with my delonghi ✨

Gaggia you've got to temp-surf the steaming, too. After I've pulled a shot I switch to steam then turn the wand on as the temperature builds. Once it's giving out a good amount of steam BUT the light (indicating it's 100 degs, and heating element turns off) hasn't come on yet, I start steaming and finish the milk ideally before that light comes on. That way you start at a good steaming temperature but the heating element remains on throughout the steam and your pressure doesn't nosedive halfway through.

You reminded me just how much I’d love to have an espresso machine and also just how much I don’t want to have an espresso machine. Great review.

I've had the Delonghi Dedica for 5 years now, it performs and holds up very well. It's also extremely simple to use and clean.

Got my Rancilio in 2008 and has used it daily without problems, so the build quality is indeed very good. Everything from case to boiler and wiring is heavy duty. The older model has slightly different buttons and portafilter handle, but is otherwise identical to the current design as far as I can tell.

12:08 is probably the manliest portafilter slap I've ever experienced.

keeping eye contact while drinking the shots... feels a touch intimate and aggressive at the same time. I think I like it

“I’m a fancy man.” love you, James!

I'm still rocking a Silvia v2. Had nothing but great performance from it. Simple, built like a tank, and easy to use.

James, your channel has fundamentally changed my life. I am a confirmed tea-consumer, eastern style, high-quality teas only... now, however, I am an occasional coffe-taster, because you've helped me to find a new hobby. We've purchased a Lelit Anna with a PID, I learned A LOT from your videos, and now every morning I make delicious espresso for my wife, who is very satisfied with the result. And she is a barista! You, sir, made that happen. Thank you!

I bought a Lelit Anita with a PID and I’m absolutely in love with it. It was the most cost effective way to get a PID machine and it has been a workhorse so far. Hugely recommended.

My Sage Bambino Plus is a great balance between price, speed, ease of use, and high quality shots. They got it right! I did upgrade to a bottomless portafilter, IMS baskets and a crema adjustable tamper. Paired with the Sette 270 grinder and a scale, I’m making some delicious coffee. Your channel is hilarious and full of great information… thank you!

James, I have a tiny kitchen and brought the delonghi 2-3 years ago. There are some temperature increase settings which I found important. I now have brought a bottomless portafilter and swapped the steam wand for a small rancillio wand. Very valid comment about the “coffee as a hobby”. Lockdown has taken this “hobby” to new levels. I now have the rokGC grinder and dialling that in. I would love a “prosumer” machine review as I guess that’s my next step in the journey...

My thoughts whenever a reviewer says "hey I'm biased" is.... no you're far from biased -- and that's why I, although I'm not yet a coffee hobbyist, am so interested in watching your vidoes!

Absolutely loving my Bambino. Mine came with a non-pressurized basket included. And it's worth to note that the machine heats up and it's ready to use in 3 seconds!

I have had the Dedica for about 3 years and am very happy with it. The coffee is much better than I get from the local cafe's. It's got a small footprint so is great if space is limited. Yes you do have to hold the machine across the top when fitting the basket which means you can't store anything on the top platform but I have never accidentally pressed any of the buttons. It can also take larger cups. When the drip tray is removed you have a flat base with a stainless steel insert. It would mean the base would have to be wiped clean each time you use it. If like me you only have one or two coffees in the morning that wouldn't be an issue. I never use the milk thingy (apologies James) so I can't comment on that.

It is now September of 2023. The pandemic is over, and I work in an office 2x a week. I sit here drinking awful office coffee while I slowly convince myself to buy a 1Zpresso Q2 S hand grinder and an Aeropress so that I can have actual good coffee while at work.

Delonghi Owner for 1,5 years opinion: I think the Delonghi is worth the money and what it delivers! Think of your average consumption per day, and now justify it with the price of the machine ;-) If you are like me, drinking 2-3 doulbe-espressos a day, then your price point is around that machine (or lets say around ~400€) "Prosumers" or "Hobby-Baristas" usually buy machines above 1000€ because as you said, the machines between 500-1000 require tinkering, expansions and awkward installments in order to bring "maybe" the results you are expecting (now question yourself to what you are comparing). This awkward price category 500-1000 ist just inconvenient imho

James Hoffman, alway reminding us that you do indeed get what you pay for.

