Bambino

Loves their non-Plus Bambino and calls these the best low-budget machines, ideally with a bottomless portafilter and non-pressurized basket.

“I have a non-plus Bambino. I love it.”

After a month their Bambino made sour espresso outside dark roasts and results varied with temperature; fine for darker roasts.

“Bambino was making more sour espresso for me outside of dark roasts.”

Enjoyed the Breville Bambino they owned before selling it in a move.

“Used to own a Breville Bambino. Enjoyed it. Sold it during a move.”

Their Bambino leaves a lot to be desired: slow and its flow 'pisses' out; they want flow control and temperature settings.

“Leaves a lot to be desired. I hate how slow it is and how it "pisses" out lol”

Their Bambino pulls lovely shots and they see no reason to upgrade.

“My Bambino pulls lovely shot... I have no reason to upgrade only except for a double boiler”

Their Bambino gets the job done and they don't plan to upgrade until it dies.

“Well... my Bambino gets the job done”

After a few years with a Bambino they found it amazing for the price: fast heat-up, fairly consistent shots and surprisingly good steaming.

“the bambino is an amazing machine for what you pay for it. Fast heat up times, and fairly consistent shots, and surprisingly good steaming capabilities.”

Calls their Sage Bambino their biggest purchase regret: too small a footprint and it constantly leaks out the back.

“Having used similar range machines, this is by far the worst. The footprint is far too small, forcing me to spread my mess across the countertop.”

Three years with their Bambino: served them well overall, sometimes behaves oddly, and the small footprint is a plus.

“I've had this machine for 3 years and and served me well overall but it does behave weirdly sometimes.”

Didn't like their Bambino much because its temperature wasn't consistent.

“Have to agree, didn’t like my bambino that much as I found it was not temperature consistent”

Loves their Bambino paired with a Turin grinder; a great little setup.

“Love my Turin D54 grinder, and breville bambino set up.”

Happy with their used Bambino, though they'd like the Plus's auto froth and auto shut-off.

“I have a Bambino. My sister has the plus. Some things I would want to have that the plus has: auto froth for those lazy days.”

Nearly gave up on their Bambino because of inconsistent shots, which they put down mostly to the grinder (an Encore ESP); after pre-infusing longer they now get great coffee every time.

“I almost gave up on my machine and I think it was mostly the grinder, I would always get inconsistent shots because of inconsistent grinds = channeling”

After a Braun machine didn't do the trick they bought a Bambino and are happy with it.

“We went first with a Braun ... and that didnt quite do the trick, so we went with a Bambino and are happy with that.”

Has used a Bambino for a few years and it has been great; they don't expect to replace it soon.

“The Bambino had been great and I doubt I'll replace it any time soon.”

Had a Bambino briefly before moving to a dual boiler, and found the dual boiler far more repeatable and comfortable to use.

“I had bambino for a short time and then upgraded do a dual boiler and repeatability difference is massive as well as comfort of use.”

Has a modded Bambino (not the Plus) with a Niche Zero and hasn't found a reason to upgrade for medium to dark roasts.

“Im not a light roast fan so the setup is pretty good and havent found a reason to upgrade yet.”

Their Bambino heats up insanely fast thanks to the Thermojet.

“Bambino uses a Thermojet, though. I have a Bambino and the heat up time is insanely fast.”

Would have bought the Bambino Plus instead of their Bambino, because their partner won't steam milk manually.

“I’d have bought the Bambino Plus over the Bambino.”

After about four years with a Bambino and DF54, the steam wand has become a constant battle for consistency and they are looking to upgrade.

“I've been struggling with the Bambino for the last while as the steam wand is a constant battle for consistency.”

Gets excellent espresso from their Bambino, though without temperature control they gave up on dialling in a light roast.

“Also considering this, but realized I already get excellent espresso out of my machine.”

Loves their Bambino: very easy to use, great milk drinks, good steam wand placement and helpful dial-in instructions; the portafilter and tamper aren't great.

“I have a Bambino and I love it! I snagged mine at TJ Maxx. It’s very easy to use and makes great milk drinks — I really like how the steam wand is placed.”

Started with a Bambino and a Kingrinder K6 and found it a great beginner setup.

“I started off with the K6 and Bambino. Its a great beginner set-up.”