Breville Dual Boiler Espresso Machine BES920XL, Brushed Stainless Steel

The Perfect Espresso Machine for an Excellent Cost
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.

Great Machine – when it works. Poor customer support. Now I own an broken Espresso maker.
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.

Consistent Espresso Shots…I have been through a couple of espresso machines but none of them can match the quality espresso output of the Breville 920XL. Complete brew temperature control, a standard 58mm portafilter, volume or timed shot output, heated brew head, dual boilers for making espresso and texturing milk simultaneously, pre-infusion timing as well as pre-infusion pump pressure all make this a serious machine for getting consistent espresso shots. Best bang for the buck dual boiler on the market. Easy descaling in the Version 3 software, auto-on timer is a bonus feature that makes for a happy morning espresso routine. There are many other programable features as well what I have mentioned. It may not be an Italian quality built La Marazzoco but I am convinced it produces an espresso shot equally as good with more features than some of the big names in espresso machines.I have been using a local Vancouver, Canada coffee roaster called Moja Coffee – the 920XL needs fresh coffee to really shine.I did find it for less money at idrinkcoffee.com with the same free next day delivery, but decided to go with Amazon – crazy me. So the message is do shop around Amazon may not be the best price.

You can customize so much on the machine but the built quality is horrible. I will be sending it back for repair for second time in less than a year. Breville will keep fixing, but not replacing the machine and so I’ll be out of a machine as soon as warranty expires. Although I have been so careful by only using distilled water and third wave water packs, machine first leaked and had the o-rings replaced and now the water just empties a few times a week when I turn on the machine (see video). Steam is also not super powerful but that is something I can live with given the price of the machine. Save your money and look elsewhere.