Tried a $40 thrift store espresso machine that nobody wanted

Picked up a beat up De'Longhi at Goodwill in Portland last month for $40 and figured it'd be a paperweight. After a deep clean and a new portafilter basket for $8, it pulls shots better than my buddy's $500 machine. Anyone else have luck reviving cheap thrift store coffee gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

veram9910d ago

My first Goodwill score was a Gaggia Espresso Color that looked like someone used it for target practice. Cost $30, had a stuck steam wand and a missing drip tray. Fixed the wand with a 20 cent o-ring from Ace Hardware and used a Pyrex dish as a drip tray for two years. @the_fiona's right about the brass vs aluminum thing, but what nobody mentions is older machines also have bigger thermostats that don't cycle as often, which is why they hold temp better after a proper warmup.

the_fiona10d ago

oh i read somewhere that those older De'Longhi machines actually have brass boiler parts while the newer budget ones switched to aluminum. that's probably why yours pulls so good after a clean, the brass holds heat way more steady. i grabbed a $15 Mr. Coffee steam toy from a garage sale and it makes drinkable espresso if you let it warm up for 10 minutes first.