We’ll do a detailed feature-by-feature comparison of these great machines in the sections below, but before we get to that, let’s start with a top-level view of both, to give you an at-a-glance comparison of the DeLonghi ESAM3300 vs Breville BES870XL:
Best Value SuperAutomatic |
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RATING | |
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PRICE | $$$ |
OUR VERDICT | Our overall winner. These two machines are very close in terms of capabilities, but for us, the double boiler and super-auto convenience features push this one ahead by a nose. |
PROS | Inexpensive double boiler system, fast, convenient, and easy to use and master. |
CONS | Under-sized bean hopper, grinder should be upgraded to ceramic, no temperature control. |
More Specifications...
Best Value |
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RATING | |
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PRICE | $$ |
OUR VERDICT | One of the best semi-autos on the market, and a tremendous value for the money. Depending on exactly what you’re looking for in a machine, this could easily be your top pick. |
PROS | Stepless grinder! |
CONS | Grinder should be upgraded to ceramic.Also makes a bit of a mess when dispensing grounds into the portafilter, increasing routine maintenance. Newbies will be intimidated, even though this is a fairly forgiving machine and easy to use. |
More Specifications...
BEST VALUE SUPER AUTOMATIC | BEST VALUE SEMI AUTOMATIC | |
 Which Is Better? DeLonghi ESAM3300 vs Breville BES870XL |
Last update: April 15, 2024 8:38 am
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Last update: April 15, 2024 8:38 am
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Rating | ||
Price | $$$ | $$$ |
Style | Super Automatic | Semi-Automatic |
Dimensions | 15” x 11” x 14” | 13.2” x 12.5” x 15.8” |
Weight | 28.2 pounds | 23 pounds |
Cladding | ABS Plastic | Thin stainless-steel with an ABS plastic top |
Reservoir Size | 60 ounces | 67 ounces |
Grinder | Stainless steel burr grinder with seven settings | Stainless steel, stepless burr grinder (virtually unlimited settings) |
Bean Hopper Capacity | 7 ounces | 8 ounces |
Temperature Control | None | PID allows for precise temperature control |
Milk Frothing Function | Steam wand | Steam Wand |
Cup Warming Tray | Yes | Yes |
Telescoping Coffee Spouts | Yes, will accommodate cups ranging in size from 2.5 to 5” in height. | No |
Boiler | Double, both are aluminum, and lined with stainless steel | Single aluminum boiler, lined with stainless steel |
Pros | Inexpensive double boiler system, fast, convenient, and easy to use and master. | Stepless grinder! |
Cons | Under-sized bean hopper, grinder should be upgraded to ceramic, no temperature control. | Grinder should be upgraded to ceramic.Also makes a bit of a mess when dispensing grounds into the portafilter, increasing routine maintenance. Newbies will be intimidated, even though this is a fairly forgiving machine and easy to use. |
Our Verdict | Our overall winner. These two machines are very close in terms of capabilities, but for us, the double boiler and super-auto convenience features push this one ahead by a nose. | One of the best semi-autos on the market, and a tremendous value for the money. Depending on exactly what you’re looking for in a machine, this could easily be your top pick. |
Table of Contents
- 1 Which is Better Breville or DeLonghi?
- 2 Breville vs Delonghi Espresso Machines
- 3 Ease of Use and Ease of Cleaning
- 4 Pros & Cons of the Breville BES870XL vs DeLonghi ESAM3300
- 5 DeLonghi vs Breville Espresso Machines: Who Wins on Points?
- 6 Who These Machines Are Made For
- 7 DeLonghi Magnifica vs Breville Barista Express Review Conclusion
Which is Better Breville or DeLonghi?
If you're in the market looking for espresso machines that offer great value, it's likely that you'll find yourself asking, "Is DeLonghi better than Breville?" and vice versa.
Honestly, it's hard to compare DeLonghi and Breville espresso machines because they bring to the table products that appeal to different types of coffee drinkers. And as you can see, the main similarity of these products is their price point. Nonetheless, we'll give you a brief DeLonghi versus Breville brand comparison below.
DeLonghi vs Breville Quality
DeLonghi and Breville are well-known kitchen appliance brands worldwide. They both have a long history when it comes to bringing quality and award-winning products to the consumer market, including home espresso machines.
