Product Comparison: Breville BES870XL vs Gaggia Classic (14101)

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Best Pick

Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine

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Gaggia Classic (14101) Classic Semi-Automatic Espresso Maker. Pannarello Wand for Latte and Cappuccino Frothing

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General Specifications

Brand

Brevile

Gaggia

Model

BES870XL

Clasic (14101)

Origin

Australia

Italy

About the product

Create great tasting espresso – from bean to espresso– in less than a minute. The Barista Express allows you to grind the beans right before extraction, and its interchangeable filters and a choice of automatic or manual operation ensure authentic café style results in no time at all.

The Gaggia Classic is one of our best sellers for several reasons. Commercial grade quality: Rugged construction of heavy duty materials for longevity. High performance: Forged brass components to stabilize temperature with a three-way solenoid valve and independent expansion valve.

Key Specs

Type

Pump-driven

Water reservoir capacity

2 L

2.1 L

Single Beverage Preparation Time

0.5 min.

Wattage

1600 W

1300 W

Auto-off

Yes

Bean Hopper Capacity

8 cups

Wattage

Breville BES870XL

Gaggia Classic (14101)

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine

It is fast, powerful and less noisy than other machines, and a good price.
This is great. Burr grinder works flawlessly. Nice, decent capacity water storage tank. Makes the most perfect coffee every time...and fast.
The espresso itself is nice and creamy, very powerful, lots of pressure, and works very well. The way it makes the espresso, it really soaks up all the grounds and pushes out just the right amount of liquid.
The biggest issue so far (after 4 months use) is the size of the water reservoir. I have to refill every 2 to 3 days use. They should redesign with bigger water reservoir or a an inline water hook-up.
Small amounts of steam squirting out of the steam wand when I’m making coffee

Gaggia Classic (14101) Classic Semi-Automatic Espresso Maker. Pannarello Wand for Latte and Cappuccino Frothing

Large water reservoir which is good for prepping alot of water in the machine and also for the water tray.
I couldn't be more pleased with the output. It makes great espresso, and a powerful steam generator heats milk quickly.
Makes a great espresso, full-bodied with great crema. Easy to setup, use, and fairly easy to clean.
A bit noisy as many of the machines are.
I do wish that it had an auto off function, as the machine gets crazy hot and will just keep heating up if you leave it on.

Size & Weight

Material

Stainless Steel

Stainless Steel/Plastic

Color

Stainless Steel

Height

16 in.

14.96 in.

Width

13.25 in.

9 in.

Depth

12.5 in.

9.45 in.

Weight

23 lbs.

22 lbs.

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine

The machine is sturdy and easy to see it is made from quality parts.
Build quality appears to be very good.
Overall it's a great sturdy machine and after daily usage for over a month, it still works great!!!
The water tank is a very fragile plastic, gives the impression that break at any time or with minimal touch.
A lot of pretend aluminum or steel. Most is plastic.

Gaggia Classic (14101) Classic Semi-Automatic Espresso Maker. Pannarello Wand for Latte and Cappuccino Frothing

Love the smaller counter footprint, 8 inches wide, 9.5 inches deep, 14.2 inches tall, the commercial sized 58mm 1 lb portafilter, the standardized pressure and the temperatures.
It's a nice size, not too small and flimsy, not too big and taking up room.
Love this machine and have learnt to be patient and follow all the steps to a delicious cappuccino. Especially nice size for small kitchen.
It's the perfect size for our small kitchen.

Controls

Control Type

Automatic

Semi-automatic

Display

Pressure Gauge

Yes

Water Level

Yes

Auto-Start

Cleaning Alert

Yes

Temperature Control

Automatic

Programming Function

Yes

Cleaning Alert
Pressure Gauge

What customers say about "Controls"

Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine

The burr grinder is wonderful. I especially like that i can control how much it grinds with a simple push of a button (push the portafilter).
If you enjoy espresso and want some control on the taste of it, this is a step up from the nespresso machines and a must buy.
It has temperature control, pressure monitor, and shot volume adjustment to tweak one's skills to barista competence.
This machine was good to me for about a year and a half.. After that point initially I just started hearing buzzing noises from the buttons and then every once and a while it would not turn off when pouring shots.
Uncharacteristic rattling, sometimes right when I press the button, and also sometimes during the “extraction” phase

Gaggia Classic (14101) Classic Semi-Automatic Espresso Maker. Pannarello Wand for Latte and Cappuccino Frothing

The controls consist of three jumbo sized rocker switches, and a knob for the frother. Very simple to use.
Very easy to set up and use, and minimalist in design, it has an on/off switch, pannarello steam button, and the dispense button, that's it.
I love full manual, having control over every aspect, that's my favorite thing about it.
I wish it had a little more control or indicator, as you don't really know when it's ready to go and heated up.
I also wish that there was a little more control over the actual steam coming out of the wand.

Features

Grinder

Yes

Number of Cups

Pressure

15 Bar

Сappuccinatore

Yes

Cup Warmer

Yes

Removable Water Reservoir

Yes

Removable Drip Tray

Yes

What customers say about "Features"

Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine

The grinder. I know many would rather use a separate burr grinder, but this thing works perfectly fine, and is easy to clean.
This is a great espresso maker with a lot of features. You can fine tune the grind and amount dispensed.
The steam wand has very good power and temp making great foam a breeze.
The pressure gauge. Absolutely invaluable in making good tasting espresso. I would not recommend buying any machine without one. It really helps with learning and getting it right!
Can't seem to find inexpensive filters for the water tank, however, I use filtered water instead of tap.

Gaggia Classic (14101) Classic Semi-Automatic Espresso Maker. Pannarello Wand for Latte and Cappuccino Frothing

I feel like this machine gets great steam power when it gets going.
Great espresso. Good enough steam pressure to texture milk.
Simple to use, easy to clean, fits under the cabinets on counter.
The steam knob never did work very well so I bought a separate frothing unit for foam.
The only feature that we don't llike is that the milk steamer is placed too low and there is allways a milk spill on the counter top every time we place or remove the cup from the steamer.

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

Certifications

UL, cUS

Other Information

Manufacturer

Manual

MSRP

599.95 $

Date first available

April 15, 2013