What Decent do you own and what's your experience been like? Quality? Functionality? Service? Do you still own one? Would you buy it again? Why? Here is my experience thus far. So I have just entered the world of Decent, having acquired a Decent DE1XL V1.42 from a current owner located in Vancouver. It's now sitting in my son's apartment awaiting my pick up in late August. I expect to be operational on August 30. The Decent team are just phenomenonal. Very helpful, very responsive, great service! Their approach to the sale and transfer of ownership of pre-owned units is rightfully very security conscious, but very supportive. They wisely understand that they are gaining new customers and fans. And, I can and will buy an extended warranty for piece of mind and convenience. It's worth every penny (well every $$). They will also sell me version upgrade parts at nominal cost. Assuming that I like the machine, which I am confident I will, Decent will have me hooked into their upgrade path. And an added benefit. As I was able to fund the purchase through prior / excess equipment sales, adding only $600 CDN (well$ 1,000 after I buy the extended warranty), my wife is now acclimated to this next price point in espresso machines 👌

I bought a DE1 Pro v1.43 in October, upgrading from a Gaggia Classic. The upgrade has been incredible in everyway. I get much better coffee from the DE1 and I love the control I can get from it. The integration with the Acaia scales is second to none, I couldn't imagine not using this feature, the ability to stop by weight is incredible. Being able to see the shot parameters mid flight is very useful. In terms of the actual machine, it's small compact and fairly light. I did have an issue in December where the group head ring light froze and I couldn't reset it. I spoke with Decent and I shipped the machine back to them and they repaired a board free of charge ( i didn't pay for shipping) Would I buy it again? - Yes. It's offerings are completely unique at the price point.

Congrats on the purchase @"JHCCoffee"#639 I've had my DE1XL for 2.5 years now. Hasn't missed a beat and comes with a life time extendable warranty. That speaks volumes about John Buckmans confidence in the durability of his machines. A swirl of espresso machines have come and gone around my Decent in those two and a half years.. It's simply extraordinary. For example, this morning I used a DF64V with Gorrilla Gear burrs which pairs well the "Adaptive" profile for medium roasted beans very well. Well balanced, full bodied, full flavored. Later I used a Niche Duo with SSP Espresso burrs and with just two taps on the tablet I switched to another solid match in Scott Rao's "Blooming" profile (designed for lighter roasts) and enjoyed all the bright juicy intenstity that those burrs can offer up. Adding to the easy-to-access diversity of options on the Decent, the Decent Diaspora has members such as John Weiss, the Barista Hustle guy, Scott Rao, John Buckman and a host of other vastly experienced and helpful professionals posting and contributing to anwers. It's really quite extraordinary. Almost as good as CT! People love or hate the Decent. They are like a black jellybean: people who like them tend to love them and the rest can't stand them. And that's just fine. Celebrate that diversity of opinions. Accept and applaud differences. The Decent is the mainstay of my coffee island... [URL=https://i.imgur.com/noTa2gn.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/noTa2gn.jpg[/IMG][/URL] PS my first shot of the day generally has me simply pushing the button through blurry eyes, just to get a quick caffiene fix. So it's not all about nerding out. The Decent can be as simple or as complex as you enjoy making it.

Thanks @"tompoland"#121. I appreciate your Decent insights. That's definitely a full bench! Just curious. What brand is the pour over kettle and base on the right side of the bench. I’d like something that is more temperature controlable than my current stovetop gooseneck kettle.

@"JHCCoffee"#p50221 yes Fellow Stagg with optional wood accents. Hario Server 01 with a Hario Switch on top. Acaia Pearl scale. The Stagg features a useful "hold" option that will keep the water at the set temperature for up to an hour.

I have the scales and the connection has died on one of the buttons. Despite it being a common occurrence they are not interested. Seems like they view the scales as a beta play thing that their customers who buy £4K machines can view as disposable and buy the next model they release. Won’t buy from them again.

> @"simonc"#p50391 have the scales and the connection has died on one of the buttons. Despite it being a common occurrence they are not interested. Seems like they view the scales as a beta play thing that their customers who buy £4K machines can view as disposable and buy the next model they release. > Won’t buy from them again. That’s unfortunate. They should stand behind everything that they sell. I’ve had pretty good service thus far. Who did you deal with?

@"simonc"#p50391 I’m sorry you’ve had that experience, that seems really weird. I’ve had several dealings with Decent and their support team, and they have been amazingly helpful every single time. I had an issue with one of the buttons on my v1 scale and they replaced the entire scale for free with the updated v1.2 model. It hasn’t missed a beat since. I’d definitely raise this with them again. I know John was away on a trip recently but should be back now. If it was me I’d go through the Decent support portal on their website or message him directly on Diaspora and I’m sure he’ll sort this for you.

I like that the machine heats up quickly, I just wonder how long it takes for the portafilter to heat too? There’s always the kettle to speed things a long but when spending £3k that seems a bit bonkers. I’d say by BDB takes 10 minutes from a cold start.

@"simonc"#p50391 Seems their entire approach is beta... granted some are fine with constant beta testing and 'possible' improvements, but when I buy an item I like it to be quite finished and tried/true for some time to come. Decent has approached trying to bring out the ultimate in every type of item coffee related, but IMBHO most items look like child's play, but to each their own. Seems every other month an updated version of their machine will be available... like oh it's 1.45111 in 2 weeks and there will be a slight price increase, blah blah blah. Personally don't care to have a featherweight espresso setup with that type of water reservoir among other oddities. More power to those constantly seeking, but rarely finding, satisfying cutting edge items that are never fully refined. I like something that will work every single time I need it to and do so indefinitely and have parts available infinitely.

