Breville Ikon Espresso BES400

Still going strong – Every once in awhile you meet a machine that, like how electronics used to be made in the 90s and prior, outlasts its prime, is so simple it just works, and nothing "automated" in the future really beats it unless you're someone who's 5 seconds laziness dictates your life. This machine is it. And if you take care of it well, yes it stills works,… Read more

and even used daily, in As New condition. Longevity is the ultimate functional test, and this machine has far exceeded it.

Terrible machine, bad customer service – We had our machine for just over 1 year and suddenly it started making a terrible noise and stopped pumping water. We contacted Breville who basically told us too bad, until I reminded them that statutory warranty laws state that a product should be fit for the purpose for which it was advertised and sold for a reasonable time in relation to the… Read more

price. Given we paid nearly $500.00 and the machine had been used a couple of dozen tomes at the most they were legally obliged to do something about this product. They finally agreed to fix the machine (after I mentioned the ACCC and fair trading) but following the repair we got one use out of the machine and experienced the same issue. I have since found out this is a common problem with this coffee machine. Given the poor quality of this product and Brevilles lack of integrity not only would I never buy another Breville coffe machine I will never buy another Breville product.

Terrible unreliable – Failed after 1 year +1week so out of wty no spares. Breville repaired at a cost or offered "?discount ?" on later model the discounted price was more than available new online. Had repaired and has just failed again after 3 yr. original cost was around ?$400? looks good nice design nice coffee when worked but POS. I'd expect greater reliability.… Read more

must be design flaw for repeated same failure. see other posts did make nice coffee Failed after 1 year +1week so out of wty no spares. Breville repaired at a cost or offered "?discount ?" on later model the discounted price was more than available new online.

Great first-espresso machine – A little beauty that's capable of making great espresso. Easy to use, reasonably good pressure and decently quiet. Durability wise very good, mine has been living for 3 years with at least 5 times a week use. Start up time is quick, easy to clean, and fits about anywhere in your kitchen. Looks very stylish as well I must add. Cheap, durable and… Read more

stylish Milk jug that comes with it is far too wide, steam wand is a two-hole making it a bit awkward for frothing.

Excellent – After tempting fate with a cheap $99.00 Eurolab (which at the tip now) I then decided to research machines on the net, I stumbled across [url]. I had a budget to stick to (now $99.00 less) This site gave honest pros and cons reports from Ikon owners and site moderators, so with this info I decided to try again. 3 months later and all is well, good… Read more

coffee, happy missus. All you need to do is get a decent grinder and away you go. Although as recommended I will be switching to non pressurised filter baskets, but this is not a big deal just yet. Coffee time!!!!!! Looks great, compact and very easy to use. Comes with milk frothing jug.Got on special aswell, even better. Nothing yet

Bad – Looks good, fits in oh-so-well with my kitchen style-wise, and at $199 (when the common ticket price is $349) it seemed quite a steal. I was shocked, however, to find that every coffee I made with it came out watery and god-awful, even though I used the same type of ground coffee, tamped to the same firmness, pre-warmed the cups and the filter,… Read more

and doing everything else more or less the same way I did with every machine (by Krups, De Longhi, Sunbeam, and Breville) I've used in the past five years. ¶ Looking into it more closely, I could see that the espresso produced – using either the one-cup or the two-cup filter – had relatively little crema, compared to say Sunbeam EM5800, Breville 800ES or even the Krups 2100. Furthermore, switching from brewing mode to steaming mode causes a substantial volume of water to accumulate in the steam wand every time, which I only notice it mentioned in the instruction manual after seeing it happen and ruining a jug of milk. ¶ I also noticed that, even after the machine has reached steaming temperature and stabilised after a further 30 seconds, water was being sprayed out with the steam as soon as the circle around the steam button starts blinking (ie. temperature not-ready) during steam production, which happened frequently even when frothing only 150ml of milk. I rang Breville and asked them about this, and was told that while the initial accumulation of water inside the wand is a known characteristic of this machine, the ‘wet’ steam problem appears to be the result of a defect. ¶ Now, while the seemingly too rapid water flow during brewing and the ‘wet’ steam problems may be fixed by swapping over to another Ikon, having to remember to draining the wand every time prior to froth milk would remain a royal pain. On those bases, I decided to return the Ikon and get an 800ES instead (which works beautifully so far, by the way). ¶ Visual appeal of the clean, geometric design

¶ Swivelling steam wand provides a high degree of freedom of movement

¶ Frontal placement of drawer-style water tank

¶ Seemingly good value for money ($199 on special) ¶ Temperature not-ready indicators can be difficult to see (compared to say dedicated colour lamps)

¶ Espresso comes out with little or insufficient crema

¶ Hot water is produced and must be released from the steam wand, prior to frothing milk, when switching from brewing mode to steam mode every time

¶ Thermoblock struggles to maintain a consistently high enough temperature during steam production, resulting in fine droplets of hot water being ejected alongside steam and causing the milk to too watery

¶ NO automatic mechanism to delay brewing or steam production when the temperature is not ready

¶ NO automatic mechanism to lower the temperature of the thermoblock when switching from steam mode to brewing mode

¶ NO user-selectable function to produce hot water

¶ Guaranteed for 12 months only (instead of 24 months)

Bad – Our current one worked well for the first ten months (we actually took care of this one), but satrted having problems with the filters and the steamer wand stopped working just after the 12 months. Now the machine is not working at all at 14 months old! Seems to be an electrical problem, machine turns itself off when you press the brewing button.… Read more

Now looking at another machine- won't be Breville! Liked the look of it. Had a previous (cheap) breville lasted four years before that died( we didn't really take care of it). Bought first Ikon, machine wasn't working properly (had problems with the filters) returned that one got our current one.

