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

HarveyMushman

edit:

Just saw that it’s a factory cafe and they ‘don’t need to make money from it’ so my comment was irrelevant.

They also mention ‘low rent’, so it’s definitely not in London 😂

Still, I’m quite sceptical of the commercial viability of a Decent machine. It’s single group for starters.

Not to mention an entirely different retail and distribution model for the machines, and the cost of commercial certification for machines used in cafes.

I’m guessing this has all been considered but given the presumably very small number of customers who’d seek out a digitally profiled espresso, it’s quite surprising they’ve gone down this route rather than a domestic focussed release- which I’d have thought would be massively more viable and lucrative.

BrendaninBrooklyn

HarveyMushman

a number of cafes already use multiple de1 machines thus the reason to build a machine designed for commercial use from the ground up

BrendaninBrooklyn

HarveyMushman

the DE 1 is a domestic machine. btw, neither use rotary pumps by design. these cannot perform as the Decent pumps do. No need for DB either. This is a new and different paradigm.

BrendaninBrooklyn

HarveyMushman

there is a detailed thread on H-B where John Buckman explains differences

BrendaninBrooklyn

Cuprajake

London, and HK to start

HarveyMushman

BrendaninBrooklyn

A ‘number’ could be like 3 though surely. I’ve never seen one anywhere in London but obviously I’ve not been to every coffee shop.

A London cafe and commercial machine seems absolutely bonkers. I hope I’m proven wrong though and both do well, I’m not the audience but I respect and admire what Decent do.

BrendaninBrooklyn

HarveyMushman

google – you’ll find plenty. you can also check the Decent blog where some around the globe have been visited.

i’d say John Buckman’s history of astute bsiness judgement before DEcent and since speaks for itself

HarveyMushman

I can’t get my head around it, but as you say, he’s clearly no fool so the numbers must have been crunched.

Would’ve been cool to see a new domestic machine though for sure.

BrendaninBrooklyn

HarveyMushman

the DE1 is perpetually new through firmware upgrades, and when a new and better part enters production, extant users may purchase it for cost plus a small markup. No need for a “new” machine when your extant one is never obsolete.

InfamousTuba

The whole point of the decent cafe isn’t to sell coffee but to try and sell people machines by allowing people to try them out for themselves, so making a profit on the coffee doesn’t matter. It will be more of a showroom where you can have a coffee and get to see the decent machines in person and use them yourself if you want.

The first cafe is going to be in Hong Kong not far from the decent HQ, with more elsewhere potentially in the future.

HarveyMushman

InfamousTuba

Yeah this is what I saw on HB which looks great, and the menus John’s planning etc. nice idea.

Maybe the London one will be a similar thing like a showroom/cafe.

La Marzocco have one where you can demo machines and get a coffee.

JammyDodger

BrendaninBrooklyn the DE1 is perpetually new through firmware upgrades, and when a new and better part enters production, extant users may purchase it for cost plus a small markup. No need for a “new” machine when your extant one is never obsolete.

This is one of the many things that attracted me to the Decent system, it’s always going to get the new bells & whistles if I want them

Indica

Has anyone here graduated from a Gaggiuino mod of a GCP to the Decent? If so, it would be great to hear your opinions.

I’m sure that the Decent will be a better built and more sophisticated machine, but how much more superior is it?

I’ve just done a Gaggiuino mod on my second hand GCP here in India - cost me maybe 500 USD total - and would really love to know from someone with experience of both machines.

JHCCoffee

Indica I’m sure that the Decent will be a better built and more sophisticated machine, but how much more superior is it?

The Decent has a host of innovative and unique design features that make it vastly better than a basic Gaggia with a PC controller. It’s like driving a Model T Ford with a PC controller vs a Tesla. I don’t have time to go into detail, but suggest that you read the detailed information about the machine on the Decent website.

If you are seriously interested in acquiring a Decent I’ll be happy to share my experience with the machine. But to compare it to a PC controller modded Gaggia is a pointless exercise, for me anyway.

Indica

JHCCoffee

I have read up about the Decent extensively, and have had conversations with their staff and also John. I have had conversations with many owners. My exploration of and interest in the Decent predates my Gaggiuino mod.

What I haven’t found is someone (apart from one YT video) who has owned both machines. And who can speak to their experience from a first hand ownership perspective.

In terms of personal experience I’ve used the Gagguinio as an owner, and have sampled the Decent of a friend, maybe two or three times. In those admittedly very few instances I found the Gaggiuino to have performed very creditably, in terms of taste.

Of course the Decent is clearly has a superior build and probably a much higher performance ceiling.

I wanted the perspective of someone who’s owned both machines because sometimes both sides can be outright dismissive of the other. I disagree as much with the opinion that the Gaggiuino is ‘practically a Decent’, as I do with the belief that the former is not even worth comparing with the latter.

But thanks for your reply, new information is always helpful.

Adrianmsmith

Indica

Decent owners sre very protective of their investment

….. as are ACS owners

…. And probably tesla owners.

Then theres the Rocket man and the Breville family 😎🙃 .

At some point we have to question , to what accuracy, frequency of change etc of pressure and temperature of water as it is forced through a coffee puck (produced by grinding coffee beans with an xyz grinder) do we actually require to repeatably taste the difference in the cup and will a modded gaggia give the accuracy required to make the expected differences in the cup. Of course any self respecting Decent owner will say no (🎯)

But then, i used to say the synchronika i had at the time could not be battered. I truly believed it at the time

Opinions change with experience .

