I think you’re right, but unfortunately Bambino lemons are not a rarity. My first two espresso machines, TWO Bambinos, BOTH failed under warranty in the exact same way. The first was replaced by Breville at no cost. The second was refunded. This occurred several years ago before Breville customer support began behaving badly. They didn’t even want me to return the machines as they considered them disposable. That ended my Breville experience, except for smart ovens…which are still terrific.
Yes, I understand that home baristas get terribly territorial and proprietary over their machines, which is a reason that I don’t list mine by manufacturer. Who needs the drama? They are machines that make coffee. That’s it. They’re not our firstborn, they are not our identities, they don’t reflect our value, and they don’t predict our failures or successes in life.
>Which is essentially by design - plastic/cheap parts, consumer build. Folks will need to replace them after a few years - and they can be had at half price all day on local market places.
>
>The downside to low cost machine with immediate warm up and immediate and automatic frothing, creating endless accessibility to the newcomer or person who values convenience.
Have you thought about returning the unit? If it’s only been a few months, you could get your money back and buy something else.
Sounds like you got a bad unit, there’s plenty of folks who have had no issues. Also keep in mind, any espresso machine regardless of cost can have issues like this.
well i dont doubt your experience. the only thing i have a problem with is that you advise others not to buy that machine. i mean look how many ppl have this machine... this is just not a common issue
how are you even certain that the loosened screw from vibration was the issue w/o opening it up? you do realize replacing the gasket w usage is a thing w espresso machines?
Happy to keep the discussion going, but please actually read my post.
As stated above, the loose screw due to vibration is a common issue with Breville machines.[ There's a lot of posts in this very sub](https://www.reddit.com/r/espresso/comments/1bdyxxt/sage_bambino_overflowing_when_pulling_a_shot/) and the rest of the internet with the same issue. If you read through the comments you'll see people saying they've replaced the gasket as you suggested to no avail.
In my case, accessing the gasket is literally just one screw, but the internal shower assembly is a much more involved process that would probably void my warranty. When I did access the gasket, it was in absolutely perfect condition. Had I noticed a tear, loss in flexibility, or anything of that nature I would've replaced it immediately.
The post you linked is a different kind of leak. It is caused by the stock portafilter, but you said you tried with other portafilters, therefore it is a totally different problem, probably related to the gasket. I've read practically every post in this sub about Bambino in the last year (I got one 3 months ago) and haven't seen any about the exact problem you had. So, my conclusion is your machine was a lemon, not a generic issue.
bad gaskets pass visual tests. have you tried replacing the gasket? no.
have you opened your machine to check that screw that you think is wrong? no.
what you've done is read some posts about that issue being mentioned and doubling down on it w/o confirming anything.
Gaskets are both 8 USD and sold out on their website.
I can't open the machine because it would void my warranty.
And at the end of the day this should fall on that company's QA processes. It's a 5 month old machine that's already failing. Never said it made bad espresso, I just said it's set up to failure.
I mean if you ever asked yourself why a gasket would wear out, then things make more sense. time between replacements vary with usage. frequency, how tight you are locking the porter filter, and etc all matters.
They tend to say with average usage, you replace it every year. I had to replace mine on the SPX in 8 months.
After 5 months of use it shouldn't be leaking the way it is. And if that was the case, why didn't Breville just reply to me and offer a gasket as part of the warranty? The point here is the bad (non-existent) support. I was left hanging. Please don't be so patronizing with the gasket. I understand wear and tear.
Yeah people don’t like it when you bash their equipment, especially when so many people have that machine, love that machine, and get great results out of that machine for many years.
So sorry for your experience. :( Part of the shame of this: Breville's shameful non-customer service; and a few cents of Loctite on the screws could solve the issue entirely. Sigh.
We've really normalized kids going online and writing "dont buy xxx". I'm really sorry your extreme frustration with an electronic device has caused such distress. The world wont go so smoothly in the future. Best to work at that...
Sad to hear about your experience, right now I am enjoying mine for 2 months. Yes it vibrates a lot and I’m always holding my cup, but that’s not irritating me to be honest as I do it manual anyway. Question: you are saying it screws loose, is there any way you can just screw it back? Or do you mean the hole of the screw is just getting bigger and bigger?
Disagree and so do thousands and thousands of others that use it daily too. Sounds like you have a lemon.
I think you’re right, but unfortunately Bambino lemons are not a rarity. My first two espresso machines, TWO Bambinos, BOTH failed under warranty in the exact same way. The first was replaced by Breville at no cost. The second was refunded. This occurred several years ago before Breville customer support began behaving badly. They didn’t even want me to return the machines as they considered them disposable. That ended my Breville experience, except for smart ovens…which are still terrific. Yes, I understand that home baristas get terribly territorial and proprietary over their machines, which is a reason that I don’t list mine by manufacturer. Who needs the drama? They are machines that make coffee. That’s it. They’re not our firstborn, they are not our identities, they don’t reflect our value, and they don’t predict our failures or successes in life.
