Breville Barista Express (BES870XL) vs De'Longhi La Specialista Arte (EC9155M)
Two answers to the same question — the split below is the whole argument.
Breville
US$699–749 · CA$745–800
The Barista Express remains the default recommendation for anyone who wants a single footprint to grind, dose, and pull a shot without buying separate gear. Accept that the integrated grinde…
Full record & live prices →
De'Longhi
US$699 · CA$565–855
The La Specialista Arte packages grinder, guided tamping, and a capable manual wand into the smallest footprint in the Specialista line, which makes it a reasonable first machine for anyone…
Full record & live prices →The split
Where they actually differ
On 10 of 11 measures these two tie. The single row below is the entire argument.
Barista Express (BES870XL)
La Specialista Arte (EC9155M)
Quiet operation
Barista Express (BES870XL) leads, clearly
weakerstronger
The counter’s vote
Looks barely figure in either machine’s record — the counter can sit this one out.
Barista Express (BES870XL): Sleek brushed-steel form factor demonstrably drove early adoption (kitchen-approval talk, "looks like a real espresso bar" comments in reviews); polarizes slightly on modern design language versus…
La Specialista Arte (EC9155M): Sleek, modern countertop profile cited in TechRadar and TechGearLab reviews; not a design-driver purchase (no award citations, no "kitchen approval" threads), but neutral-to-positive in the…
Only the Barista Express (BES870XL): PID temperature control.
Only the La Specialista Arte (EC9155M): the standard 58mm ecosystem.
Only the La Specialista Arte (EC9155M): no accessory lock-in.
Where they tie: milk & steam · shot ceiling · back-to-back drinks · ready when you are · reliability record — don’t let a spec sheet invent a difference.
On the counter
The size difference, to scale
So — which one?
Take the Barista Express (BES870XL) if —
- There are sleepers to protect
- You want the temperature argument settled
Take the La Specialista Arte (EC9155M) if —
- Baskets, tampers and mods transfer, forever
- Upgrades should never strand your kit
Both columns reading true? Take the one your gut already picked — then stop reading reviews. Fresh beans will move the cup more than this choice will.
Known weak points
Barista Express (BES870XL)
Pressurized basket design teaches bad technique; single boiler limits workflow (shot-then-steam bottleneck); grinder burrs wear quickly under espresso demand; group head thermal stability second-tier for the price; no commercial-style portafilter customization (proprietary basket fit).
La Specialista Arte (EC9155M)
No documented widespread failures on file; owner reports are anecdotal and positive.
For the row-by-row readers
The whole sheet, side by side
Matching rows fade back — the ink is where they differ.
Barista Express (BES870XL)
La Specialista Arte (EC9155M)
Type
Thermoblock / thermojet
Thermoblock / thermojet
Heat-up time
30 seconds
40 seconds
Steam power
2.5/5
3/5
Brew + steam at once
No
No
Guest recovery
2/5
2/5
Shot quality ceiling
3/5
3/5
PID temperature control
Yes
No
Milk system
Manual steam wand
Manual steam wand
One-touch drinks
2
3
Removable brew group
No
No
Hot-water tap
Yes
Yes
Cup clearance
10 cm
10 cm
Workflow demand
3/5
3/5
Maintenance
3/5
3/5
Noise
3/5
4/5
Build longevity
2.5/5
2/5
Dimensions
31.8 × 35.1 × 40.4 cm
28.5 × 39.9 × 36.5 cm
On film, together
How they run side by side, from around the community
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 →