De'Longhi Dedica EC685 vs Sage Bambino: specs compared

The short answer, by profile

• Narrow kitchen, first machine, pre-ground coffee or pods: the Dedica EC685. Its 14.9 cm width is verified, it is listed as ESE pod compatible, and it sits in the entry-level bracket.
• You want to learn espresso with freshly ground beans: the Sage Bambino. It is one bracket higher, but Sage states the portafilter size and supplies the single-wall baskets that reward a good grinder.
• Undecided between the two routes: work out the total with a grinder included. That sum, not the machine alone, is the real comparison.

Where the two spec sheets part

Baskets and portafilter: documented against undocumented

This is the largest gap between the two spec sheets, and it is a gap in information as much as in hardware.

Sage states a 54 mm portafilter and supplies two sets of baskets: dual wall, its name for pressurised, and single wall, each for one and two cups. The manual assigns dual wall to pre-ground coffee and single wall to freshly ground. The table sums it up as “Pressurised and single-wall”.

De’Longhi publishes neither figure for the Dedica. The portafilter diameter is absent from the sources we read, and the word “pressurised” is never used; the manual describes filters with a removable perforated disc and a single outlet hole. That description matches how pressurised baskets are usually made, but we do not enter it as a manufacturer statement, so the row is empty.

What it means for you: with the Bambino you know you can move from pre-ground coffee to freshly ground and non-pressurised baskets without buying anything but a grinder. With the Dedica, the data cannot promise that path. The grind size guide explains why the basket type changes what you ask of a grinder.

Heating

The Dedica uses a thermoblock; the Bambino uses what Sage calls ThermoJet, with a manufacturer heat-up time of 3 s and PID temperature control. De’Longhi gives no heat-up time and lists no PID. Read that carefully: an absent figure is not a slow one. It only means the two machines cannot be compared on that line.

Tank, power and extras

The Bambino’s tank holds 1.4 l, the Dedica’s 1.1 l: at roughly 60 ml for a double espresso, about 23 doubles against 18 before steaming and rinsing. Rated power is 1,600 W for the Sage (the upper value of a 1,300 to 1,600 W rating plate) and 1,450 W for the De’Longhi. Both pumps are rated at 15 bar, so that row tells you nothing.

Both froth milk with a manual steam wand. The Bambino lists a hot water function; the Dedica lists a cup warmer, ESE pod compatibility and a maximum cup height of 12 cm with the drip tray removed. Our database holds no cup height or pod statement for the Bambino.

What neither spec sheet settles

Several other questions stay open:

• Weight. Not verified for the Dedica, not stated for the Bambino.
• Temperature, steam and time to the first cup. No comparable manufacturer figures exist. These are on our measurement plan.
• Noise. Neither manufacturer publishes a level.
• Taste. No spec sheet settles it, and we will not pretend otherwise.

One line is settled, and it is a draw: the guarantee. De’Longhi’s UK care pages state a two-year minimum on coffee machines, and Sage’s UK quick guide a 2-year limited guarantee.

The grinder changes the sum

Neither machine grinds. If you buy the Bambino for its single-wall baskets, add a grinder to the bill: the Baratza Encore ESP in the entry-level bracket, or the Sage Smart Grinder Pro, which comes with a cradle for 54 mm portafilters. If you buy the Dedica to use pre-ground coffee or pods, you can postpone that purchase, or pair it with the De’Longhi KG79 from the same brand.

Our budget machine-and-grinder pairings set these combinations side by side, and the first espresso machine comparison adds the Stilosa, the Dedica Duo and the Krups Virtuoso to the picture. For the individual profiles, see the Dedica EC685 spec sheet and the Sage Bambino spec sheet.

ToolCost per cup calculator: beans or pods?