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Sweet… Going to wait for it to go on clearance. Ain't no body got money for this… It all goes to tp, eggs and milk.
Was thinking the same. My trusty sunbeam em6000 after almost 10 years of trusty service is ready for retirement. If can pickup $200 on clearance I'll be happy.
My trusty sunbeam em6000 after almost 10 years of trusty service is ready for retirement
You'd drive yourself nuts going back to a single thermoblock (AldI) after owning the Sunbeam (Dual).
Also very small and fiddly compared to the Em series.
self-confessed red label aldi bargain hunter here too
Good to know I'm not alone lol. Aldi and Bunnings clearance price hunters. Could make an American style TV show haha.
I find only one or two stores that I returned frequent bother to cut things to a decent amount.
How do you make sure there are going tobe some of these at your store when they go to clearance? From what I see, only products that haven´t been sold for over 3-4 weeks go into clearance, and it´s usually just leftovers, broken items or damaged boxes.
you can't be sure, it's like a russian roulette.
but sometimes for some items that are repeatedly re-listed or once the hype dies down you get a bargain.
It's not like they desperately need the item, if it goes on clearance then win.
Its 6 weeks for the store I work at and you can discount it up to 50% (which we usually do since we're a slow store and end up with too many old specials in the warehouse), that 50% off applies to any previous discounts though as well though and can be stacked. The 4k Action Camera i got last week went from $80->$50->$25, same for the abundance of outdoor furniture ive picked up this month as well
Is that in Perth?
Looks exactly the same as the Breville infuser.
Very similar. Those buttons are decidedly Breville-esque.
https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes840.html
Almost looks like my Cafe series Sunbeam EM7000 ($700 or so RRP). Except I don't think this has the steam temperature sensor… wonder if you can brew whilst steam heating your milk.
And if you can't just take it back. That's why Aldi is awesome.
Nah EM7000 is a level above with the twin blocks. heh I've rarely used both at the same time either, but more about it's just a higher tier product.
There is another model that looks a lot like this, don't remember the brand or number though.
I highly doubt it as this is a thermoblock machine.
It is not, bought this the last time it was on sale.
Literally says it in the ad, champ.
You mean it is not dual thermoblock?
Give us a review? How do you rate it? Does the basket really get stuck to the group head?
The em7000 is also thermoblock. It has two, so you can brew and steam at the same time.
I bought this last time it was at Aldi, no complaints, especially for the price. No, not able to steam milk whilst making coffee, but it doesn't take long to heat.
Do people think it'll go on clearance? How long does that take?
I've found it depends on stock and what the item is. I waited ages for their BBQs to go on sale but nothing significant happened for MONTHS. However 2 weeks in from a regular special buy weekend and those items are marked down anywhere from 30-50% off.
The computer systems have hard limits on how much something can be discounted and how soon after being on special for the first time (generally 4-6 weeks in my experience), anything beyond that is up to the discretion of the manager in my experience. Some of my managers have been really stingy with it, while others will happily whack a 50% off thing on anything no matter the price after 6 weeks to stop it sitting in the back of the warehouse for so long. Theres various other considerations I believe from there end like how it affects there KPIs and other metrics for the store though
Looks like a grinder will be on for sale along with it for $99: https://stirlingappliances.com.au/stirling_products/coffee-g…
Any reviews on the grinder? Does it compete with the breville smart grinder pro?
My BES920 looks like the pump may be on the way out, and I dont know if it is worth fixing.
If it is not worth fixing, I will grab one of these to tide me over, of course once it is on clearance.
$149 ?
Geez, i hate anonymous down votes. Show your face and say something
I didn't downvote him, but I imagine the thinking is 'no one who bothered buying arguably the best consumer espresso machine out there (and the only dual boiler under $1500 worth considering) would downgrade to a rando thermoblock Aldi disposable'.
I assumed as such. But so f* what. What if he splurged on one last time. And he hasn't got the funds to splurge on another. He didn't tell everyone to go buy this one because it was better. That would be downvote worthy. But I wouldn't even. Just move on. smh
@[Deactivated]: I'm annoyed by frivolous anonymous down-votes. But my comment did come out rather angry.
I'm calm now :)
Better off getting your dual boiler fixed. Pretty sure pumps run about $60 odd if buying online. I looked at a video on how to replace, but I wasn't too keen on it seeing as it's going to be running hot water at high pressure. Left it to the pros and it was less than $200 for both parts and labour.
I believe people are negging because BES920 supposed to be much better machine - I had to upvote to balance it out.
BES920 is dual boiler which is "two levels up" compared to Aldi one.
But it's up to you to decide if it is suitable for you.
If you are sure you need just pump you can do DIY repair.
I believe for BES920 you need ULKA EP5 or EX5 - this should cost you up to $50.
Service centre repair price will never get OzBargain tick of approval. :)
Thanks - yeah I as an Ozbargainer I cannot give the service centre Carte Blanche with a clear conscience ;).