DeLonghi started back in 1902 in Italy making portable heaters and air conditioners, before fully incorporating in the 1950's to sell household appliances. In the 1970's and 1980's, they introduced new electric household appliances, such as an oil saving deep fryer and portable ready-to-use air conditioner for homes, and in 1990 DeLonghi launched its first espresso machine.
Breville, on the other hand, founded in 1932 in Sydney where they started off making radios and mine detectors for the war before moving to televisions and small appliances in the 1950's and 1960's. They invented the sandwich toaster in 1974 and Australia's first food processor, the Breville Kitchen Wizz in 1977. Breville started developing espresso machines in the 90's, which eventually led to the creation of the world’s first automatic manual espresso machine that we know today.
In essence, both companies started making home espresso machines at around the same time, and we can say that they both stood up well as a trusted espresso machine brand, with multiple design and innovation awards under their belts. Up to this day, consumers are still torn between these two, and we get that. In the end, it all boils down to personal preference.
Breville vs Delonghi Espresso Machines
Despite the fact that these are two totally different classes of machines (a semi-auto versus a super auto), as you can see, they have quite a bit in common. This is because Breville’s offering includes a number of convenience features that you don’t normally find on a semi-automatic machine, which is insanely cool, and really makes it more of a hybrid or crossover model.
In the sections that follow here in our comparison review of Breville Barista Express vs DeLonghi Magnifica, we’ll take a closer look at each of the major factors that drive both models and see how they compare.
Form Factor, Footprint & Aesthetic
Size-wise, the two machines have a similar footprint and should present no particular challenge in terms of finding permanent homes for them.
Despite the fact that the 3300 is made out of ABS plastic, it’s slightly heavier, owing to the second boiler. Although Breville’s model is dressed in thin stainless steel, rather than the thicker plating you find on more expensive machines, it’s still more rugged and durable than the Magnifica, so if that’s important to you, then the 870XL is the one you want.
Our Recommendation: We’ll be saying this a lot over the course of this comparison review of Breville Barista Express vs. DeLonghi Magnifica, but it does depend on what kind of machine you’re looking for and what you want it to do. Regarding durability, we give the nod to the 870XL. Both are well-made machines though, and with proper care, both will provide you years of reliable service.
Reservoir Size
As power drinkers, we always gravitate toward machines with larger water tanks, and in our view, there’s no such thing as a reservoir that’s too big.
Both machines are close in this regard, but again, Breville’s model edges out the Magnifica, offering a slightly bigger tank. Even so, it’s close, and both models will be able to keep pace with a single power drinker, or larger households with several casual drinkers.
Boiler System and Temperature Control
In our view, this is one of the most critical components of our Breville BES870xl vs DeLonghi ESAM3300 comparison review, and we’re giving this dimension to the Magnifica, on account of its dedicated milk boiler.
If you make several milk-based drinks over the course of a day, then you’ll appreciate the speed and convenience the second boiler provides.That said, the 870XL is not without its advantages, the biggest one being precise temperature control, thanks to the PID.
It’s a little cumbersome to use, but once you master it, you can really fine-tune the temperature of the drinks you create, which is something that the Magnifica just doesn’t allow you to do.
Our Recommendation: If precise temperature control is critical to you, then you’ll disagree with our assessment here and gravitate toward the 870XL. We find the 3300’s default setting to be more than adequate, but we also understand that not everyone will agree.
Brew Unit and Control System
The Magnifica also wins on this front, because it’s simply easier to use. As semi-automatic machines go, the 870XL is quite forgiving and newbie friendly, but many people who are new to the world of specialty coffee drinks don’t want to practice their Barista skills in any significant way. Because of that, they tend to shop for convenience and ease of use, and on that front, the ESAM3300 delivers.
Our Recommendation: Again, it depends on what you’re looking for in a machine. If you want to hone your Barista skills, the 870XL is the clear winner, but if you’re looking for something simple, quick, and easy to use, then Delonghi’s offering is a no-brainer choice.
The Milk Frothing System
Both models use a conventional steam wand, but in our view, Breville’s offering has the superior wand. It’s longer and more fully articulated. True, you’ll see some wait time as the single boiler task-switches, but once that’s out of the way, the 870XL’s wand delivers superior milk foam.