Have been using the Bambino Plus since January 2020. Absolutely love it! I can really play with my shots and milk when I want to, using my Sage Smart Grinder, OR I can almost set and forget, the auto milk texture is more than adequate when I'm in a rush and want something milky and it pulls great shots with some adjusted pre-infusion! Got it on sale £199, if you can get it at a similar price or lower HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

My frustrations with my DeLonghi brought me to the channel. I’m now in the process of upgrading, this guide is extremely helpful 👍

I've had a dedica for about 3 years and really like it, only paid £72 though, you can adjust temperature, think there's 3 settings. and the drip tray is removable for taller cups (or scales). You soon get use to avoiding the buttons when holding it still but it is an issue when you first start using it

The Reddit r/espresso and home-barista communities will probably thank you for providing them with a link to provide 100 times a day to answer this very question. In terms of the review itself - you are absolutely spot on and really provided a comprehensive assessment of the pros and cons of each machine. I really like that you covered the modding vs out-of-the-box features, given the hobbyist nature of espresso-making. As usual, fantastic work!

I've had a DeLonghi Dedica for around 6 years, and obviously I am happy with it (or I wouldn't have had it for 6 years:). I recall it took some fiddling to get the brew I wanted, and I ended up with a fairly fine grind using a rich, dark bean. The only real problem I had was finding a frothing jug small enough to be able to submerge the end of the frothing wand into the milk. I normally have a latte, but from time to time I'll make an espresso or Americano, or even a Cappuccino. I bought it when I wasn't exactly flush with money, and since I can afford something better, I've been looking around (which is how I ended up here). But every time I look at a 'better' espresso machine, I realize that I'm happy with what I have. And that's the whole point, isn't it?

I just had to comment, the quality of your video and the level of detail you have added here, is amazing! Thank you! I was looking into buying the Gaggia Classic, so this has been very helpful, I didn't think people actually do modifications on their coffee machines, this is very interesting. Thank you again!

Finally! I've been waiting for this almost as much as 'Ultimate Aeropress Technique'

I own the Bambino Plus and it has been pretty good to me. Yes, this machine does not allow for modifications other than the size of the shot you can pull but I do like the option of the automatic milk-steaming system. I do enjoy using it manually and perfecting my milk steaming but the option of it being there for my wife to use who could really care less is great. Great starter machine that has built my confidence in hopes of one day pulling the trigger on a more "legit" home brewing setup. Thanks for the great and honest video, James.

I got the Sage recently, and I got it specifically as a "learner machine"! I'm focusing on the shot itself at the moment, not having to worry about things like temperature surfing. Once I'm more confident with the shot, I'm hoping to switch over to frothing technique, and while I have no doubt that I might want to upgrade to a nicer setup in the future, it really helps making this hobby feel more approachable?

After watching this video got myself Sage Bambino Plus for making cappuccinos and I'm very happy about it. I was contemplating buying an espresso machine for a while now and pandemic was the final push to finally get one. And I must say - Sage Bambino is beginner friendly indeed. As a beginner I struggle with frothing milk manually, but with Sage Bambino I can get perfectly silky foam half-automatically. I begin on auto frothing (jug placed on the machine) and then lift the jug at the end of frothing to roll the milk. Works super well with whole milk. Also if you don't have a grinder yet, the pressurized portafilter enables you making enjoyable espresso for milk drinks even when using cheap pre-ground coffee (Bambino comes both with pressurized and non-pressurized portafilters). The overall coffee making process is also surprisingly fast (but this is coming from a person who typically drinks pour-overs). Now I'm ready for the next step - good manual grinder and quality beans :)

The rancilio was the brand of espresso machine we used at the coffee shop I worked at and after getting the hang of stretching and frothing milk it was always great!! It made really nice foam for cappuccinos too which I would always make on my breaks haha

Thank you James. I have a ridiculous spring lever but on the weekends I use a Bambino Plus with unpressurised basket. It produces consistently good coffee and milk. A huge bonus with it is the fast warm up time for it (a matter of 5 seconds), so I can make a quick latte in less than 5 mins (and not wait 45mins for the spring lever to warm up).

