# Breville barista express or OSCAR II?



## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

Hello,

I made a quick decision and bought the OSCAR II from nuova simonelli, I got the box today, I opened it but stopped before doing any espresso, because I have the feeling that the breville barista express could produce the same espresso shot and of course the advantage of the built-in grinder.

So, actually the built-in grinder is a huge++ to me because it would save me of buying a grinder for the OSCAR II, and yeah that's my only concern now!

I talked with the company and they told me that I can return the machine and get the breville instead and also they are taking the shipping charges too.

So what should I do? I have no experience of which is better at producing a good espresso shots, and also good in the long run and has low maintenance problems.


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

Hey up. I could be of some use here as I've had both (kind of) I'll reply later when the kids are asleep with my thoughts


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## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

If I had to choose I would get the Oscar II, a few people think it's a great machine and if it comes with the OPV mod. To much sage drama for my liking.


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## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

joey24dirt said:


> Hey up. I could be of some use here as I've had both (kind of) I'll reply later when the kids are asleep with my thoughts


Excited to know your experience about it








love for your kids, I just gifted with a daughter this year, it's my first child and I'm really overwhelmed



Jony said:


> If I had to choose I would get the Oscar II, a few people think it's a great machine and if it comes with the OPV mod. To much sage drama for my liking.


The built-in grinder with the breville express is attracting me the whole time, it's compact and of course would save like $400-500 of buying a new grinder.

But what most important is which one produces the better espresso? if they both similar, then I'm directly returning the OSCAR II. Because if both machines would provide me with the same espresso results then I don't care about the portafilter size, what matters is that I want to taste a delicious espresso at first, because that's what I like to do when I brew an espresso shot







then steam the milk and do the cappuccino I like.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

a machine plus a separate grinder will always produce a better coffee than a machine with a built in grinder.....especially true when it comes to Sage as the grinder it total grade one shite......but it depends on what you want.....if you are willing to trade off convenience for quality go Sage......if you want to make proper coffee and learn to appreciate the Oscar and separate grinder, then thats the way to go. The grinder is more important than the machine......


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## joey24dirt (Jan 28, 2017)

Hi again. Kids are asleep (ish). Congrats on your daughter too. Definitely an eye opener when you can't give them back 

Back to the machines. I had a duo temp pro and an Oscar 1. Obviously slightly different to what you're comparing but pretty close.

The DTP had most of what the BE had, apart from the grinder and 3 way valve I think. The DTP was quick and easy, especially when I had just had my kids and needed to be in and out. It made lovely coffee, although it was a little cool. The auto shut down made it difficult the get any heat into the portafilter so you would have to do a few flushes or run it under a hot tap. The steaming on it did take a while though (around 40 - 50 seconds depending on amount of milk) but it was good to learn with to perfect your technique. I originally had a separate sage grinder so in effect I did have a BE, and I found when I switched to a mazzer super jolly the coffee was way better. So that in itself proved to me the separate grinder route was the way to go.

I sold the sage and bought the Oscar. These were worlds apart, especially when it comes to steaming. The power on the nuova kit is great and I was steaming the same amount of milk in around 5-6 seconds!! The shots from this machine were good, although with it being a HX you need to flush them a little before pulling a shot. I didn't have a temp gauge on mine so it was guess work when flushing. I tinkered with it and fit the opv (Oscar II has it already I think?) and also the group head gicleurs to help with temp stability. It improved the coffee again.

So basically I'm saying if it was me I would stick with the Oscar and invest some time with it to learn it's ways. They are a great machine with common parts should anything fail. I know this means having to buy a grinder but the benefits will pay off. The grinder is after all the most important piece of kit.

Its the time to buy grinders now niche have hit the streets. Keep an eye open in the for sale section and see what's available. For a few hundred ££ you can grab a bargain.


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## ATZ (Aug 4, 2017)

The inbuilt sage grinder is rubbish. You can usually pick up a very decent second hamd one from the for sale section here.


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## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

dfk41 said:


> a machine plus a separate grinder will always produce a better coffee than a machine with a built in grinder.....especially true when it comes to Sage as the grinder it total grade one shite......but it depends on what you want.....if you are willing to trade off convenience for quality go Sage......if you want to make proper coffee and learn to appreciate the Oscar and separate grinder, then thats the way to go. The grinder is more important than the machine......


Well, the breville in Saudi Arabia has a center in one of the biggest cities in the kingdom, but I'm currently in another city. I was hoping to visit their center and try the breville express, but I bought the OSCAR II anyway.

But as you declared of what I want, well, I really want to control the espresso shots and try to find the sweet spot of the espresso shot, shouldn't be any bitter, over or under extracted. I did some shots with my delonghi dedica and when I'm luck I get a nice espresso.

So that's why I wanted a more powerful machine, I thought about the gaggia classic because I watched its videos on youtube with whole latte love channel, they really love that machine and I was considering buying it.

But then I just somehow thought about the OSCAR II ... I don't know why. The classic seemed to be a good one.



joey24dirt said:


> Hi again. Kids are asleep (ish). Congrats on your daughter too. Definitely an eye opener when you can't give them back
> 
> Back to the machines. I had a duo temp pro and an Oscar 1. Obviously slightly different to what you're comparing but pretty close.
> 
> ...


OK, I learned that you owned a breville and got a wide experience with it, then you moved to the OSCAR. Well, that explains a lot to me. It shows that the OSCAR is a good robust machine .. hmm. Until this moment the machine is standing on my dishwasher .. didn't do anything with it since yesterday







I'm really excited to taste that delicious espresso











ATZ said:


> The inbuilt sage grinder is rubbish. You can usually pick up a very decent second hamd one from the for sale section here.


But I'm in Saudi Arabia, that's really far from your region or the member who would sell me his grinder


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## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

OK, I went to the kitchen decided to operate the machine. Fill it with water, switched it on, waited for it to warm up. I accidentally touched the steaming part and burnt my fingers, so that's wasn't a pleasant experience









I used my delonghi grind which was little coarse that it should be, then the result was a black coffee









Then I also have a more fine grind which I ground at a coffee shop recently. Brew it and I got something like espresso, still learning with this machine. But man the steaming is so powerful .. really aggressive LOL.

I prepared a cappuccino cup. I hope to get some really nice shots out of this machine.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Claudette at Bella Barista sends things to your part of the world on a regular basis, meaning you can buy anything you want or can afford!


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## espressotechno (Apr 11, 2011)

Oscar = Simonelli = quality build & spares easy to source worldwide. Repairs/servicing also easier to do/source.


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## wolfrose (Mar 16, 2018)

Yes they have the eruka grinder for 319 pounds, it's similar to sette price. I think what I understood that sette is the one for espresso.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

wolfrose said:


> Yes they have the eruka grinder for 319 pounds, it's similar to sette price. I think what I understood that sette is the one for espresso.


The Mignon will last a lifetime, the Sette will last till the end of the month....they work fine but are very unreliable and this is not me saying it. I had one and liked it but moved it on quickly for obvious reasons. The Mignon will last just as long as you want it to


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

wolfrose said:


> Hello,
> 
> I made a quick decision and bought the OSCAR II from nuova simonelli, I got the box today, I opened it but stopped before doing any espresso, because I have the feeling that the breville barista express could produce the same espresso shot and of course the advantage of the built-in grinder.
> 
> ...


Not had sage so can't comment but I really rate the Oscar 2; so much so I bought one for work and one for home.

Since I bought these I haven't looked back. I prefer them to the Fracino machines I've had and the Rocket I owned; I find espresso to be more predictable.


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