The short answer
Buy the Bambino if you will pair it with a capable grinder - its standard 54 mm basket rewards one and it heats in about three seconds. Buy the Dedica if counter width is the constraint or you will use pre-ground coffee, because its pressurized baskets forgive a basic grind.
Side by side
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Quick picks
The answer first. Tap any row to jump to the full reasoning for that pick.
1. Choose this with a good grinder
Breville Bambino
Entry tier · A compact 54 mm espresso machine with a manual steam wand and no grinder.
Standard 54 mm baskets that reward a grinder, and a three-second heat-up.
The Bambino uses a 54 mm portafilter with an 18 g dose, a ThermoJet heater ready in about three seconds, and low-pressure pre-infusion before 9 bar extraction. It measures 11.9 x 6.1 x 13.5 inches.
Its standard basket shows you what your grinder is doing, so a better grind makes a better shot - the opposite of a pressurized basket.
The manual steam wand is harder at first and capable of real microfoam once learned.
54 mm also has a large accessory market, from bottomless portafilters to 53.3 mm calibrated tampers.
Specification
- Portafilter
- 54 mm, 18 g dose
- Heating
- ThermoJet, ready in 3 seconds
- Extraction
- Low-pressure pre-infusion, then 9 bar
- Footprint
- 11.9 x 6.1 x 13.5 in
- Grinder
- None - buy separately
What it does well
- Three-second heat-up means it is genuinely usable on a weekday
- The narrowest footprint of any machine here
- Real steam wand you control yourself
Where it gives ground
- No grinder, so the real budget is machine plus grinder
- Manual milk texturing has a learning curve
- Small tank means frequent refills if you pull several drinks
Skip it if
Skip it if you will use pre-ground coffee. Without a capable grinder, the Dedica's forgiving baskets suit you better.
2. Choose this for width and forgiveness
De Longhi Dedica EC685
Budget tier · A six-inch-wide thermoblock machine with a pressurized 51 mm portafilter.
5.9 inches wide, with pressurized baskets that forgive a basic grinder.
The Dedica EC685 is 5.9 inches wide, 13 deep and 13 tall, with a 1350 W thermoblock, a 15 bar pump and a 35 oz / 1 L tank. It is ready in around 35 seconds.
Its 51 mm baskets are pressurized, which builds crema through a restriction after the coffee. That makes it forgiving of grind quality - and stops a better grinder from improving the shot much.
Milk comes through a panarello-style wand with settings for hot milk or cappuccino foam.
The 51 mm accessory market is much smaller than 54 mm, so upgrading it is harder - see the full review.
Specification
- Portafilter
- 51 mm, pressurized
- Water tank
- 35 oz / 1 L
- Pump
- 15 bar
- Power
- 1350 W thermoblock
- Footprint
- 5.9 in W x 13 in D x 13 in H
What it does well
- Genuinely tiny - fits where nothing else will
- Forgiving with supermarket beans thanks to the pressurized basket
- Fast to heat
Where it gives ground
- The pressurized basket manufactures crema; it hides grind quality rather than rewarding it
- 51 mm is an accessory dead end compared with 54 mm or 58 mm
- Panarello-style frother, not a bare steam wand
Skip it if
Skip it if you already own a good grinder. The pressurized basket wastes it.
The basket is the real difference
A pressurized basket has a second wall with a small hole, and coffee is forced through it after extraction, whipping it into foam. It makes a presentable shot from almost any grind, and it caps what a good grind can do.
A standard basket is the reverse: unforgiving of a poor grind, and rewarding of a good one. That is why the grinder you own decides this comparison - see bottomless vs pressurized portafilters.