Browse Forums Kitchen Corner Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 2Aug 08, 2011 7:59 pm I started with Sunbeam Cafe Crema, cost me about $165 and had a heap of use. Loved it. Two years later we upgraded to Delonghi Magnifica for $899, still had heaps of use and then last year (three years later) upgraded to Delonghi Prima Donna. Have never had one problem with my machines, however I've always kept them cleaned and well maintained. We bought extended warranty on all of them, so we have 5 years warranty on our machine instead of the normal 2. Haven't needed to use it yet but wouldn't have it any other way. My machine has come in handy every single day. It is especially useful when guests come over. Highly recommend the Delonghi range. Good luck with your decision. Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 3Aug 08, 2011 8:05 pm Ours is used every morning. We calculated that if we each bought one coffee a day we would be spending $49/week-or close to $2400/year! Considering that our Breville machine cost us around $350 a few years ago and we buy a pack of coffee a month (around $9) we are waaay in front! Deemaree Kyndylan Capers: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=46852 My blog: http://www.sufficientlysufficient.blogspot.com/ Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 4Aug 08, 2011 8:13 pm Best. Thing. Ever. We bought a DeLonghi Perfecta about 18 months ago (fully automatic) and it's what gets us up in the morning! It was our gift to ourselves with some cash from our wedding. It's great quality and makes fantastic coffee, especially for one that require minimal maintenance and only takes a minute from start up to having a cup made. It's also quite customisable in it's settings (grind, froth, strength, amount, temp). The RRP is $2299, but we paid $1650... May have had something to do with pushing the salesperson at 4:45pm on the last day of the month? If you enjoy your coffee, get one! Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 5Aug 08, 2011 8:25 pm I personally love my Jura machine.... I have found it to be the only one that has an automatic milk frother that the milk comes out HOT.. not luke warm.... I love it to bits... great for dinner parties, lazy weekends... you end up saving heaps. Yes you have to keep it maintained but it is well worth it. Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 6Aug 08, 2011 8:44 pm Deemaree Ours is used every morning. We calculated that if we each bought one coffee a day we would be spending $49/week-or close to $2400/year! Considering that our Breville machine cost us around $350 a few years ago and we buy a pack of coffee a month (around $9) we are waaay in front! Wow, looking at it the way you have explained makes me think of it differently now, Glad to see the sums done. Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 8Aug 08, 2011 8:55 pm Jeremyheyes Honestly speaking not that reliable. We have had no issues in the 4 years we have had this machine. What brand did you have trouble with? Deemaree Kyndylan Capers: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=46852 My blog: http://www.sufficientlysufficient.blogspot.com/ Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 9Aug 08, 2011 9:16 pm We have a manual espresso machine and separate grinder. Cost around $3k all up. Gets used each and every day sometimes a couple of times. We were spending $10 a day at the local barista before we bought it. Beans bought locally every 3-4wks @ $20 us all it costs us. Once I year I will have it descaled professionally and serviced - only because being an Italian machine I would prefer a professional to do the hard work whilst I clean it properly every two weeks. Some things are worth waiting for. Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 10Aug 08, 2011 9:21 pm We used our Jura fully automatic every day for 9 or 10 years until it up and died on us a few months ago and now the tax refund has come in we'll be replacing it, we'd make at least 8 shots out of it per day. We actually found that it made a better coffee than many places in town and that we were able to tweak the amount of coffee and water so that we had a cup that was consistently just the way we love it. Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 12Aug 08, 2011 11:07 pm Very similar experience to MrsG. Bought a Delonghi Magnifica 4 years ago and have loved the coffee, once you find the right beans that suit your taste. Just had it serviced because of O-rings dying and the little computer said that in the 4 years I'd made 5664 Espressos and 6485 Cappuccino's. We only have 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening with my wife but friends always love the coffee it makes. I've got to say, the time it was away at service was the longest 2 weeks ever!! You can NOT get your local barista to grind the beans YOU like. Guess what is going to be pride of place in the new kitchen??? SK Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34120 Handover 23 Dec 11 Squatting 21 Dec 11 Fixed 12 Oct 11 