BrevilleDual Boiler Espresso Machine BES920XL, Brushed Stainless Steel

The BES920XL replaced an ~8yr+ old BES830XL, which was our introductory espresso machine at home. The 830 served us well with one repair issue, a fractured valve, over the 8 years.Our espresso making routine changed drastically when we put the 920 on the counter and fired it up. The machine itself has a larger footprint, but nothing that created an issue. The center wheel feature is very handy. This makes moving the machine a breeze during those rare times that it needs to be relocated or moved for cleaning or maintenance.The setup is simple enough with the instructions provided in the documentation provided. Technical manuals/consumer device documentation is often a pet peeve of mine. Over the years in my profession as well as at home, I have noted that the composing and editing for such documentation is usually the poorest element of any product. The documentation provided with this machine was the best combination of clarity and completeness that I have experienced for home devices or appliances.The most drastic change in the making of an espresso can be attributed to the design of the machine including a double boiler. The water is heated quickly. The user is able to trigger the espresso process and engage the steam wand for the heating of the milk/cream. We have had the machine going on 2 months and use it multiple times a day yet, I continue to be marveled at how quickly and effortlessly the latte/breve can be made ready for sipping.One detail that I love is the design of the plug on the power cord. It is the same as is on our old 830. There is a ring shaped feature on the plug which is used to easily pull the plug when needed. This is a little thing, but to me it indicates the thoughtfulness of the designer and the management who signs off on the designs.The control panel has a timer feature, which we presently use, that can schedule the startup of the machine. This will have the water heated and the machine ready for the first shot of the day. Set it for the usual time and if there is a delay getting to it, or you choose not to sip some brew, the machine will go to sleep in ~60 minutes, if my memory hasn't failed me.One item I following up on is the filter that is in the water tank. The shape of the filter that came with the 920 is different than what is listed as replacement on the Breville site and on Amazon. I have some time to get this straightened out.I would purchase this again and recommend this to other households that enjoy coffee on a regular basis. This appliance is often the second reason i get out of bed in the morning.

I purchased the dual boiler back in 2015, and since then this machine has been making 1-2 double shots almost daily. I get great crema and consistent shots from it and it's super easy to clean. But it doesn't clean itself, so be prepared to buy water filters (BWF100) and cleaning tablets (e.g. Urnex Cafiza) to keep your machine running.Clean this machine regularly and measure your grounds, either using the included tool or by using a grinder with finely-tunable output settings. Doing so will help the machine last a lot longer.No problems in 4 years, up until now. And great support:Just recently, the quality of shots really went to crap, and it turned out I had a cracked Inner Shower Screen. This is a rigid, black plastic screen that fits above where the portafilter locks into place. From bottom to top, it goes portafilter - teflon washer - inner shower screen. I don't typically measure my grounds and this might've been the cause. The replacement screen was unavailable direct from Breville.com. I found a replacement screen on Amazon for $30, obviously someone trying to make an easy profit. I made a phone call to Breville, and spoke with a knowledgable and friendly product support specialist who right away processed an order for a replacement Inner Shower Screen. It arrived a few days later at a total cost of $0.00. I installed it and was once again making great espresso.Fast forward a week or two, the bolt that connected the teflon washer to the inner shower screen sheared off completely (photo). From my understanding this likely happened because I'd over-tightened the bolt (something the first representative had even warned me about!). This was really disappointing because I was pretty sure it would require disassembly. The next weekend I took the unit apart, following instructions from a YouTube video and taking photos as I proceeded. I'm a DIY guy but even I had a hard time exposing the group head assembly, drilling a small hole in the sheared bolt, and using an extractor bit to remove it. But it worked, and I was able to reassemble the unit without any major problems (I did drop and lose a screw, but fortunately only had to turn it over and shake *once*).I called Breville today to inquire about getting a replacement bolt, and figured I'd get another to be safe, and an extra shower screen just to be safer. Victor, the gentleman I spoke with, was just as courteous and knowledgeable as the previous representative with whom I'd interacted. I just received a confirmation e-mail indicating Breville is sending two new shower screens and two new bolts, at no cost to me.I'm going to try to get another four years from this machine. But if I can't, my next espresso machine will also be a Breville!

I bought this product end of 2018, so this is truly a long term report.The first year was great. The feature set of the machine is perfect for me. It has just the right degree of automation, e.g. pre-infusion times. The Espresso it makes is tasty, not best in class, but for daily use very much enjoyable.And that was the reason why I bought that machine: A perfect blend of features and achievable results, for what I need.The problems started exactly 1 month after end of warranty - of course. It started making noises that sounded like steam is leaking on the inside. Shortly after small amounts of water would come out of the machine through the housing (see picture). I called customer support and they offered a free repair. This meant I had to live without the machine for a couple of days and go through the efforts of packing and shipping it. But stuff happens, so far so good.I received the repaired machine, all worked - for a year. And then the same as first time happened. After a long and exhausting email exchange and several phone call I could send in the machine a 2nd time for free repair.Currently I have the same problem again! Nine months after I got the machine back. Customer support refuses to do anything about it. They offer to repair for cost. To fix an obviously systematic problem that occurs on regular basis. There I am now. A broken machine and no desire from Breville to help in a customer friendly way.BTW, I own Espresso makers for many years, know how to clean and maintain them. This definitely is not the problem. The total opposite, after de-scaling the problem got worse, which clearly shows that there is a leak.