# Newbie here with a £150 budget! Help!



## puravida (Nov 22, 2008)

My wife and I are coffee lovers. I make a stove top 'Bialetti' fresh coffee each morning but I'm thinking of taking the plunge and going for a proper espresso machine for an Xmas gift for my wife.

I've a budget of around £100-£150 but I'm really struggling to find solid reviews and independent machine advice.

I stumbled across this forum and hope your combined experiences may illuminate the path to the perfect machine for her!!

I'm sure this question has been asked 1000 times and apologies in advance for any repetition!

Jon


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## puravida (Nov 22, 2008)

I should add here I have been recommended a Francis & Francis X1 and a Gaggia Classic so far, but both those are a little above my budget!


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Welcome Jon

Are you using pre-ground coffee or do you already have a grinder?

To improve your coffee experience I would recommend a good grinder forms the basis of your espresso setup.

There was a rumour that Comet had a number of Gaggia Classics between £110 and £140 a few weeks ago but I was not able to validate this at all. Check this out and if you see one for that price then go for it!

The Gaggia Evolution may just come into your price range, and is a good starting point.

Easy to use and fairly reliable little machine for home use

If ordering from an online site make sure you specify which colour you prefer.

I'm sure others will be along to give their recommendations too.


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## puravida (Nov 22, 2008)

Fab advice - many thanks Glenn!

I'll have a hunt round the local Comets - that sounds like a bargain.

I was planning on just buying pre-ground coffee? Is that a no-no?


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Whilst it's not a 'no-no' as such, your coffee experience is likely to be improved by grinding on-demand. That's another topic in itself.

To get you off the ground, pre-ground from some of the UK's micro-roasters will put you in better stead than coffee that has been sat on a supermarket shelf for an unknown amount of time.


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## Ruddmeister (Nov 5, 2008)

The Gaggia site has a 'reconditioned' section

http://www.gaggia.co.uk/

All machines come with a 12 month guarantee and a Gaggia baby black is £149 as an alternative


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Thats a super price and worth considering. Thanks!


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## puravida (Nov 22, 2008)

Great suggestion - thanks!

Anyone bought a reconditioned machine? Do they look okay??

There's a classic on there for £199....


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Reconditioned machines are often just like new.

In some cases (depending on the supplier) they may simply be a machine that has been returned because the box was damaged and the contents are fine.

With a 12 month warranty you have a good backup if anything goes wrong


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## NickZaskar (Nov 23, 2008)

Hi,

If you see my other post, i just got a reconditioned Gaggia Evolution for £99 with 2 years warranty from an proper outlet shop. According to the shop assistant, the only difference between the classic and evolution is the classic has a solenoid valve which has minimal drip after use as opposed to a mechanical valve which may drip for a few minutes. But isnt this what a drip tray is for?!

If you were bothered, from my motor trade background i can tell you a solenoid valve is an electrically magnetised valve, which is normally closed when de-energised by a spring. Mechanical valve is self explanatory! Just incase you cared!...


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2008)

have used a gaggia evolution for about 8 years and absolutely love it

- it has been used virtually every day and has never failed me. I descale it every couple of months and have been really impressed with the reliability. My sister bought the same machine on my recommendation and loves hers too. Best results come with very fine powdery grind, for example illy espresso (in tins) - avoid packets of coffee that say 'suitable for all coffee machines' they are invariably too coarse. The other alternative is to use beans and a decent grinder.

good luck

neil


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Welcome Neil

Good to hear that the machine has been descaled regularly as limescale kills machines. I have seen many that need to be binned after 2 years as they had not been descaled at all.

The process itself is simple and is necessary to maintain a good quality of coffee production.

Temperatures and pressure levels also suffer through scale.


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