# Looking for parts



## Wrinklyninja (Feb 14, 2020)

Hi all I'm new here I have used the forum for a while as a guest.

I have been using the sage bambino plus and the smart grinder pro for some time and as a entry level machine I have loved it but wanted to be more hands on to get my milk technique better etc.

Anyway i have just got the barista express as a gift off a friend but it is missing the portafilter (he lost it moving house) so wondered if there is anyway i can get one or if someone has any for sale.

I have looked everywhere and contacted sage direct but they have no stock for the next month.

Thanks for any help in advance


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

You can use the one for the Bambino based on people buying the other style of portafilter for the Bambino.

John

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## Wrinklyninja (Feb 14, 2020)

Ah ok I thought they were different thank you I'll give that a go in the mean time till I can source the proper one.

Kind regards


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## Bowie92 (Jan 6, 2020)

Honestly the milk wand on the Bambino is better than the Barista Express. If you compare them side by side you'll find its way more powerful. Oh, this is talking about using the wand in manual mode on the bambino. Just flip it up and then press the steam button to turn on.

The smart grinder Pro is also better than the built in one on the express. You get a lot more options for grind size allowing you to dial in that bit better.

But if you didn't want to use the Barista Express you can use the Bambino portafilter no bother.

Finally goes without saying regardless of which machine you use, use the single walled filter.


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

Bowie92 said:


> The smart grinder Pro is also better than the built in one on the express. You get a lot more options for grind size allowing you to dial in that bit better.


 Having used both I could never make my mind up just how much difference there is on the adjustment step size. The SGP has way more steps but a lot of them wont be used on an espresso machine. The BE's adjustment range is limited. I used small range of steps on both.

Where people probably go wrong with both is trying to get some exact ratio out of the machine rather than tasting what ratios they can achieve plus making a bit of use of shot time to vary it further.

Commercial grinders with stepless adjustment can be a bit of a curved ball as well. Small adjustments can be rather difficult to make. Play in the mechanism and difficulty in moving the adjuster. Niche has a lot of appeal in this area - very very little play and easy adjustment and also a clear indication of where the grinder is set.

 There is some play in Sage grinders too - so if going coarser always go too coarse and then fine. Easy to do - not so easy on some commercial grinders

John

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## Wrinklyninja (Feb 14, 2020)

Yeah that's what I do on my sgp if I needed to brind for my work aeropress I always go past where I need then back same for swapping back to expresso I go finer than I need then back seems to work well.


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