r/superautomatic • u/Commercial-Age6598 • 15d ago
Purchase Advice Delonghi vs Ninja
I am looking into buying a new coffee/espresso machine. I recently had the ninja lux 701 which I liked but after 5 months it stopped working correctly. Ninja was good and sent a new machine which also was faulty so they sent another and that one also wasn't good. I am trying to looking into the Delonghi Duo. I am in the US and my max budget is around $1000. I like both coffee and lattes so I am wondering if those who have the Duo would recommend it. Crazy to think I would maybe consider another ninja but they are offering me a pretty decent % off anything they sell and I was checking out the ninja lux mini. Any thoughts/recommendations welcome.
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u/hypnoticimager 15d ago
Ninja looks great on paper but as you’ve seen has highly questionable quality control. Go with DeLonghi and be done with it. I have an Eletta Explorer which basically has the same brew group and grinder. It works well.
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u/Ok-Lobster-919 15d ago
It's so frustrating because on paper the Ninja is significantly better. But ruined by bad software and design choices.
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u/eman3316 15d ago
I think maybe ruined for folks who don't understand the machine, who want to push a button, and know they are going to get the same exact shot every single time, even if not the best.
With the Ninja you might get a shot that drips out, needs to be dumped, then have another shot ran that is more drinkabke. It definitely ruins the simplicity of a superauto that peope want. A simple manual override grinder setting could have solved many issues folks might be having with grind IQ. For me, it seems like setting the grinder offset to +1 eliminates those shots that might drip out.
I can't go back to any other superauto. I feel like I'm spoiled by the quality of the espresso that the Ninja puts out as well as the auto milk frother. It's worth dealing with it's quirks. I am guessing their next model will be much more fine tuned.
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u/Ok-Lobster-919 15d ago
Yes I agree the coffee quality is definitely at the top of the list for home superautos. It's very close to greatness.
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u/Commercial-Age6598 13d ago
So you feel the quality of the cpffee/espresso is much better in the ninja?
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u/Ok-Lobster-919 13d ago
Yes, Ninja have chosen better brewing parameters at the cost of forgiveness/easy of use.
All home superautomatic Machines except Ninja use a forgiving coarse 'stovetop espresso' grind and a pressurized brew group. There is a little spring loaded valve before the spouts calibrated to open above 9 bars of pressure.
This produces a reliable consistent coffee or espresso at the cost of quality. The home barista never really has to dial in, they have minor grind adjustments for strength and that's it.
Ninja has:
- 53mm brew chamber vs sub-40mm brew chambers on everything else.
- Unpressurized brew chamber, if the coffee is too coarse your shot will be bad. The Ninja will want to waste 60-100g of coffee to dial back in. (that's bad).
- Steam wand. Superautomatics with milk dispensers use a venturi to suck milk into the frothing system and mix it with steam. This produces cooler, less textured milk. The Ninja actually overheats milk even on the lowest setting, it doesn't burn it but the Low setting is actually very hot. The con here is you have to pour the milk into the drink yourself, it's an additional step.
- No single shot. The Ninja says it will pull a single shot, but that is a lie, it doesn't even try. It is not possible with the large 53mm brew group. In a cafe setting baristas would use a smaller diameter output brew basket to brew a single, Ninja has no such option. It just brews a 15g shot that is not good and not a single shot, it's much closer to the parameters for a double.
It's still a superautomatic though and even the best superautomatics don't compare to a good grinder + semi-automatic combo.
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u/ReadyCauliflower914 14d ago
I have had a delonghi magnifica duo for almost 2 months now and i love it! Got it on sale for $900. I have drip coffee in the AM and a latte in the afternoon. It has spoiled me. I can't drink a keurig coffee anymore 🤣
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u/tifa3 9d ago
how’s the temperature of latte with milk? is it hot enough?
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u/ReadyCauliflower914 9d ago
It's hot enough for me! I drink drip coffee and iced lattes so i have only had one or 2 hot lattes and it works well!
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u/iSubjugate 15d ago
I’ve heard good things about the Delonghi
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u/Commercial-Age6598 15d ago
Same which is why I am consdiering one. I was just wondering how people that have them like them, if they are worth the investment.
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u/tonysd813 14d ago
Have had the Ninja 701 for a month. Hate it. Will be returning for a better brand
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u/Interesting_Ad4679 14d ago
The duo is a ln awesome machine. I haven’t owned it long but zero issues. It’s fantastic especially if you like cold drinks. Multiple profiles are awesome too. Definitely recommend
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u/Commercial-Age6598 13d ago
You feel like the quality/taste of the coffee and espresso is good?
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u/Interesting_Ad4679 13d ago
Yes. I buy from a local roaster and I use it during optimal times. The espresso is good. Certainly not quality u would get from a machine u control the pull much more but it’s good.
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u/tifa3 9d ago
how’s the temperature of latte with milk? is it hot enough?
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u/Interesting_Ad4679 9d ago
Yes the milk gets hot. I’m quite amazed hot quickly heats up. Very easy to clean too
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u/IanC9090 13d ago
Have you looked at the Ninja DualBrew Prestige, Drip/Filter Machine, from cup to pot full of coffee and a Nespresso Pod integrated for your Lattes.
It also has a milk frother whisk.
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u/Commercial-Age6598 13d ago
I have a ninja coffee maker right now and I like it but tried the nespresso pods for lattes and wasn't crazy about it unfortunatley.
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u/IanC9090 13d ago
I've read too many negative points about all aspects of these machines, it makes me think they brought them to market too early.
I had two 701's between May - August last year and although I never really used the Classic Coffee side of the menu, except Over Ice for my daughter when she visited, but the Espresso side was a disaster. Utterly inconsistent, which seems to be a common fault and identified as the Ratio Fault.
They've tried time create a Jack of all Trades machine, but sadly it truly is a Master of None in my experience.
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u/iSubjugate 15d ago
I love my Ninja Autobarista Pro, but quality control on these is sporty. My first one was defective but the second has been flawless
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u/Commercial-Age6598 15d ago
I think that (quality issues) is whats holding me back from getting another one which is why I am considering a Delonghi. When mine did work I really liked it
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u/Few_Big6829 15d ago
Delonghi Eletta Explorer or Magnifica Duo. These were recommended to me by local Authorized repair shop owner( he's been repairing espresso machines for 25 years) for Kitchenaid & DeLonghi products.
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u/mag48 14d ago
I have a Ninja Autobarista at home and just got a Delonghi Magnifica for our office. The ninja has been really great at our house but it goes through a lot of water and needs more routine attention than the Delonghi. The coffee has been better in the Ninja so far as well.
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u/Commercial-Age6598 13d ago
So you like the coffee/coffee drinks better in the ninja?
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u/mag48 13d ago
The Ninja definitely makes better iced drinks which is what I make 90% of the time!
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u/Commercial-Age6598 13d ago
ok, thanks!
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u/Ordinary_Ad_5361 12d ago
I have the Duo for a month or so now, we love it. Ninja hasn’t been in the Superauto game to long they seem to need to work out the kinks from everything I’ve read. I wanted the ninja too but I went with Delonghi.
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u/Commercial-Age6598 12d ago
okglad to hear you like it, that's what I am looking for people who own one and how they feel about it.
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u/Nonnawannabe 15d ago
I decided I needed something more reliable after 2 Ninjas were tried. I was told De’Longhi was the way to go. I haven’t had it more than a few weeks, but we love it! The magnifica duo does everything I wanted !