Had the Gaggia Classic and it was one of the worst experiences of my life with a product. I wanted it primarily for the latte art. The foam was terrible. I tried replacing the wand for a better one, which was a headache to do, but it made no difference anyway. My bartender gf kept telling me that my lack of skill was to blame and asked to let her try it. After she tried it, she too concluded that my steam wand was cr*p. The coffee itself would come out barely warm. Apparently you have to coast the temp and warm up the cups just to get a good coffee. Someone pointed out that this machine was once good, but then version 2 came out and...yeah, that's what I had. This machine is still often recommended in consumer guides, so I thought I would write this public service warning, even though this is an old video.

I really like the reviews that have a scorecard with categories and points. Those are extremely helpful.

I have the Delonghi and she's hurt by your words, she treats me well every morning. yeah we're from the cheap side of town, but she looks good in red and we don't drink milk any hoo. x

I own a Gaggia Classic and have used my friends Racilio Silvia. They were both great machines to start learning how to pull espresso shots. They were definitely fussy when it came to controlling the temperature and required guestimating the best timing to pull the shots by i.e. listening to the boilers instead of relying on the indicator lights. But they were both really capable of pulling great shots at times and were enjoyable to use. I did find that cleaning the Gaggia Classic was a bit of a fuss since the group head often required to be taken apart to do some good cleaning to get rid of all the old coffee grinds. I think the two are great entry machines for espresso for anyone looking to start the path of espresso as a hobby. It definitely takes time to learn the skill, finding your favorite beans, as well as for all the maintenance, but if you are looking to get the reward of getting great coffee at home by paying that extra time, those two are a great way to go. Also, I had the same exact experience with the steam on those two machines. I was not very happy with the steam on the Gaggia classic, but was impressed by the silvia, and this was back in the early 2000s, so I guess those two machines have not changed very much since then.

A tremendously helpful video that I've watched several times, thank you. I'm moved from the Dedica equivalent (Smeg), to a Rancilio Silvia (V6). I'm loving the solid build, getting better extraction and power. I bought this knowing that temperature surfing is something I'll have to put up with until I install a PID. Shot-to-shot consistency is a challenge due to temperature. Steaming power is amazing - something like the two group Wega I learned on nearly 20 years ago - improving the flat whites my wife enjoys. So far it's exceeded my expectations, and seems a great place to learn and explore on my way to an e61 machine.

We have had a DeLonghi Dedica (E680R) as our daily office machine since October 2015, makes between 6 - 10 coffee's a day and has never missed a beat and is still working fantastically! Used approx 260 days per year x 7 cups x 5.5 Years = 10,010 cups of coffee!! Awesome machine!!

Oh man, it’s 11 pm and I just stumbled on your channel. I’m in some sort of coffee loop for the next few hours..

Had a dedica for about 3 years now, I definitely didn't know what I was doing when I got it (I probably still don't now), I'm now all too aware of its shortfalls but £400-500 was a very intimidating price at that point for me, have to say its done me really well, I'm looking forward to an upgrade down the line but I'll look back on it with fondness. Having had it in a small kitchen, I definitely think the small form factor is a selling point for a lot of people.

I commend your beautiful speaking voice. This video relaxed my fussy toddler to sleep in the first 5 minutes. Thank you for giving my sing voice a break.

You did just a perfectly done job! Thank you very much for this video! I have some experience making espresso, I have an ECM Mechanika V Slim at home, and some of the points you showed here were very interesting, especially how did them, so again, thank you very much!

