Sunbeam Barista Max EM5300K (Black)

Purchased the Sunbeam unit to replace a coffee machine from another manufacturer (which is only a year old) and with which I am not happy (I have had a number of different machines over a long period so consider myself relatively experienced in using home espresso machines). Unable to comment on manufacturing quality of the Sunbeam unit as I… Read more

doubt I will use it long enough to properly assess. My major problem with the unit is its weight - even with a full tank the torque resulting from engaging the handle with the machine tends to turn the machine when I try to lock the group handle in. There is difference of 5kg between the weights of the two units when each have full tanks - needless to say, the Sunbeam unit is the lighter of the two. Would not recommend the Sunbeam unit.

We bought the machine 5 years ago and it has had daily use for five years! The steam frother continues to operate like new, the grinder was starting to struggle….The machine was well maintained, I descaled when prompted (blue light comes on). We decided to replace and bought a new one! I would recommend this machine to others. Show details ·  1

Great Coffee machine, Love it! – I purchased this as my first "bean grinder" type of coffees machine about 4 months ago. Needless to say I absolutely love it! No issues and makes a Cafe type coffee easily! Easy to keep clean and very easy to use for the "beginner" Show details ·  1

Must have for any coffee lover – So so easy to use! Fresh ground coffee right at hand for every cup. Seconds to heat up, easy descaling and cleaning. Fresh, consistent,beautiful coffee everytime without fail. Very impressive machine. Show details

Steam coming out everywhere – Have had this machine for nearly 2 years. It broke down three months ago and sunbeam said it was out of warranty even though they say they test for quality if that was so. why are they only lasting less than two years for a $600 machine? Sunbeam need to look at the quality of product. They are producing as asking someone to pay $600 to get under… Read more

two years use out of it is unacceptable. I will leave photos attached to show you how my machine ended up.

fAULTY – I bought The Sunbeam Barista Max 3 years ago and after 18months of using, the steam wand started to leak until it was pouring water out, I questioned Sunbeam about it and they actually send me another one which has lasted 13 months before the same thing is happening, water pouring out of the steam wand. I emailed them and their answer was we sent… Read more

you a replacement which was good will and nothing they will do now. I feel they knew there was a fault so sent me another the same because they cant sell it and now too bad so sad. I definitely will not buy another Sunbeam product. There is so many reviews about this fault and they have not tried to fix it. When I asked why was this fault happening, he said he didnt know. would think they would find out before selling anymore. Water and electrics are very dangerous.

This coffee machine broke within two years - waste of money – At first I loved this coffee machine. But after around 18months it stopped working properly. It randomly spurts boiling water from the steam wand and has lost pressure in the coffee pour. I contacted both appliances online and Breville and they refused to help. For the price it should last more than 18months long. Show details

THIS MACHINE WAS GREAT WHILE IT LASTED - but now is leaking everywhere and can't create a shot – Had this machine less than 12 months but now it is leaking water out of various joints in the plastic underneath top of machine. Was going great, but now this! Can make a double shot with many drips. Can't do a single properly. Cleaning has been carried out regularly. Is used to make three shots of coffee a day. Bought through Amazon - can they… Read more

refund for such a sad scenario? Cost about $460 April 2022. I have read other reviews on Product review.com.au. Have found many people with same problem. Sad - it was a great machine while it lasted.

Update: Have contacted Amazon and they will refund. Thanks Amazon. Sunbeam apologised that product did not meet expectations.

Decent, for the short time that it worked – I received this little machine brand new, as a gift in August 2021. After speaking to my local barista, he gave me some brewing tips and with a few adjustments, it made a very nice cup of coffee. When grinding, it can make a bit of a mess, as it doesn't come with a guard like some models do. Milk frothing is hit and miss. Some days are… Read more

better than others. The coffee itself was generally solid, if you use quality beans. It's not quiet, so if you want to use it in the morning with others sleeping, you run the risk of waking people up.

In July of 2022, it developed a leak on the sides of the steam wand, which was very surprising as I'm the only one that uses it and it certainly does not get overused. I wanted to take it back for warranty, but the person that gave it to me has passed, so that option was not there.

Then suddenly, it died.

I made a cup and was surprised how quickly it was done. Upon closer inspection, the steam wand was shooting water like a firehose and it had completely soaked the kitchen bench. Even when I shut it off, water continued to flow out due to the pressure that had built up.

It wasn't due for hit, but I was hoping that there was potentially some build up inside, so I ran a cleaning cycle and descaled it, to no avail.

11 months before issues and dead after 15 months is unacceptable in my eyes, which is a shame because I really liked the machine.

In reading other reviews, it appears that this is a design fault as others have had very similar experiences.