Peoples interest and ability determines the results from the modded gaggia i suspect as much as the actual equipment.

I have no doubt the decent is good to the right people and am not trying in any way to suggest its not worth the money to someone who is able to adapt to its operating principles and who is willing to change parameters in the way demanded by its operating principles . To me personally, it does not appeal. Doesn’t make it wrong but doesn’t make it right for everyone either .

Now if you want a really decent machine theres the Vostok and Evo2 to explore, offering s much more tactile experience. No tablet required 🫣😜🎯

“You” will determine to a certain extent what you can get out of the modded Gagia and id suspect it appeals to a different user base than the Decent.

Indica

Adrianmsmith

Adrianmsmith At some point we have to question , to what accuracy, frequency of change etc of pressure and temperature of water as it is forced through a coffee puck (produced by grinding coffee beans with an xyz grinder) do we actually require to repeatably taste the difference in the cup and will a modded gaggia give the accuracy required to make the expected differences in the cup. Of course any self respecting Decent owner will say no

No truer words were spoken.

I of course meant no disrespect to Decent owners. It’s a great machine. But we all decide for ourself what value we scribe to progressively greater control over temperature and pressure at the puck.

I for instance seem to be the other way - I’ve already spent four times on grinders (Kafalet MC 6 and the Zerno, but of which I may add I am yet to get!) as I have on my Gaggiuino Gaggia and Cafelat.

Who’s to say who is right.

I suspect the Vostok and the Evo are far beyond my current ability to appreciate them :). Maybe one day?

HarveyMushman

Adrianmsmith …. And probably tesla owners.

Based on the bloke I saw at the weekend wearing a ‘Tesla Owners’ jacket, I’d say definitely.

Miraculously he appeared to have a significant other.

DavecUK

I’ve used more machines than most people and probably own more now than most have ever used.

After decades of that experience, I can only say that invariably when someone has downed a wedge of money for a machine, they will like it, defend it and genuinely taste it. This applies whether it’s a Silvia, Decent, ACS etc…

Indica

DavecUK

DavecUK After decades of that experience, I can only say that invariably when someone has downed a wedge of money for a machine, they will like it, defend it and genuinely taste it.

These too are words to live by.

JammyDodger

Indica But we all decide for ourself what value we scribe to progressively greater control over temperature and pressure at the puck.

I agree. For me this is central to making coffee. If I can’t reliably read or control temperature and pressure at the puck, what am I actually controlling?

My view on the Gaggiauino is that it’s something I could never hope to build myself, and so I’m sort of stuck with having to buy an off the shelf product. I’m sure it’s great, but am not sure why you would want a Decent if you have one and it’s already doing everything you want? If you have a friend who owns a DE1, why not take it over and do some more A:B testing?

I really like the DE1, and Decent as a company, as they have provided a platform to drive a lot of data-driven improvements to espresso we were not able to properly measure before. A large part of what I appreciate is that this innovation then fuels improvement in the DE1, which I can then purchase at a pretty low cost if I want to and upgrade my machine. I’m sure the Gaggiauino can also be upgraded, but it would seem as though R&D would have to be driven by the user. I also like the iterative improvements in pressure and flow profiles, and creation of new ones. Happily I don’t need to think about this stuff, I can just download them to my tablet and use them if I want to thanks to Visualiser.

It would be difficult to say whether there are any technical benefits or taste benefits in using a DE1 over a Gaggiauino. I would expect there to be, as they have an entire R&D department at their disposal, but I imagine that’s just my bias at play. I’m happy with my DE1 as I like how it makes coffee, and I like how easy it is to use, troubleshoot and look at. I also really like the community around Decent. They seem like nice people, who are genuinely interested in making coffee better.

Cuprajake

not always…ive been really shafted on more than one machine,

after a price point it all becomes about what the user wants, the coffee almost comes second, you could line 15 machines up from £1500 to £15000 and you would see how close they truely are.

what the cost adds is convenience,

@Indica i think you will struggle to find many users who have made that particular jump, but with decent i feel you’re buying more than a product you’re buying into a company who will look after you,

admittedly ive not always been johns biggest fan, the cut and paste over multiple forums, isnt a thing i liked, maybe in part by my ignorance or blindness to it, but after reading you cant deny he helps,

i think if i sold the decent id probably just leave coffee all together now

Indica

Cuprajake but with decent i feel you’re buying more than a product you’re buying into a company who will look after you,

admittedly ive not always been johns biggest fan, the cut and paste over multiple forums, isnt a thing i liked, maybe in part by my ignorance or blindness to it, but after reading you cant deny he helps,

i think if i sold the decent id probably just leave coffee all together

John and the Decent community (including the people who work there) have been incredibly helpful and open with me throughout my research. To the point that they are making it almost hard not to buy their machine, if that makes sense!

JammyDodger I really like the DE1, and Decent as a company, as they have provided a platform to drive a lot of data-driven improvements to espresso we were not able to properly measure before. A large part of what I appreciate is that this innovation then fuels improvement in the DE1, which I can then purchase at a pretty low cost if I want to and upgrade my machine.

I’m a newcomer to espresso - maybe a year if that - but over time I have truly begun to appreciate their transformational role in the world of coffee.

To your other point, I’ll probably end up lugging my Gaggia to my friend’s place to do a side by side with his Decent- if he agrees (may be a sensitive issue for a proud owner!)

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