Plastered 31 Aug 2011 Framed 7 June 2011 Site Start 7 Feb 2011 Land Titled 18 Jan 2010 Land Deposit 25 Jun 2009 Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 13Aug 09, 2011 11:09 am I had a Breville coffee machine, it cost about $150. It was great, I used it for years! When one part broke I got a replacement part for only $8. If you're going for a more expensive machine then you need to make enough coffees to justify it. That's why I got a cheap one, because it suits my habits. I always bought the Lavazza beans from Woolworths in the gold packet, they are nice. I no longer have a coffee machine now and don't plan to buy one, because I don't drink coffee often enough. Metricon Riva 33 - http://herlihy-riva.blogspot.com Site start 15/03/2010 - Handover 23/12/2010 9 months and 8 days (284 calendar days) from site start to handover Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 14Aug 09, 2011 12:23 pm I use my Rancilio Silvia multiple times per day, in fact I leave it on for most of the day so that the machine is hot and ready to go whenever I need it. Of course I enjoy the occasional coffee with friends at a cafe, but for my caffeine addiction I need to be able to get my fix at home as well. Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 15Aug 09, 2011 1:30 pm First off we bought a sunbeam coffee machine...it cost around $500 last one month past the warranty then died....it was a good machine but after we did our research online found out that it was a common problem with that model....then about 6 months ago bought a Delonghi Magnifica Pronto it was around $1300 and is fully automated push button...one of the best buys we have made for household appliances...I use it every day without fail,like some else has mentioned above if you buy your coffee from a sho it soon adds up....I would average using it 3 times a day....at least this way you can pick your favourite beans and you are guaranteed a great cup every time. Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 16Aug 09, 2011 1:47 pm Eyspy like you I was a little skeptical of how much I would use a coffee machine and while looking on eBay found one of the TOL Sunbeams that had only been used half a dozen times because the lady discovered coffee was one of the causes of her migraines....and being a migraine sufferer for more years than I care to remember I could relate to her problem but my migraine days are behind me so I thought I would buy this machine and if it didn't get much use, or for whatever reason wasn't satisfactory I would relist it on eBay. It gets used 'every' day, sometimes several times during the day and when my DGD's visit they love a Choccacino and if the machine died tomorrow I would rush to my computer and buy another one. Going to the local coffee shop would involve a 45 min trip (each way) so that's not feasible. Maintenance is minimal and just recently I bought a new main seal (again on eBay) and did a full service on the machine...super simple and the seal only cost $12.50. Real coffee is sooooo much nicer once (as everyone else has mentioned) you find the one you like. Hot chocolate is so much nicer too!! Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 17Aug 09, 2011 1:50 pm It all comes down to how much you love your half double decaffeinated half-caf, with a twist of lemon. Some people cannot function without their morning Cuppa, and therefore it would be well worth it. Also handy if you socialise / entertain frequently. Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 18Aug 09, 2011 3:03 pm I like my coffee, but my Italian style pot that sits on the stove needs no plug, makes good coffee. My wife is the one who wants the machine, I have not really been sold on them yet. I don't see the point in having a machine sitting there turned on all day with hot water waiting for me to decide if I want a cup or not. The cleaning side of things looks a little tile consuming as well Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 19Aug 09, 2011 3:10 pm eyspy I like my coffee, but my Italian style pot that sits on the stove needs no plug, makes good coffee. My wife is the one who wants the machine, I have not really been sold on them yet. I don't see the point in having a machine sitting there turned on all day with hot water waiting for me to decide if I want a cup or not. The cleaning side of things looks a little tile consuming as well our machine is never on for long and has an automatic switch off feature after about 30 mins or so.....cleaning is easy and it tells you when it needs to be descaled and also rinses it self every time before it turns off couldnt live without it Re: Coffee machines - Fad or useful ? 20Aug 09, 2011 3:14 pm Depends really on what you get - at the end of the day you get what you pay for. I drink quite a bit of coffee - usually 3-4 a day. I work in the CBD and you get some really crap coffees for $3 each. The Miele CVA5060 ($3-4K) integrated, not bench beats nearly all of them hands down. I have just bought one for our new place being built currently. Try it... |