I only drink a handful of cups of coffee in a week, but I still watch all these videos. I just love the attention too detail, love and integrity that is put into them and comes out. Beautiful and inspiring.

I can absolutely recommend the De Longhi Dedica. I bought one just before lockdown and because if it I've discovered the world of espresso. It's the perfect machine to make one realise that a) they enjoy espresso and b) they need a better machine...

Thank you for your content James. Every video is so helpful and even just the way you talk through the information is very easy to listen to. If you ever do an audiobook, I want to find it because I bet it sounds great 👍🏽

I have a Lelit Victoria. It has a 58 portafilter and a PID. Pretty happy with it. The water tank is even more annoying than for the one you have, but, pretty good machine. I had a Silvia, the drip tray is way to shallow and the machine tends to rust from the water coming out during back-flush. However, I owned one for 10 years, didn't change a thing and then sold it to someone who wanted to put a PID on it.

Great review as always. I am so proud to have been an influence on your career. Wishing you all the very best.

Greetings from Finland! I wanted to thank you for this review, because it led me to try out the Bambino, since it was the best combination of size, price, and features for our current needs. Also for anyone that might benefit from this bit of news: this particular Bambino DID come with single wall baskets in addition to the dual wall 1&2 cups (as of Jan 2021). I had read rumours that more recent models were shipping with both and it appears to be the case, which is lovely since I don't have to track one down separately - perhaps relevant is that this is the "Sage" version of their brand, so I'm not sure if the Breville models ship the same way.

I've used a Delonghi Dedica that I was given for free for about a year now, and yes the milk wand only does bubbly frothed milk and would turn over half my jug into non liquid by the end. However, to get around this I accidentally lost the silver tip cover one day and used the simple rubber tip underneath and it made very silky milk. Now the opposite is true and you cannot froth milk with the tip so if you need both for your recipe then you have switch between the two.

Had my Gaggia for years and still going strong. Put in a brass grouphead, better shower screen, better portafilter & basket, changed the steam valve and upgraded to the 2019 steam wand, changed the pressure to 9bar. It's a pretty solid machine after that. I still find milk steaming a pain in the arse on it. But, until I get around to buying a new machine I can live with it. Done me very well over the last year of being stuck at home too

What a wonderful video! Shared on my FB. Couldn't wait to see the £1000 and 2000 groups. Thank you very much!

Owned the dedica for a number of years and has pulled decent shots most of the times. So good value for the money

Hello James, got the De Longhi 685 (?) last year before I upgraded to a Dual Boiler machine. You are right with your estimation in my eyes - but: you can adjust brewing temp by using the menue. Combined with a bit temp surfing and your portafilter mod there is an "ok" espresso possible. For normal purposes steaming is good enough. Latte Art is not intended ;-) Build quality is also ok for this money. Starting time is vety fast, so you can also use it for making hot chocolate. The milk steamer isnt very easy to clean, due to the plastic parts. Cheers and thx for your excellent professional and understandable vids! Greets from Germany, Fx

Love your videos James. I've owned the Gaggia and Rancilio (still in a holiday cottage). Agree with all points. My issue with the Rancilio is very high brew pressure which means I've to grind Super fine. This means more money on a reasonable grinder.

I love it when james uploads the moment i make myself a coffee

Here I am watching James again, tearing up over my instant cofffee. And saving up to buy a Dedica someday

After viewing this outstanding review, I've made my decision... I'll stick with my Moka Pots for the time being and see what comes out down the road. Your MP tutorials have me producing excellent not-quite-espressos, so there's no great rush. Thanks James.

Here in Canada the Silvia is almost twice the price of the Gaggia so it's a no brainer, and there's a really simple workaround to get more pressure out of the wand, you just start 10 seconds before the light comes on. I also upgraded to a VST basket and the IMS screen which instantly improved the quality of my shots, I'll upgrade the portafilter at some point as I agree the handle feels cheap. I think I'm ready to get the OPV mod, it looks easy enough to install. It's a great little machine, I'm very happy with it.

