the Dual Boiler™

breville duo is great

Nice 👌 setup. I would look into getting a machine with dual boiler to get that coffee shop frothy milk if you like your lattes or flat white. I have sage dual boiler and I’m super happy how my milk tastes and looks. The frothers on smaller machines are simply lacking the power. From my knowledge, the only decent budget option would be small Gaggia.

Breville Dual boiler, can’t be beat on sale for around $1k (see ozbargain), plus a decent grinder. The Breville SGP is ok and can be had for around $250, but there are many better options (especially if you look second hand).

The bambino is a great machine, but the dual boiler is just a much more capable machine and for similar price the dual boiler is an absolute no brainer.

I’ve owned both and the BDB will give you at least as many repair trips as the Bambino. It’s a rather complex machine. Much more so than the Bambino.

BDB offers a lot for the price, but the price differences aren't usually significant in the long run because - generally speaking - an EU made machine will last much, much longer. When I worked on them, one customer had already been through 3 BDBs before replacing it with an EU-made DB that had outlasted all 3. You're also paying for a nicer feeling & looking machine, and something that doesn't use plastic and teflon.

Barista series requires the whole grouphead to be replaced. DB series has a removable diffuser which cracks and deforms - but is easily replaceable luckily.

The compression fittings remedy the leaking orings, but the probes leak just as much as before, and probably more because the pressure doesn't escape from the seals. Swings and roundabouts.