# Worth the upgrade



## Rscut (Aug 13, 2016)

Hi all,

I've been toying with the idea of getting a Sage DB as an upgrade from my Oscar 2, but not sure how much of an upgrade it would be. I make 2 cups a day and maybe 4 cups back to back on a weekend. Thoughts?


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

I bought a DB and am pretty happy with it but have not tried a DB with an E61 group yet. Pity as I have one but can't try it yet. It heats up a hell of a lot quicker than that one will.

Just waiting to fail comments - In most cases I wonder about maintenance. The machine states when to descale based on readings from a hardness test strip they supply. I feel it needs doing more often but it is very easy to do. I live in a soft water area so being able to descale easily suites me. I would also descale if I used selected bottled water. The new filter they supply is a lot better than the earlier one and the manual suggests using another source if tap water is harder than some value. It's not that cheap either. The manuals can be downloaded off Sage's site.

Electronics - I spent a long time working in that area and software. A fault that gets mentioned infrequently causes me to plug it into a spike suppressor extension lead.

Lots of them get sold and all we here about is ones when things went wrong. For a DB offering what it does it's pretty good value and if things do go wrong in the warrantee period it gets fixed. Past that it's down to what people can do for themselves or Coffee Classics repairs. I've heard numbers that suggest they are cheaper than what an engineer would charge on other makes but pass. I've had in excess of 1,500 shots out of mine and loads of water for americano. If I needed to buy another sub £1 a shot isn't that bad and it's still ok.

It certainly doesn't ask for a back flush often enough. I've fitted an IMS shower screen, the fine woven one. It keeps more crap out of the machine.

O rings seals are reckoned to last > 3years. A kit can be bought from Australia or BS ones bought here. Silicone rubber. Circa getting to 3 years is the time to replace them. The Oz site suggests yearly but sells them. It probably is worth removing the lid and having a look around now and again just as it is with any machine. Mine just rests on now. There is a youtube video on how to hang it on the machine as there are leads coming off it.

Mine is a refurb. They had descaled it but as it turned out not well enough. It had been reset to a 9bar brew pressure and still is. Some posts on another make of machine will cause me to reset it to 10 as it was supplied. Not done yet. Refurbed as some one had probably scaled it up. As there is aluminium best stick to puly descaler.

I get the impression that a zoom demo comes along with a hefty discount.  It's even tempting me to get another.

I've not played with settings until recently. Set mid pre infusion pump power and 15secs duration so nothing but drips come out for 15 secs. Interesting results.

I used set timed shots as well but grind prep needs loads of care to keep the ratio in bounds. I only switch the machine on when needed and off once a drink or drinks are done. ~3min to heat up. Short flush as brew is preheated via the steam boiler so if left standing too long there is an initial spurt then the flow steadies.

Hot water is run off from the brew boiler - temp does drop then and takes a little while to recover - the machine doesn't show that this has happened. Switch off and back on again and it will. 10oz americano in my case and it drops to 85C. It wont come up fill tank while a shot is being pulled  might if it's a huge whoopsy and it seems it would have to generate rather a lot of steam to put water into the steam boiler as well.

Many people have problems with pucks sticking. There is a dose when they don't. May be tricky to find. I use Fracino baskets to get a range of dose sizes. Sad thing about all Sage machines they only supply 2. Other makes tend to be buckets on Sage. The Fracino 12g is tricky as it's shallow just like a certain IMS one.


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## Rscut (Aug 13, 2016)

Thank you for this, very informative! I consider the only issue with my current machine is that it does take 20/30 mins to get it up to temperature.

hadn't considered the group head size, so would need a new tamper (I know it has the one on the machine).


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## jonr2 (Jan 6, 2021)

hey @Rscut

on the discount point raised by @ajohn - i also understand that if you sign up to a zoom demo, not only do you get some great insight into how the machines work but you may also get a code for a 25% discount which does make the machines very attractively priced.

https://www.sageappliances.com/uk/en/home/index.html

Good luck with your search 🙂

Jon


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

Rscut said:


> so would need a new tamper


 It uses 58mm baskets. Their smaller machines use the small size baskets.


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## phil28 (Dec 1, 2020)

Hey I'm looking at the Sage DB too. Undecided between this and the Lelit Elizabeth.

Can confirm that you get a 25% code if you attend the zoom class. I attended 2 different ones. I got a code for both.


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

Couple of other things.

Looks like they didn't retool a float for it to show that the drip tray needs emptying. Best to do that when the top edge of the float can be seen.

It can be filled via a lift up flap on the top at the front. Handy under kitchen wall cupboards  Ikea ones are bit deep though. No need to remove the tank other than descaling.

There is a knob under the drip tray - turn it and the machine is on roller skates and easy to move around.

It's a lot of machine even at full price really.


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## prezes (Apr 17, 2018)

I own an Oscar 2 but my brother owned SDB which I am selling for him now so has a chance to spend a bit of time playing about with it. 
Both machines got good and bad points but I love the super quick heat up time of the SDB, temp stability as the ability to adjust the brew/steam temp, Pre-infusion etc...

I was actually considering keeping it but it is larger footprint which makes it impossible for me.


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