Thanks James, very good comparison. I would love to see the Lelit Glenda or even Victoria as well as the Quickmill Orione in comparison to the Rancilio and Gaggia. I think the price range would be much closer then .

James: "i'l be stirring with the fancy teaspoons, because i'm a fancy man" me: "mhmm, yes i am also fancy" i think to myself as i stir my iced coffee with a straw

Such a power move making eye contact while taking a shot of coffee

Gaggia Classic user here for 9 years. I got used to it. Haven't tried (even though I was tempted) any other machine. I changed all sort of parts in it - gaskets, boiler, steam wand (I bought the Classic with that weird steam wand), solenoid, switch buttons, new portafilter - I love the fact that I can do that by myself, big plus for the machine. It is indeed frustrating frothing milk, sometimes it comes out just fine, sometimes it is just warmed-up milk. But we don't drink coffee with milk too much, anyways. All in all we just love it as it became part of the family.

I got the Rancilio a few years ago. I chose it because it looks like it hasn't been changed in years, which is a good indicator of long term support and longevity in general. I just want to say thank you for talking about it's drawbacks, I have noticed some brews don't come out as well, and I'm definitely going to try the temp purge thing before pulling my shots! Also, now I'm thinking about a new basket for it. Pretty sure 1200 comments in, no one's going to be reading this. 🤣 But just in case, thanks!

I have had my Miss Sylvia for five years love it, temperature surfing and got used to it and it works well. Probably going to install a PID.

I have had a Silvia for 7 years now with a PID on it, I think you are correct, without the PID it would be tough to get a consistent shot. but with a PID it is a rock star, great quality, and built to give years of service.

Excellent review - I really enjoy following your reviews overall. I have previously owned the Rancillio Silvia & I believe your take on it is spot on. Very similar experience (and I also modified the machine).

I’ve got the dedica, really happy with it. Had it about 4 years.

got the Lelit Anita for a bit over a year now and I am very happy with it! :)

I've had my Rancilio Silvia for eight years, and it still delivers espressos every day at a reasonable high quality. I'm partly convinced the reason I haven't upgraded my espresso-setup yet is because it's the Silvia. Granted, a dual boiler would be nice due to the elimination of the waiting time between shot and steaming milk. If one is new at espresso brewing, and milk-based espresso drinks, I really think the Silvia is a good choice. It punishes the user for not doing things properly. And it can be as frustrating as motivating for learning the basics. (My machine was around £400 at purchase / 3.999,- Danish Kr. ).

WHY does Lelit has that stupid 57mm portafilter on this machine? That is the only reason I’m not purchasing it, as that excludes so many of your standard accessories (tampers, levelers, baskets, Niche dosing cup, etc).

I have a LELIT PL41TEM. for about 500$ I got a PID, a preasure gauge and a beautiful machine. Yes it is 57mm but rocking it for 2 years and love the machine. The company definetly rocks in this price range.

This was very informative. It makes me feel less intimidated to get a home espresso machine.

Thank you! I was a bit disappointed initially that you "modded" the DeLonghi, as I currently use it with the default basket. But it sent me down a rabbit hole of learning why pressurized vs non pressurized baskets exist and what they do. About to order a non-pressurized basket since I have a pretty good grinder (Rancilio HSD-ROC-SD). Tempted to go 'bottomless' as I learned that's a thing for pulling great shots too... Thanks again!

Just randomly stumbled on this video and I want to commend your delivery, knowledge and structure of video. Really well done and I've subscribed

The Silvia is an absolute beast. I'm glad to see the V6 in your video! Once you spend some time and have patience to get to know your Silvia and learn how to manage the temperature, the shots are delicious.

I've recently bought a Delonghi Dedica and noticed the machine I have is an updated version which has addressed several of the issues you mentioned. As a beginner machine I'm very happy with the amount of programmability it has allowing me to tune the machine to the coffee I like.

Love to see a 500-1,000 video, a third installment in the series!

Just discovered this channel after getting really into speciality coffees over the last 12 months, Love this guy 🤜🤛👍