I’ve been looking at Gaggia Classics, seems the ones to go for are anything pre-2015. Is that right? I like the idea of keeping an older machine going and parts seem readily available.

But, is there anything more modern that’s worth a look, e.g. the Sage Duo Temp Pro?

(Btw, anyone selling a Gaggia Classic send me a PM, might be interested)

Yes the earlier Classic is much better – brass internals etc mean they keep on going for longer. If the one you get hasn’t had it done, do the steam wand upgrade and also budget for a decent burr grinder, preferably one with a proper timer – I upgraded from a basic burr grinder to a Sage BCG820BSSUK (currently at a very good price on Amazon) with much better control of settings and the difference is astounding – accurate and consistent dosing and easily adjusted for different beans.

I’ve owned 4 different gaga machines over the past 25 years, Gaggia classic x2 , gaggia baby class and kitchenaid artisan (gaggia internals) – all develop issues over time which are annoying so a few years ago i bought a sage duo temp pro and its been faultless, makes a far better espresso shot than the gaggias could ever do and it just works time and time again without tinkering.

Sage duo temp pro with a sage smart grinder pro is unbeatable, or the sage barista with built in grinder.

In fact i guess I’m a sage fanboy as since being impressed with the original purchase of sage duo temp/smart grinder a few years ago I’ve bought the sage smart oven, sage kitchen wiz food processor, sage risotto/steamer and sage kettle, all get used every day and all are faultless.

I’m leaning towards the Sage Duo Temp after reading/viewing a few reviews. It’s a bit more than I’ve seen refurb’d Gaggias for but seems worth the extra. Might find a deal on Black Friday

Rancillo

Used to have a Gaggia classic then bought one of these. Much better machine albeit more expensive but better value imho

The one thing I have heard about the Sage ones that puts me off them (I love their grinder so I do like their products and I like the idea of having matching grinder and machine too) is the need for a water filter and the risk of breakdowns with unfiltered water – people even go so far as to ditch the expensive integral one and separately filter their water using Brita filters to keep the cost down. With my Gaggia I just bung water in straight from the tap and have never had an issue.

I’ve had a Breville/Sage Barista for about 10 years now. Still makes a great coffee every day. The gender is good & saves on bench space too.
Only thing it has needed was new O rings a couple of times, plenty of how to videos on youtube.
I don’t know what your water is like, but the filter isn’t really needed here.

Thanks, I’m in Edinburgh. I think our water is as soft as it gets, so filters may not be an issue.

The Sage with a thermocoil being more sensitive to water hardness makes sense. It’s a thin pipe vs a large vessel in the Gaggia

For water I use either Morrison (yorkshire vale) or tesco (ashbeck) water as both are pretty much as soft as water gets. 5l for £1.something makes a lot of espresso! Debatable environmental impacts between that and brita filters (and coffee in general).

Thanks, I’m in Edinburgh. I think our water is as soft as it gets, so filters may not be an issue.

Yip, my Classic is nearly 11 years old, no water issues up here.

As Stonemonkey already said :

” Rancillo
Used to have a Gaggia classic then bought one of these. Much better machine albeit more expensive but better value imho”

Dutch Silvia expert

The refurbished Silvia’s sold by this guy are way better than new ones (this is not an ad BTW)