Breville Dual Boiler Espresso Machine BES920XL Brushed Stainless Steel

This is my third espresso machine. The last one was Italian, and after 4 years I was tired of trying to fault diagnose and repair it. And Italian parts can be difficult to obtain. The only repair facility was 2,000 miles away, and shipping a 50 pound machine would have been prohibitive. Hence this Breville. This machine is truly amazing ... light years ahead of my old Gaggia and for considerably less cost. The dual boiler is the best for simultaneously pulling a shot and steaming milk. The steam is very consistent and not too forceful, allowing one to steam milk to the perfect consistency. The rotating lever provides for adjusting the steam force and the wand rotates to the perfect position. The Breville has flexibility in programming your shot. The temperature and the duration of how long it takes to pull the shot allows you to steam the milk while the shot is being pulled. Push the button and go for it! You can fill the reservoir from either the back or the top of the machine, and the illuminated fill viewing port is a nice touch. I can't say enough about the tamper ... integrated into the machine (attached by a magnet) and with a line to note when you have the proper amount of coffee in the porta filter. The drip tray is easy to pull, empty and clean. And the hidden compartment for a few tools is a nice touch. This machine is a little lighter than some, I think tipping the scales at around 30 pounds, instead of 50 of my old one. What this means is that you need to put some light pressure to hold the machine while turning the porta filter. But that's a minor concern. And if you do need to scoot this machine across the counter, it has an ingenious method for having wheels pop out and you can easily push the Breville wherever you wish. There is nothing I don't like about the Breville. For the cost and functionality, this is the best. My wife says my cappuccinos are as good as any we have had in Italy! Now that's a compliment and a testament to this machine! UPDATE 9-25-18 - I have now been using this machine for 1 1/2 years, twice a day. I love it as much as the day I purchased it; I have had not a single issue, the cappuccinos continue to be first rate, and every single thing on it works like the day I came out of the box. I would highly recommend it. Read more

The BES920XL replaced an ~8yr+ old BES830XL, which was our introductory espresso machine at home. The 830 served us well with one repair issue, a fractured valve, over the 8 years. Our espresso making routine changed drastically when we put the 920 on the counter and fired it up. The machine itself has a larger footprint, but nothing that created an issue. The center wheel feature is very handy. This makes moving the machine a breeze during those rare times that it needs to be relocated or moved for cleaning or maintenance. The setup is simple enough with the instructions provided in the documentation provided. Technical manuals/consumer device documentation is often a pet peeve of mine. Over the years in my profession as well as at home, I have noted that the composing and editing for such documentation is usually the poorest element of any product. The documentation provided with this machine was the best combination of clarity and completeness that I have experienced for home devices or appliances. The most drastic change in the making of an espresso can be attributed to the design of the machine including a double boiler. The water is heated quickly. The user is able to trigger the espresso process and engage the steam wand for the heating of the milk/cream. We have had the machine going on 2 months and use it multiple times a day yet, I continue to be marveled at how quickly and effortlessly the latte/breve can be made ready for sipping. One detail that I love is the design of the plug on the power cord. It is the same as is on our old 830. There is a ring shaped feature on the plug which is used to easily pull the plug when needed. This is a little thing, but to me it indicates the thoughtfulness of the designer and the management who signs off on the designs. The control panel has a timer feature, which we presently use, that can schedule the startup of the machine. This will have the water heated and the machine ready for the first shot of the day. Set it for the usual time and if there is a delay getting to it, or you choose not to sip some brew, the machine will go to sleep in ~60 minutes, if my memory hasn't failed me. One item I following up on is the filter that is in the water tank. The shape of the filter that came with the 920 is different than what is listed as replacement on the Breville site and on Amazon. I have some time to get this straightened out. I would purchase this again and recommend this to other households that enjoy coffee on a regular basis. This appliance is often the second reason i get out of bed in the morning. Read more

I bought this product end of 2018, so this is truly a long term report. The first year was great. The feature set of the machine is perfect for me. It has just the right degree of automation, e.g. pre-infusion times. The Espresso it makes is tasty, not best in class, but for daily use very much enjoyable. And that was the reason why I bought that machine: A perfect blend of features and achievable results, for what I need. The problems started exactly 1 month after end of warranty - of course. It started making noises that sounded like steam is leaking on the inside. Shortly after small amounts of water would come out of the machine through the housing (see picture). I called customer support and they offered a free repair. This meant I had to live without the machine for a couple of days and go through the efforts of packing and shipping it. But stuff happens, so far so good. I received the repaired machine, all worked - for a year. And then the same as first time happened. After a long and exhausting email exchange and several phone call I could send in the machine a 2nd time for free repair. Currently I have the same problem again! Nine months after I got the machine back. Customer support refuses to do anything about it. They offer to repair for cost. To fix an obviously systematic problem that occurs on regular basis. There I am now. A broken machine and no desire from Breville to help in a customer friendly way. BTW, I own Espresso makers for many years, know how to clean and maintain them. This definitely is not the problem. The total opposite, after de-scaling the problem got worse, which clearly shows that there is a leak. Read more