You are right though, and I am not completely sure that it is the pump - just that the extraction seems to be lower pressure than it used to be but it may be another component.
I had considered taking the BES920 apart and replacing the pump, but there is a more than fair chance it will be out of action if I break something while doing it, or find more components causing the problem.
Judging by the last time the machine was recently repaired (and why I am reluctant to spend again so early on it), either way I go it will be out of action for at least 2 weeks - hence the need for a back up machine while I find another one or similar.
This machine has PID control which is a feature I appreciate, for the right price.
I would buy the better specced Breville Infuser for this price, but not a Stirling for $299.
My friend bought this exact machine from previous Aldi special buys. There was an issue with water pressure after 3/4 months, he was sent a replacement but it also developed a fault. I think in total he had about 12 months. Then just bough a main brand
That's not good to hear.
At least this one has a 3y warranty - hopefully the warranty claim process is streamlined.
Well that means you can go through about 6 machines and hopefully by year 3 they have an upgraded model.
Once you add a grinder, you are better off sticking with a good brand!
Breville "The Infuser" for $379 currently at HN would probably be a wiser purchase IMO, for $80 more (the historical lowest was $299 in WA).
https://www.harveynorman.com.au/breville-the-infuser-coffee-…
Although when the Aldi machines go on clearance around $149 they may be worth picking up then.
Thanks for the neg, but my opinion stands - for around $300 you deserve a better machine than the Aldi 'Stirling'.
Seems I am not the only one.
Productreview rating 2.7/5 from 36 reviews for Aldi coffee machines
Particular to the Stirling, the first page of review summaries:
"Filter basket gets stuck every single time"
"Leaks Like a Sieve"
"Steam button doesn't work"
"Absolute Disaster"
"Stirling Coffee Disaster"
The only good reviews appear to be for the cheaper "Ambiano" model machine.
TLDR; The Stirling machines leak, are poorly designed, may not work properly, or last.
Open to recommendations?
from a sample size of one.
Yeah, I will try to be more objective about this machine in the future.
Ok, I had a closer look at one of these (note, someone else bought one and they showed me the machine. I do not open boxes in the store, please do not do that) and can make the following comments about it from looking at one up close (I have yet to use one).
Packaging:
Seems well packaged, with a cloth cover over the machine.
Product:
Warranty is 3 years (make sure you get a copy of the receipt, as thermal transfer on the ALDI receipts may not be legible in 3 years)
Portafilter is 58mm (the same as many good (and probably bad) machines), so there will be other options for baskets and e.g. naked portafilters.
Both baskets appear to be single wall, these are rather unforgiving for the wrong grind, stale beans etc - so you will need to dial in the grind and tamp pressure, before you can get the best out of it.
Portafilter has a good weight, and it looks like you can change between included single or dual spouts.
Tamper is heavy, handle is metal though so not ideal, but it should work well.
2.1 litre water tank is a reasonable size.
Programmable one and two shot buttons let you set the volume of water for each, which implies there is a flow meter being used in the system rather than just timing it, but this is still a hopeful guess.
PID control is useful to maintain stable brewing temperature of the water coming out of the thermoblock, however it appears you need to take their word for it.
Downsides:
There does not appear to be any temperature control for the brew temperature, unlike the Breville Infuser.
There do not appear to be any positive independent reviews for this machine that I could find so far, from the poor reviews I would be less confident to rely on the integrity of the seals/valves/pump in the system in the short term.
On balance, if you don't mind putting time into getting the grind and tamping pressure set for this machine, (if the pump and PID are reliable, and it doesnt leak) it may serve you with good coffee.
I have grinders set for the BES920 so I may be able to just use my baskets from that while it is offline getting repaired, but I still think it may disappoint.
For those wondering why on earth I would go from a dual boiler to this, I need to get the BES920 repaired and need something while it is offline. I was interested to see if this works and then work out how to use it simply. It could then be set up for another family member to use at their place.
Anyhow, with many staying at home now and Aldi's money back guarantee (is it 30 days now) maybe it could work. There was only one left at the local Aldi, so perhjaps more are already ahead of me on this.
I remain a touch sceptical at $299, but last I saw at my local Aldi had one remaining - so the dream of clearance may have been just that.
I agree with everything you've said here. I haven't had a problem with mine but it looks like quite a few people have. For the price point, if I was currently looking to buy one, I'd most likely pay a bit extra and get the Breville
Which Breville models di people recommend?
$300-600?
Breville "the infuser" BES840BSS is a reasonable thermocoil/thermoblock machine with PID temperature control, although it is no longer on special - at $549 is not really value.
Ok, I finally tried one of these Stirling machines.
I could not extract without leaking around the portafilter at around 70% max pressure, no crema, and messy puck result.
I assume this is manual? I spose the K-Mart one is cheap for what I need.