Having a quick read online, the machine is pretty much inaccessible to try and fix myself, as Sunbeam uses safety screws that cannot be opened without a special tool, so a home repair is out of the question.

If you want a machine for a short while, I'd recommend this as the coffee was consistent, always piping hot and it was very easy to use. Unfortunately, the durability is nowhere near what it should be, so I'd try and find a different option if looking for a home machine.

***Updated***

Sunbeam contacted me before I let this review publish, as they get to see it first.

They asked for a video of the problem, the original receipt and a photo of the serial number.

Getting the receipt was a massive pain due to what I've previously stated.

I supplied all that they asked for, only to be told that it is out of warranty and I am basically out of luck.

If you want to spend a decent amount on a machine that you might get a year out of (I'm the only coffee drinker in the house, so it didn't get used much), be my guest. Otherwise, I'd look elsewhere.

I'm going to try my luck with consumer protection and waste more time.

Sunbeam, I'll be steering clear of your products and reviewing your woeful product in as many places as possible to try and help others from having the same poor experience that I have had.

Sunbeam Barista Max Leaking. Again – Two separate machines. When being used both have developed serious leaking under unit. First unit started leaking after 2 months. Benchtop was ruined. A second machine received as a replacement has started leaking. Water is warm so it appears to be an internal leak when unit is under pressure. Used around two times a day as only two people in house and very few guests over the last two years. Not happy. Show details

Leaking Water within a 3 Weeks of Purchase – Bought this product from Myer October 2020 and within a month the machine started leaking water underneath it. Called Sunbeam customer service, they were quite responsive and advised to return the product as it is faulty. It seems they didn't test the product properly before releasing it. Shame.  Show details

Expected for it to last longer – Wanted to buy a Breville but was talked into a sunbeam by the sales guy back in 2020. Was working great, no issues until recently when it started tripping the power, machine didn't even get used every day, maybe once or twice a week, had an electrician come out to check everything and confirmed it was the coffee machine tripping the power and the… Read more

fault was causing it to trio even when plugged in but not in use. Contacted store and because it's outside the 12 month warranty they won't do anything, disappointing when it's not even 2 years old and clearly a manufacturing fault. Unlikely to buy this brand again.

Great until it wasn't – Coffee machine was bought as our other one was stolen, we purchased sunbeam as we were told not much difference between them and another brand. Worked perfectly for 1.5 years no issues. Perfect coffee, ground the beans no complaints at all and now it's tripping the power constantly, had an electrician come out and check if it was the machine or… Read more

something else, confirmed definitely the machine and he was surprised at how fast it tripped the power. Disappointing for a machine that's not quite two years old especially for the price and appears to only have a 12 month manufacturers warranty as well.

Buyers regret – The manual for this machine says to keep practicing. I am getting sick of practicing and getting a coffee that is over extracted or under extracted. I adjust the grind, add more or less coffee, tamp more or less. It is never ending as are the sub-optimal coffees. I wish my ancient Sunbeam machine hasn't died. You just added the ground coffee.… Read more

Great crema everytime. I am yet to achieve that with this machine. I am a scientist so I am methodical about small changes for improvement but I am just beginning to think this machine is just a bloody dud. All i want is a nice black coffee with crema and the taste i now the beans should have from using the same brand for ages.

Buy something else is my advice.

Coffee grinder/hopper does not work – The grinder does not work out of the box - no coffee ground will come out. Sunbeam promised to send out a replacement but nothing after 2 weeks. They said they have missed the order and try to organise another one now. But they can't send it out via express post or can they provide a tracking number so I have no idea when it will arrive or if it… Read more

will actually arrive. So I am left with 3weeks of no coffee as a result. Buyer beware. I will file for a refund if there is still no good outcome after a week.

Barista Review – I haven't seen any reviews stating they're by trained barista's so I thought I'd share my thoughts. I'm aware this machine is not the fanciest, and I was not looking for a fancy machine when making my purchase. I've played with the settings of the grinder a bit now, and the grinder itself is great. The group head seems to have trouble spitting… Read more

out the shot if the grind is very fine; so if you're like me and enjoy a finely ground coffee, know that it has some issues. I have the grind on about 8 currently. The shot itself is not very good. I've struggled to get the shot to take more than 10 seconds, and the crema is average at best. This being said, it is not undrinkable. I upgraded from a mini barista which for price feels like a lot better value, considering people are paying $700 for this machine at Myer and JB-Hi-Fi. The shot on the mini barista is all round just better. The steam wand is comparable; if not exactly the same. It leaves a bit to be desired but after a bit of practice isn't much of an issue. If you're tossing up between this machine and the sunbeam mini barista I would advise you to pick the mini barista and just get a grinder on the side.