Breville Bambino Plus vs De'Longhi Dedica Duo (EC890)
The crowd’s default against the challenger.
The Bambino Plus runs ~40% more (listed in different currencies) — the split below is what the gap buys.
Breville
Community defaultUS$449–499 · CA$485–650
The Bambino Plus is the tidiest on-ramp to real espresso at the entry price tier: PID-stable shots, automatic milk texturing, and almost no counter footprint. Accept that the thermocoil is n…
Full record & live prices →
De'Longhi
US$299
The Dedica Duo is a compact, beginner-friendly thermoblock machine that delivers consistent pressurized espresso and a genuinely useful cold-brew mode at a $299 entry point. What you must ac…
Full record & live prices →The split
Where they actually differ
Bambino Plus
Dedica Duo (EC890)
Push-button convenience
Bambino Plus leads, decisively
Forgiving to learn on
Bambino Plus leads, decisively
The price
Dedica Duo (EC890) costs less, decisively
CA$485–650· US$299
Reliability record
Bambino Plus leads, clearly
Value per dollar
Bambino Plus leads, clearly
Milk & steam
Bambino Plus leads, clearly
weakerstronger
The counter’s vote
Looks barely figure in either machine’s record — the counter can sit this one out.
Bambino Plus: Compact, kitchen-neutral industrial design — praised for "doesn't take over the counter" aesthetic, no polarization, bought partly FOR the small footprint story but not primarily a design statement.
Only the Bambino Plus: PID temperature control.
Only the Bambino Plus: automatic milk texturing.
Only the Bambino Plus: the standard 58mm ecosystem.
Where they tie: shot ceiling · back-to-back drinks · ready when you are · built to last · quiet operation — don’t let a spec sheet invent a difference.
On the counter
The size difference, to scale
So — which one?
Take the Bambino Plus if —
- You want a button, not a ritual
- You want the more forgiving of the two
- It has to just work, every day
- Every dollar has to earn its place
Take the Dedica Duo (EC890) if —
- The difference stays in your pocket — or goes into beans
The Bambino Plus at ~40% more buys real things: push-button convenience and forgiving to learn on. If those aren't your mornings, the Dedica Duo (EC890) does the job and keeps the difference in your pocket.
Known weak points
Bambino Plus
Solenoid valve failures reported in some units (out-of-warranty repair ~$150–200 CAD); heating element degradation after 3–4 years moderate use; OPV (over-pressure valve) occasional sticking — none catastrophic or design-endemic, but worth noting for longevity expectations.
Dedica Duo (EC890)
thermoblock thermal stability issues; weak steam recovery; pressurized basket ceiling limits shot learning
For the row-by-row readers
The whole sheet, side by side
Matching rows fade back — the ink is where they differ.
Bambino Plus
Dedica Duo (EC890)
Type
Thermoblock / thermojet
Thermoblock / thermojet
Heat-up time
10 seconds
40 seconds
Steam power
3/5
2/5
Brew + steam at once
No
No
Guest recovery
2/5
2/5
Shot quality ceiling
3/5
2.5/5
PID temperature control
Yes
No
Milk system
Auto frother
Manual steam wand
One-touch drinks
2
3
Removable brew group
No
No
Hot-water tap
Yes
Yes
Cup clearance
9 cm
13 cm
Workflow demand
2/5
2/5
Maintenance
2.5/5
2/5
Noise
3.5/5
3/5
Build longevity
2/5
2/5
Dimensions
19.6 × 32 × 31 cm
14 × 32 × 30.5 cm
Wrong match-up? Change one side → — any two on file compare.
Still torn?
This page weighs them against each other. The finder weighs them against your mornings.
Two minutes of questions — milk, noise, budget, space — scored across everything on file. It’s honest when the answer is neither of these.
Take the two-minute finder →