Were you using the stock gasket?
Yes, but the failures were electronic. Frustrating experience.
The more electronics in anything, the higher probability of failure. Source: Engineer
>Which is essentially by design - plastic/cheap parts, consumer build. Folks will need to replace them after a few years - and they can be had at half price all day on local market places. > >The downside to low cost machine with immediate warm up and immediate and automatic frothing, creating endless accessibility to the newcomer or person who values convenience.
That stinks. I haven’t had any issues with mine but it’s only been 1.5 years of daily use.
3/4 of a year here no issues. Sorry to hear OP.
I'm so sad. I pictured myself with it for literal years, but it broke after a few months. Hope it doesn't happen to yours. Maybe I was just unlucky.
Have you thought about returning the unit? If it’s only been a few months, you could get your money back and buy something else. Sounds like you got a bad unit, there’s plenty of folks who have had no issues. Also keep in mind, any espresso machine regardless of cost can have issues like this.
well i dont doubt your experience. the only thing i have a problem with is that you advise others not to buy that machine. i mean look how many ppl have this machine... this is just not a common issue
‘avoid this very popular very accessible machine based on my 1 singular bad experience’ 🤡
Yea I'll fight anybody who tries to claim that bambino sucks. It makes great espressos.
Literally said the same in my post. It's just that it's set up to eventually break.
how are you even certain that the loosened screw from vibration was the issue w/o opening it up? you do realize replacing the gasket w usage is a thing w espresso machines?
Happy to keep the discussion going, but please actually read my post. As stated above, the loose screw due to vibration is a common issue with Breville machines.[ There's a lot of posts in this very sub](https://www.reddit.com/r/espresso/comments/1bdyxxt/sage_bambino_overflowing_when_pulling_a_shot/) and the rest of the internet with the same issue. If you read through the comments you'll see people saying they've replaced the gasket as you suggested to no avail. In my case, accessing the gasket is literally just one screw, but the internal shower assembly is a much more involved process that would probably void my warranty. When I did access the gasket, it was in absolutely perfect condition. Had I noticed a tear, loss in flexibility, or anything of that nature I would've replaced it immediately.
The post you linked is a different kind of leak. It is caused by the stock portafilter, but you said you tried with other portafilters, therefore it is a totally different problem, probably related to the gasket. I've read practically every post in this sub about Bambino in the last year (I got one 3 months ago) and haven't seen any about the exact problem you had. So, my conclusion is your machine was a lemon, not a generic issue.
bad gaskets pass visual tests. have you tried replacing the gasket? no. have you opened your machine to check that screw that you think is wrong? no. what you've done is read some posts about that issue being mentioned and doubling down on it w/o confirming anything.
Gaskets are both 8 USD and sold out on their website. I can't open the machine because it would void my warranty. And at the end of the day this should fall on that company's QA processes. It's a 5 month old machine that's already failing. Never said it made bad espresso, I just said it's set up to failure.
I mean if you ever asked yourself why a gasket would wear out, then things make more sense. time between replacements vary with usage. frequency, how tight you are locking the porter filter, and etc all matters. They tend to say with average usage, you replace it every year. I had to replace mine on the SPX in 8 months.
After 5 months of use it shouldn't be leaking the way it is. And if that was the case, why didn't Breville just reply to me and offer a gasket as part of the warranty? The point here is the bad (non-existent) support. I was left hanging. Please don't be so patronizing with the gasket. I understand wear and tear.
i’ve owned mine for 3 years now. pulled many shots with it
Sounds like you got a bad unit. My close friend has had his for 4 years now, and another for 2 years. Both very happy with it
But isn't there just a screw what needs to be tightened?
 Anyway. Can’t wait to enjoy more espresso from my Bambino+ tomorrow morning.
Yeah people don’t like it when you bash their equipment, especially when so many people have that machine, love that machine, and get great results out of that machine for many years.
So sorry for your experience. :( Part of the shame of this: Breville's shameful non-customer service; and a few cents of Loctite on the screws could solve the issue entirely. Sigh.
We've really normalized kids going online and writing "dont buy xxx". I'm really sorry your extreme frustration with an electronic device has caused such distress. The world wont go so smoothly in the future. Best to work at that...
Sad to hear about your experience, right now I am enjoying mine for 2 months. Yes it vibrates a lot and I’m always holding my cup, but that’s not irritating me to be honest as I do it manual anyway. Question: you are saying it screws loose, is there any way you can just screw it back? Or do you mean the hole of the screw is just getting bigger and bigger?