Decent Experience and Poll

DavecUK

simonc Giving their customers the option to not pay given they know they are shipping to the UK feels is wrong.

But…not illegal and they do state you are responsible for paying applicable local taxes.

simonc

DavecUK I’m not sure. There is a single transaction for purchase of an espresso machine. You aren’t buying useless hardware and then entering a separate transaction for software.
Yes they tell you to self declare VAT but as they know they are shipping to UK and are already collecting and remitting Vat there is no good reason for them not to collect the full vat at point of sale other than saving customer on duty and allowing them to dodge vat to make their machines appear duty.

They are also arbitrarily deciding on a much lower value for duty (lovely round number their hardware happens to cost) which should be due on full amount and they dont tell you to self declare that.

Imagine of Tesla who sell direct did this where their value is also a large part from software, and where it’s partly explicitly paid for with FSD

JHCCoffee

Back to things Decent.

@tompoland @JammyDodger @Redla

I watched John’s video on the new Grouphead design and its pretty compelling. He has incredible espresso machine design expertise. At a deep level of detail. And he is a great (in a positive sense) salesman. I’m sold on that upgrade.

So, to avoid the “sloppy puck” issue referred to earlier in this post, if I swap out the brass part and wish to keep the same headspace as before, will the Sworksdesign Group Head Diffuser be sufficient or do I need the Sworksdesign Spacer Kit? What is your version and how is your Decent group head set up?

Thanks @tompoland and the other Decent owners here.

tompoland

JHCCoffee as Jake alluded to, fortunately the goal is to make espresso and not pucks. That said, most people prefer drier pucks because whilst there doesn’t seem to be any effect on the espresso, drier pucks are less messy.

I’ve had both the original decent set up. And then they sworksdesign kit. And now the latest decent group head kit. I switched to the latter for two reasons.

I like to keep my Decent current with the latest updates and John’s commitment to ensuring that every owner has the option, via upgrades, to have the equivalent of the current latest model and therefore avoiding obsolescence, makes this possible. And he keeps these upgrades relatively affordable.
The amount of testing that went into the design of the latest grouphead upgrade was such that I wasn’t tempted to second guess and go with alternatives.

Hope that helps.

Redla

JHCCoffee I have the brass parts and can get a fairly dry puck with a thin screen and paper filter on the bottom. I think it might depend on your pressure profile. I run ex-dos and aim for 20s ish and the pressure only spikes to 8/9 bars for ½ seconds. I could be wrong!

JammyDodger

JHCCoffee Hi JHC, sorry for the late reply. As @tompoland and @Cuprajake mentioned, the sogginess of the puck has no specific relationship to the quality of the shot. That said, I tend to updose my shots a little by using 16g in a 15g basket. I like having a little more depth in the puck, reduces channelling, and means I don’t need to be quite so specific with my puck prep. As a bonus I also get dryer pucks at most roast levels with the new group head parts.

If you really want to dry them out you could add a puck screen or updose further.

Cuprajake

A sloppy puck is only a pain to clean, has no relevance to the shot

Ernie1

A sloppy puck also becomes a dry puck if you leave it to drain for a few seconds while steaming milk.

JHCCoffee

tompoland Hope that helps.

Yes and most appreciated Tom. 🙏

JHCCoffee

MediumRoastSteam With all due respect… what an insulting statement…. Wow. Just wow.

I sincerely apologize. My comments were not aimed at British citizens (”Brits”) but understandably may have been taken that way. I also do not at all chastise those of higher (or for that matter moderate or lower) net worth.

I got carried away in the heat of the discussion on Decent VAT, feeling (as Tom did) that John and his Decent team were being unfairly criticized; it’s a much more complex topic than just VAT.

Sorry (as we Canadians say) for getting abit heated in my comments. I’m abit embarrassed. 😔I generally do not get heated in my reply posts, as it is not conducive to a friendly forum atmosphere. And friendliness is what I like about CoffeeTime.

Btw, my compliments to @MediumRoastSteam
for all of his selfless and most knowledgeable contributions to this most friendly Forum.

JHCCoffee

And back to things coffee. Off to Vancouver Island for my daughter’s wedding. It will also be a portable coffee week and then fun learning thing’s Decent upon my return.

Ernie1

Is the Decent tech completely reliant on a vibe pump?

Given the petite footprint of them, I can see myself having one alongside the daily driver LM to faff with on occasion.

It would need to have a rotary though so I wasn’t sure if that was even a possibility?

Redla

Ernie1 I believe it uses two vibe pump’s into a water heater. That keeps the size down also.

Cuprajake

Don’t think Ive ever seen a rotary decent.

Redla

Cuprajake not a thing, here’s the explanation

sketchy

Redla This is a bigger part of design than most think. Design constraints, whether they are physical, or financial shows up nearly everywhere.

delta76

strange thing that cheaper E61 machines have rotary pumps. even on some compact models.

Cuprajake

Well the cost of the decent is in the software..

delta76

Cuprajake according to them 🤣

Ernie1

Wow yeah didn’t expect cost to be a factor given the price…

Cuprajake

The price has increased quite a lot over the years but recently has dropped some.

Didn’t Jon buy the idea of the machine? Or did I dream that

Redla

Cuprajake Yes it’s covered in his interview with James Hoffmann

MediumRoastSteam

For a Decent DE1XXL espresso machine, retailing at £3,728 (plus I don’t know what else in taxes) - would customers really bind an eyelid if they decide to sell the machine for £3,999 (e.g.) and make it a rotary pump version? I doubt it.

delta76

MediumRoastSteam sorry for asking, English is not my native - do you mean that people will be fine with a 3999 GBP version with a rotary pump?

the phrase I am familiar with is “nobody bat an eye”. thanks, 9gag

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