Compare / Breville Barista Express vs De'Longhi ECP3420
Breville Barista Express vs De'Longhi ECP3420
The Breville Barista Express scores 67 points, 35 more than the De'Longhi ECP3420. It is ahead on 0 of the compared specs, the De'Longhi ECP3420 on 0.
Score by category
Each bar is out of 100. Popularity is how often the machine sells on Amazon compared to all 115 machines.
Breville Barista ExpressDe'Longhi ECP3420
Why is the Breville Barista Express better than the De'Longhi ECP3420?
No spec where it is clearly ahead, based on what both listings state.
Why is the De'Longhi ECP3420 better than the Breville Barista Express?
No spec where it is clearly ahead, based on what both listings state.
All specs side by side
Brewing
Built-in grinder
Fresh grinding right before brewing matters more for taste than almost anything else. A built-in grinder saves buying a separate one.
Grind settings
More steps let you fine-tune extraction for different beans. Below about 15 steps, dialing in espresso gets hard.
Heating system
Dual boilers and heat exchangers can brew and steam at the same time with stable temperature. Thermoblocks heat fast but drift more.
PID temperature control
A PID controller holds brew water within about one degree. Unstable temperature is the most common cause of sour or bitter shots.
Pre-infusion
Wetting the coffee puck at low pressure before full pressure evens out extraction and forgives small tamping mistakes.
Portafilter size
58 mm is the café standard with the widest choice of baskets and tampers. Smaller sizes work, but accessories are scarcer.
Pump pressure
Espresso is brewed at about 9 bar. Higher numbers on the box are maximum pump ratings and do not make better coffee, so we do not score them.
Milk
Milk frothing
A manual steam wand gives the best microfoam for latte art but takes practice. Automatic systems are easier but less flexible.
Convenience
Water tank
A bigger tank means refilling less often. For two milk drinks a day, about 60 oz lasts several days.
Bean hopper
How many beans the built-in grinder holds.
Size and weight
Height
Measure the space under your kitchen cabinets. Many machines need a few extra inches on top to refill the water tank or bean hopper.
Counter space
Width times depth, the area the machine takes up on your counter.
Weight
Heavier machines stay put when you lock in the portafilter. Lighter ones are easier to move and store.
Other
Power
Higher wattage usually means faster heating, but it says nothing about coffee quality.
Green: the better value for that spec. Bars show where a value sits among all 115 machines. Specs neither listing states are left out. How we score
Price check
We do not show prices, they change several times a day. Instead we compare today's Amazon price with each machine's own price history.
Questions
Which is better, the Breville Barista Express or the De'Longhi ECP3420?
The Breville Barista Express scores 67 points, the De'Longhi ECP3420 32. The score weighs grinder, heating system, temperature control, milk frothing and convenience.
How do they froth milk?
Breville Barista Express: manual steam wand. De'Longhi ECP3420: manual steam wand.
Will they fit under my kitchen cabinets?
The Breville Barista Express is 15.9 in tall, the De'Longhi ECP3420 11.9 in. Standard US upper cabinets hang about 18 in above the counter, so leave room to refill the tank.