Great basic coffee for home! – I purchased the machine four (4) years ago and have been very happy with the longevity. You are never going to get the same quality that you would form a machine that costs thousands from your local coffee place made by a barrista. What you do get is a decent cup at home without too much fuss, low cost machine, quite easy to clean, gives good froth, and the coffee is hot. reliable, only cost $350, easy to keep clean, makes a decent cup  Show 2 replies

Terrible – Will be contacting Breville direct for their opinion on a replacement. There seem to be a common fault with the heating element as it keeps failing. Look and functionality in a stainless kitchen environment. Makes good coffee when it works Machine failed within first 3 months waited for 1 month for repairs and failed again. Mentioned replacement… Read more

warranty and received replacement in another month of waiting. Now outside warranty and again the water is not warm enough and the steamer has ceased to work.

Good – Great machine for the "I need a coffee" in the morning coffee. You get what you pay for - heaps better than instant, but after using some of my friend's more expensive machines, going back to my little ikon at home is sometimes a *sighs why can't you be that other machine* experience. However, it's cute, functional and if you change the basket,… Read more

definitely good coffee-for-money value. Gotta make sure you don't use the "extra steam" doobywhacker tho - that one will wreck your milk for sure! Cheap, easy to use, see through water tank, decent crema and milk Long start-up time, weird basket

OK – Have enjoyed using the machine for a decent morning coffee. However, after a year of regular use the steam wand stopped working and now the machine has died. Very easy to use. Steam wand has always been a bit dodgy. Steam pressure doesnt change as you turn the knob, only on and off really.

Excellent – This model worked like a dream. The steam pump has stopped working so will have to replace the machine. BUT!! this is after 3 years of constant daily use. Making 6-10 cup a day. Very happy customer. Bought the model before this one. Good but the steam spout kept blocking. Owned it for 2yrs before it gave out. Very easy to use. Liked the look of… Read more

it. Good height between the cups and filters. Loved the swivel steam spout. Flushing of the steam spout was much easier..

Good – Recommend this coffee machine for the price. Simple to use and easy to clean. Looks nice on my kitchen bench as well. Looks nice and compact - easy to clean and simple to use. Good height between the filter and cup - ideal for latte and tall cups. Important to remove the brew head regularly, with an allen key, and rinse off the filter, even… Read more ·  1

if it does not "look" dirty, otherwise noise persists and water won't come through. I am happy with this machine and recommend it for the price. Did not really dislike too much about this coffee machine. Probably just a bit noisy when turned on, until the water comes through, after that, it's okay.

Excellent – Having previously had 2 Breville Romas which, for the money, were adequate, this one is a big jump up to an authentic cup of coffee. Experimentation is essential to get the best out of it and some knowledge of coffee-making techniques does help. I always ask guests to a give a mark out of 10 for the result. Some give it 11! Are they just being… Read more

polite? Who knows.The frother has has a moveable spout which helps to get a good angle in the milk jug. Although there is a reasonable amount of space for cups, taller glasses need to be put in at an angle. Makes great coffee with excellent crema. Once you get it right, the milk frother is better than cheaper machines. Listen for the kissing sound and angle milk jug. Watch for the swirling of milk at the bottom of the jug. Use a thermometer. Do this and you get perfect froth with this machine. Machine fused after 9 months probably because I didn't clean it properly. Breville replaced it with a new one via the original dealer, no questions asked. Full marks, Breville. Like most machines you need to be meticulous with cleaning. By the time I have cleaned it, my cup of coffee has gone cold. Blockages can cause a nasty build-up in back pressure. Use tool supplied and clean all parts mentioned in manual.

Terrible – We decided to trade up our old Sunbeam for the Breville Ikon. After getting home and all unpacked we were looking forward to a good coffee. First problem was it would not make two cups at once. Single filter worked a treat though. So back to the department store I went and exchanged it for another. Exactly the same problem. Will do one coffee but… Read more

not two. I can't believe that we bought the only two in the store with this particular problem. So it's back to the store for the Ikon and after reading reviews on the 800 series, we think we might try that model. The Ikon is just a waste of time.

Good – I think it is still value for money especially if you can manage to buy it on a good sale. i bought mine for $160 brand new in box off eBay. It still beats instant coffee for sure and with a little bit of practice you can froth the milk perfectly. Given the same budget, i would probably buy it again. I like the see thru water tank at the front… Read more

of the unit and it holds quite a bit of water too. The steam wand swivels and goes up and down so is quite flexible for steaming your milk and suits bigger jugs also than the one provided. It takes no time at all to warm up after you switch the unit on. It has a good size warming tray on the top to store your cups on. It has a little drawer behind the drip tray that stores all your tools. It comes with its own jug, scoop and tamper. It will fit a decent sized cup/mug underneath and if u want to use a really tall one u can tilt it to fit or remove the drip tray. It is quite good to look at. Easy to clean. I dont like the pressurised filter basket (well the single one at least). there is a spot between the bottom on the inside and the bottom on the outside and who knows what gunk remains inside. i did read on a website that one from a krups machine will fit and its not got the secret compartment in it. The milk takes about 3 minutes to steam which is quite a while especially if you are making several cups. The coffee doesnt seem to taste strong enough for my liking comparing to the same coffee, ground the same and made in the sunbeam cafe series that my brother in law owns

Good – For the price we paid (~$160) it was a bargain and we cannot complain about it. I wish its portafilter was a commercial one and also the water tank could be filled from the back instead of removing it entirely to fill it up. The most annoying thing about this machine is its useless jug, you definitely need to buy a better one. Also do not forget… Read more

to throw the pressurized basket out and buy a non-pressurized one from any Breville's service centre. The cheapest boiler-based coffee machine which produces relatively a high quality coffee. Non-commercial portafilter, water tank location, useless jug, had to change the basket.