ECP3420

Same aswell! Great machine. Went from ECP3420 -> Apex v2 -> Bianca v3 with EG-1. Went all out so I don't need to upgrade for many years. Best quality, no problems for the past months I've had it.

I have an ECP 3420 (for those that don't know, it's basically just a *slightly* nicer Stilosa) and the only thing that frustrates me about it is the lack of a 3 way valve, so I have to stop the shot early and swap out my cup when it hits the right weight Also I wish I could program shot times, but having a 3 way valve is more important imo With that said: I bought my 3420 for $50 used, and it just needed a deep clean and was perfectly fine. I'm not willing to pay 10x that for smth with a 3 way valve, so I just deal with it lol

>assured me that it is "impossible" to tamp the puck too hard Were they talking about pressurized baskets? The point of tamping is to make the pressure with the grounds/puck, but with a pressurized basket the pressure comes from the basket, and afaik tamping too hard can damage the basket Most espresso knowledge is based on non-pressurized baskets, which is where the confusion comes from imo >it's possible that my tamp isn't 100% level I didn't mean the surface of your tamp, I meant the surface your machine is on. With a pressurized basket, the espresso only comes out of one hole in the center, so the only thing that will effect which side it comes out is gravity or something wonky in the portafilter, not your puck prep. Afaik, with pressurized baskets, puck prep and grind size don't matter much, because you're not trying to affect the pressure caused by the puck

Check out _Tom's Coffee Corner_ 's review of the DeLonghi ECP 3420. After watching James Hoffman for years, I was led to believe that you can't have decent espresso at home for any machine under $500. I found a used one on FB for $40. I spent another $50-60 on a bottomless portafilter, an IMS basket and a nice tamper, and now I pretty much drink espresso every day. Even Lance Hedrick rated it "A" in his budget espresso machine video.

My ECP 3420 works perfectly now that I have dialed things in. I recently received the Timemore C2 grinder as a gift and got a scale for measuring my beans. I use the plastic tamper that came with it and have had any issues since. Good luck.

The Breville has a small portafilter (54mm), which is fine unless (until) you upgrade to something that uses a "standard / commercial" portafilter (58mm). Then you have to leave the smaller, size-specific accessories behind. This is not atypical; it's common for less expensive machines to use smaller portafilters and baskets, and popular machines (Breville, De’Longhi, etc.) *will* have a large selection of smaller-sized accessories. When I restarted the espresso habit I wasn't sure of the future so I got a De'longhi ECP3420 (US version) which is quite well regarded for what it is -- a starter machine.