# DTP vs Gaggia Classic / Rancilio Silvia? A real life comparison?



## sinetwo (Aug 22, 2018)

This question comes up often but all I can see are arguments against the DTP along the lines of:

* It's not easy to fix yourself

* Parts are not readily available

* Don't trust Breville/Sage, they make machines, they're not baristas

But in all honesty, I got a defunct Gaggia Classic (pre 2015, wand leaking, temperature low etc.) which I now need to return, and I feel like the DTP with the PID seems like a much better buy than the Gaggia.

Has anyone used the DTP for as long as it's been out? If so, what are your experiences? And can you compare it to the Gaggia Classic / Racilio Silver in terms of extraction? Cause in all honesty, that's all that matters to me - however I don't want to re-buy a machine 5 years down the line either!

I sometimes feel people get really hung up on being coffee snobs, and to them it's more about going with a traditional machine rather than giving the new kid on the block a chance









Any advice would be appreciated. I can't seem to find any affordable Rancilios, so I may go back with a better working version of the Gaggia if that's my option for a better extraction. However having read up a lot on both machines, it seems DTP provides an absolutely excellent extraction, albeit in a 54mm basket.


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

I had a dtp for over a year, I also had a classic for a few months. For ease of use, I would opt for the dtp. Others would argue against. It's such a minefield haha.

It depends what you want from the machine I suppose. I liked the dtp because it was quick to heat and use, so if you're busy in a morning it would be ideal.

The classic I had was a standard unit. I haven't used one with a pid so I can't judge on that, but I gather it transforms the machine to a really good unit.


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## sinetwo (Aug 22, 2018)

joey24dirt said:


> I had a dtp for over a year, I also had a classic for a few months. For ease of use, I would opt for the dtp. Others would argue against. It's such a minefield haha.
> 
> It depends what you want from the machine I suppose. I liked the dtp because it was quick to heat and use, so if you're busy in a morning it would be ideal.
> 
> The classic I had was a standard unit. I haven't used one with a pid so I can't judge on that, but I gather it transforms the machine to a really good unit.


Thanks Joey. Have you ever serviced the DTP?


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

sinetwo said:


> Thanks Joey. Have you ever serviced the DTP?


Well gave it a descale but not much else really other than general cleaning.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Silvia = no


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## Rakesh (Jun 3, 2017)

I have owned a DTP, gaggia Classic with PID and Silvia. The gaggia Classic was probably my favourite out the bunch but that was only due to the pid, standard portafilter size and opv aswell as other mods you can do. The dtp was the easiest to use and is the most attractive but has 53mm portafilter also mine broke after 6 months of use. I sold the Silvia to a friend after a month.


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## L&R (Mar 8, 2018)

I have never had Sage/Breville/Gastroback(even don't know who really design and produce these), but having lots of Gaggias and Silvias in hand I could say if you have the skills you can produce perfect shots with Classic and Silvia. Both are easily reparable and upgradable too. Unless you don't want to restore some retro machine stick with 58mm I would say as well.

BR


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

L&R said:


> I have never had Sage/Breville/Gastroback(even don't know who really design and produce these), but having lots of Gaggias and Silvias in hand I could say if you have the skills you can produce perfect shots with Classic and Silvia. Both are easily reparable and upgradable too. Unless you don't want to restore some retro machine stick with 58mm I would say as well.
> 
> BR


Don't spend the extra cash on a Silvia, if you can pick up one in good condition for under £200 sure but new, never ever never.


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## L&R (Mar 8, 2018)

Oh yeah, I never buy new equipment.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

There is nothing wrong with the DTP, other than what you mention.....that is not a daft statement. it is user friendly, makes a half decent cuppa and is very popular, but....it is a 'modern' machine, packed with electronic circuitry etc and unfortunately, these fail sometimes. Then the problems start if it is out of warranty.

So, the choice is buy something like a Silvia/Classic and know that no matter what goes wrong with it you can obtain the parts and mend it....

If you buy a TV with a 5 year warranty and it breaks, you sling it after the 5 years and replace. Why should you not do that with a coffee machine? If the answer still is you want longevity, unless you are a gambler dont buy the Sage


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

Buying a used Sage probably has more problems than others, newbies buy them - has it been looked after. Thermoblock machines are known to have scaling problems for instance so will need that looking after. The DTP seems to lack an over pressure gauge - might be a good point on a used machine as loads of crap may not have been sucked back into it.

It might be interesting to know how you measured the Gaggia temperature. The one that matter is the water in the boiler. Anyway it sounds like it's broke. They all do at some point. Drips from the steam wand could be down to scale or if just one or two left overs from when it was last used.

One machine extracting better than another is a bit of an imponderable. People own all sorts of machines and like what they get out of them. Most of that is down to the user. Some machines may produce a different taste to others that doesn't mean that one is better than another.

Yet another aspect is the probability of keeping the same machine for 5 years and not getting upgrade lust.

Buying a use machine has it's interesting aspects. Really the best thing to do is make sure all is ok and clean otherwise you may have bought one that is near to having problems just down to lack of maintenance. Another one is resale value - probably similar to what was paid for it.

It seems Sage will repair machines. Not clear if they will sell parts for DIY. I worked in the automotive area so electronics don't bother me too much as I know of stuff that is still running and doing it's stuff for more years than you can imagine since it was made. It does however depend on how well it's designed in the first place.

John

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