Portafilter machines · review
De'Longhi's answer to the Barista Express, with a tidier grinder-to-portafilter workflow and better temperature control. Worth comparing directly rather than assuming Sage wins by default.
The bottom line A real alternative to the default answer, and better at temperature than either of them admits.
The Barista Express has been the automatic recommendation for so long that the alternatives rarely get compared properly. The La Specialista Arte deserves the comparison, because it is better at one thing that matters a great deal and worse at one thing that matters over time.
The thing it does better is temperature. Active heating control keeps the brew water in a tight band shot after shot, where cheaper machines drift as the group cools and the boiler cycles. Since temperature swings show up as inconsistency you cannot diagnose, that is worth more than it sounds.
The workflow is also cleaner. The grinder dispenses straight into the portafilter with a dosing guide that actually helps, rather than into a chamber you then tip and level. Fewer steps means fewer places to be sloppy, which for a beginner is most of the battle.
What it does worse is the ecosystem. Fifty-one millimetres is De’Longhi’s own size, so the enormous aftermarket of precision baskets, bottomless portafilters and distribution tools built around 58 mm is closed, and even Sage’s 54 mm has more choice. Eight grind settings, meanwhile, is the same coarse adjustment every all-in-one offers and the same ceiling you will eventually hit.
Choose on temperament. If you want to buy accessories and tune, Sage has the larger world around it. If you want a machine that behaves well as bought, this holds temperature better than anything else at the price.
At 600 $, it is the 5 cheapest of the 6 models in this category published here.
| Portafilter | 51 mm |
|---|---|
| Grinder | Integrated conical, 8 settings |
| Temperature | Active control |
| Wand | Manual steam |
| Water tank | 1.5 L |
Close, and the differences are real. De'Longhi holds temperature better and its grind-to-portafilter workflow is tidier. Sage gives you 54 mm rather than 51 mm, more grind settings, and a much larger community of accessories and advice. If you expect to tinker, Sage; if you want it to work cleanly out of the box, De'Longhi.
Barely. It is enough to reach a workable shot with most medium roasts, and not enough to chase a specific extraction or handle a light roast. Like every all-in-one at this price, the grinder is the ceiling.
7.9/ 10
A real alternative to the default answer, and better at temperature than either of them admits.
A first serious espresso setup where one appliance has to do everything.
Same category, nearest prices. Only the specifications every one of them states are shown — a half-empty column compares nothing.
| Model | Price | Portafilter | Water tank |
|---|---|---|---|
| De'Longhi La Specialista Arte | 600 $ | 51 mm | 1.5 L |
| Gaggia Classic Evo Pro | 500 $ | 58 mm commercial | 2.1 L |
| Sage Bambino Plus | 500 $ | 54 mm | 1.9 L |
| Sage Barista Express | 700 $ | 54 mm | 2 L |
A reference exists on these Amazon stores: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, United States. Listed is not the same as in stock — availability changes daily.
Details checked on August 8, 2026.
Specifications: manufacturer sheet and Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. No product on this site has been physically tested.
51 mm portafilter · 15 cm wide · pressurised baskets
Fifteen centimetres wide, heats in forty seconds, and makes a decent drink for under 200. It ships with pressurised baskets that fake crema from any grind — which is exactly why it works for beginners and why it stalls after a year.
Best for: A tiny kitchen, a first espresso machine, or a second machine for an office.
≈ $200 / £170 / 180 €
58 mm commercial portafilter · 3-way solenoid · steel body
A 58 mm commercial portafilter, a steel body and a three-way solenoid, in a machine cheap enough to modify. Nothing else at this price is still worth owning in fifteen years, and nothing else has this much of an aftermarket.
Best for: Someone who wants one espresso machine for the next fifteen years and does not mind learning it.
≈ $500 / £400 / 450 €
58 mm · PID temperature control · single boiler
A 58 mm single boiler with a proper PID, which is a specification that normally starts several hundred higher. Temperature you can set and trust, in a machine that costs about what a Gaggia does.
Best for: Someone who wants repeatable brew temperature without stepping up to a dual boiler.
≈ £450 / 480 €
