Head to head ยท Espresso Machines

Breville Bambino Plus BES500 vs Rancilio Silvia

Both products have identical sentiment scores on Reddit.

Breville Bambino Plus BES500
#5 in Espresso Machines

Breville

Breville Bambino Plus BES500

$479.99

100

Pros

  • +Accessible
  • +Affordable
  • +Best for the price
  • +3 second warmup

Cons

  • โˆ’Not consistent for back-to-back shots
  • โˆ’Some users get 'over it' and wish for better espressos
  • โˆ’May lead to needing an upgrade later, potentially more expensive in the long run
โ€œFor 99.9% of people, a Niche Zero and a Bambino Plus will be plenty. I bought the setup years ago and I haven't felt the need to upgrade once. However, I know two people with Bambinos who are over it โ€
Rancilio Silvia
#17 in Espresso Machines

Rancilio

Rancilio Silvia

$995.00

100

Pros

  • +Valuable even when old/broken
  • +Can be refurbished and sold for profit
  • +Satisfying enough not to upgrade
  • +Can make coffee as good as much more expensive machines (e.g., la marzocco linea mini) with skill

Cons

  • โˆ’May require minor repairs (e.g., new portafilter)
  • โˆ’Requires patience and know-how
  • โˆ’Needs mods (pids, 9 bar springs) to meet 'good machine' criteria
โ€œI found a Rancilio Silvia on the side of the road a couple of years ago. Like yours, I needed to buy a portafilter. $30 later, and after a little cleaning, I flipped it on eBay for $650.โ€