Budget espresso machine and grinder: 5 pairings compared

The short answer

• If both appliances must stay in the entry-level bracket, pair the De’Longhi Dedica EC685 or the Stilosa with the De’Longhi KG79, or with a hand grinder.
• If you can put the machine in the mid-range bracket, pair the Sage Bambino with the Baratza Encore ESP.
• If you want more comfort, keep the Bambino and move the grinder up to the Sage Smart Grinder Pro, or keep the Encore ESP and move the machine up to the Bambino Plus.
• If you would rather have one appliance, La Specialista Arte puts both in the mid-range bracket.

We give price brackets and, where available, the Amazon price, with the date and time we checked it, plus the manufacturer’s RRP where the manufacturer publishes one. The Amazon price is checked once a day and may have changed since: the price that counts is the one Amazon shows when you buy, and the button beside each product leads to it. Entry level means under £200 in our database; mid-range runs up to £400.

How to read the tables

The table at the top of the page mixes machines and grinders, so it keeps to what they have in common. In the grinder column, “No grinder” is a machine that needs one. “Not stated” on La Specialista Arte and the KINGrinder K6 does not mean the grinder is missing: De’Longhi does not give its burr material, and KINGrinder does not spell out the burr shape.

Below, each half gets its own table with the criteria that matter to it.

The machines

“Pressurised and single-wall” on the two Sage machines means both kinds of basket are in the box. De’Longhi names no basket type for the Dedica or the Stilosa.

The grinders

“Suitable for espresso” reports the manufacturer’s own statement. It is not a result of ours.

Why the pairing matters more than either half

A portafilter machine extracts what the grinder gives it. Two facts from the spec sheets frame every pairing on this page.

First, baskets. Sage’s manual reserves single-wall baskets for freshly ground coffee and dual-wall baskets for pre-ground or older coffee. A machine with single-wall baskets and no capable grinder is a machine you cannot use as intended.

Second, steps. Espresso reacts to small changes in grind size. The published figures are 16 settings on the De’Longhi KG79 and 60 on the Sage Smart Grinder Pro; Baratza’s page gave no number for the Encore ESP. The grind size guide explains why the steps count.

Five pairings, bracket by bracket

1. Dedica EC685 or Stilosa with the De’Longhi KG79

Two entry-level appliances, both electric. The KG79 has flat steel burrs, a 120 g hopper and a cup selector with automatic stop. De’Longhi’s manual says its finest position suits espresso machines.

The limit is stated in the same breath: with 16 settings in all, espresso relies on one end of the dial, with little room to adjust between two neighbouring steps. On the machine side, De’Longhi does not say whether the Dedica’s and the Stilosa’s baskets are pressurised. This is the pairing for a tight budget and modest expectations of fine-tuning.

2. Dedica EC685 with a hand grinder

Two entry-level appliances, one of them manual. The Timemore Chestnut C3S Pro has 38 mm steel conical burrs; the KINGrinder K6 has a 48 mm stainless steel burr and an adjustment ring on the outside.

Read the espresso column carefully. Timemore writes that the C3S is fine enough for espresso, while its range page keeps the finer espresso dial for versions labelled ESP. KINGrinder presents the K6 as an all-rounder and reserves its espresso recommendation for another model. You grind each dose by hand, which suits one or two espressos a day better than a round for four.

3. Sage Bambino with the Baratza Encore ESP

A mid-range machine and an entry-level grinder. This is the pairing in which both halves are documented for the job. The Bambino states a 54 mm portafilter, PID temperature control and single-wall baskets. The Encore ESP has 40 mm steel conical burrs and is presented by Baratza as built for espresso. Dosing is manual.

On the worktop, the grinder takes 13 cm of width. We cannot give you the pair’s total, because Sage’s published dimensions for the Bambino are not reliable enough to print.

4. Sage Bambino with the Sage Smart Grinder Pro

A mid-range machine and a grinder at the top of the entry-level bracket, both from Sage. The grinder adds what the Encore ESP lacks: 60 stated settings, timed dosing and a 450 g hopper. Sage supplies portafilter cradles, including one for its own 54 mm portafilters. On Sage’s euro-zone list prices the grinder would be one bracket higher; in the UK it stays just inside the entry level.

5. Sage Bambino Plus with the Baratza Encore ESP

An upper mid-range machine and an entry-level grinder. Compared with pairing 3, the extra money goes into milk: an automatic steam wand, and a tank of 1.9 l instead of 1.4 l. Choose it if cappuccinos outnumber espressos in your house. If they do not, pairing 3 or 4 puts the money where the coffee is.

The alternative: grinder built in

One appliance, mid-range bracket

De'Longhi La Specialista Arte Manual espresso maker EC9155.MB

Espresso machineMid-range

A conical grinder with 15 settings, single-wall baskets and a pressure gauge, in 28.5 cm of width. De’Longhi does not state the burr material, and its list price is a bracket above the selling prices our bracket is based on.

Grind settings

15

Pressurised baskets

No

Pressure gauge

Yes

Water tank

1.7 l

Width

28.5 cm

Price at Amazon:£349.00as of 10 Nov 2026, 10:31Including VAT; delivery may be extra. The price is checked once a day and may have changed since. The price shown on Amazon at the time of purchase is the one that applies.

Regular price on the manufacturer’s website:£529.99as of 10 November 2026

Check price on Amazon*Read the model profile

Compare that width with a Dedica EC685 at 14.9 cm next to an Encore ESP at 13 cm: side by side, the two separate appliances take slightly less width than the all-in-one. Space is not an argument for either route; the number of appliances to buy, clean and store is.

One bracket higher, the Sage Barista Express and the Ninja Luxe Café Premier follow the same idea; they are compared in Barista Express vs Ninja Luxe Café.

What it costs per cup

The outlay is one side of the sum; the coffee is the other. A hypothetical example, to show the method:

Put your own prices and your own number of cups into the calculator to see how quickly a pairing pays for itself against pods.

ToolCost per cup calculator: beans or pods?

Before you trust a pairing

These pairings are built on manufacturer data and on logic, not on use. We have not ground or brewed with any of this equipment, so we cannot say how any pairing tastes, how consistent the grinders are or how noisy they are. The first equipment we plan to buy and measure is precisely an entry-level espresso machine and a grinder; the results will be published separately from the manufacturers’ figures.

We could read KINGrinder’s site only through an automated summary, so treat the K6’s figures as provisional. And several figures a pairing depends on, basket type on the De’Longhi machines and portafilter diameter outside Sage, are simply not published.

Go further

• Every machine: espresso machines compared. Every grinder: coffee grinders compared.
• A first machine, step by step: espresso machines for beginners.
• The Sage pairings in detail: the Sage range.

ToolWhich coffee machine should I buy? A chooser based on your needs