Our Recommendation: If you’re interested in burnishing your Barista skills, this feature implementation only serves to underscore the fact that the 870XL is the model you’re looking for. The 3300’s wand isn’t bad by any means; it’s just that Breville did this feature better.
Telescoping Coffee Spigots
The Magnifica wins this one by default since it’s a feature Breville’s 870XL doesn’t have.
Crema is an important dimension where crafting a great specialty coffee drink, and you’ll get more of it, and better-quality crema from the 3300, with proper placement of the coffee spouts.
Cup Warming Tray
This is essentially a push when comparing the two models. Both of them have a passively heated cup warming tray, though in practice, thanks to the precise temperature control offered by the 870XL, it’s something you may not find that you need in every case with that model.
Ease of Use and Ease of Cleaning
One of the key selling points of super automatic machines is that they tend to be easier to use and clean, so it should come as no surprise that the ESAM 3300 wins the day here. What is a little surprising though here in our espresso machine comparison, is the fact that the 870XL keeps pace fairly well.
True, it’s slightly harder to clean, and moderately more difficult to learn to use well, but even so, the differences aren’t as stark as one might expect, and Breville deserves praise for a job well done on this front.
Pros & Cons of the Breville BES870XL vs DeLonghi ESAM3300
We regard both of these machines as exceptional, so in this section of our comparison review of Breville Barista Express vs. DeLonghi Magnifica, we’ll focus only on the things we feel they got wrong or implemented poorly.
On the DeLonghi ESAM3300:
- Where the ESAM3300 is concerned, the biggest thing for us is that we’d love to see the grinder upgraded to ceramic, and for the size of the bean hopper to be expanded by about two ounces. We’d also love to see some sort of boiler temperature control.
On the Breville BES870XL:
- The 870XL has a few problems of its own. The system is fairly easy to use, but still a bit cumbersome, especially when you’re first starting out with the machine. It’s easy enough to master, but we do feel that there’s room for improvement here.
- The grinder also tends to scatter grounds all over the drip tray when dispensing into the portafilter, which is annoying, wastes beans, and requires more cleanup after each drink you make.
On the whole, though, we regard all of these are relatively minor issues and don’t see any of them as deal-breakers.
DeLonghi vs Breville Espresso Machines: Who Wins on Points?
We rated both of these models on a number of dimensions. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the results:
Is Breville or Delonghi Better? |  |  |
Overall Rating | ||
Reservoir Size | ||
Brew Quality | ||
Customization | ||
Ease of Use | ||
Summary | This older model by DeLonghi is still going strong – an exceptional, full-featured starter machine that’s full-featured and very newbie friendly. | A unique machine in the world of semi-automatics, and amazingly full-featured for an entry level model. |
Recommended For | Anyone. It’s got enough fine-grained controls to satisfy most coffee purists, while being easy for newbies to master, and it’s small enough that even people with limited counter space can find a permanent home for it. | This is an especially newbie-friendly machine and a great model to learn Barista skills on. Great for power drinkers and can keep pace with larger households. |
Who These Machines Are Made For
Both models appeal to a broad cross-section of the specialty coffee market. They’re big enough to accommodate medium to large households, depending on how many power drinkers are present, and easy enough to use that they won’t scare new users away
Having said that, both models also offer enough fine-tuning to appeal to coffee purists, although most purists will likely gravitate toward the 870XL because it offers virtually unlimited grind settings and more precise control over the drink making process.
DeLonghi Magnifica vs Breville Barista Express Review Conclusion
And that wraps up our DeLonghi ESAM3300 vs Breville BES870XL side-by-side comparison review. These two machines come from different worlds but are surprisingly close in terms of capabilities.
For us, it was an agonizing choice, because we love the control the 870XL offers, but in the end, the speed, convenience, and ease of use prompted us to award the win to the DeLonghi Magnifica ESAM3300.
That said, if you’re looking for a low-cost machine that will give you tons of control and allow you to practice your Barista skills at home, you’ll probably find yourself disagreeing with our assessment. That’s fine too!
The bottom line is, you won’t go wrong with either of these machines, provided you have a clear image in your mind about what you’re looking for and precisely what you want your new machine to do.
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