Bambino vs Bambino Plus vs Stilosa: First Espresso Machine

This comparison is based on sourced manufacturer specifications and public product listings, not hands-on testing. Stilosa specifications come from manufacturer pages retrieved via search-engine-cached copies, since a direct live read wasn't available, and the text flags that where it matters. Where a claim rests on a retailer rather than the manufacturer, the text says so.

Three machines, one decision

The Stilosa, Bambino, and Bambino Plus break down into one machine in the 50-100 band and two in the 250-plus band, the three we'd expect a first-time buyer to weigh against each other. The Stilosa Espresso Machine (EC260BK) is De'Longhi's manual entry point. The Bambino Espresso Machine (BES450) is Breville's compact machine, with a ThermoJet heater rated to reach temperature in 3 seconds. The Bambino Plus Espresso Machine (BES500) adds automatic milk texturing on top of the same core. The specs below separate into what actually changes your daily routine: how long the machine takes to be ready, how milk gets frothed, and how much budget room separates the cheap option from the two 250-plus-band ones.

Heat-up behavior: how long before the first shot

The Bambino and Bambino Plus both use Breville's ThermoJet heater, rated by the manufacturer to reach extraction temperature in 3 seconds. Practically, that means turning the machine on and pulling a shot almost immediately, with no wait for a boiler to come up to temperature. The Stilosa runs on a stainless steel boiler with a 15-bar pump, per manufacturer specifications retrieved via cached copies of De'Longhi's product page (a live page read wasn't available); those specifications don't list a comparable fast-heat figure for it. If your routine is one shot before you leave the house, that's worth confirming directly with De'Longhi or a retailer before you buy. If you're making a pot of coffee alongside it or already puttering in the kitchen, a machine with no stated fast-heat spec is less of a constraint.

Milk workflow: manual wand vs automatic texturing

This is the real split between the three machines. The Stilosa and the base Bambino both come with a manual steam wand, per the manufacturer (the Stilosa specification via the cached page copies noted above), meaning you position the wand and control texture by hand. The Bambino Plus replaces that with an automatic steam wand offering 3 milk temperatures and 3 texture levels, per the manufacturer. In our framing, the automatic wand is the difference that justifies the Plus: it takes a part of espresso-making many beginners find hardest to learn, dialing in microfoam by feel, and turns it into a preset choice. If you already know you want to learn latte art, or you like adjusting wand angle and pitcher position yourself, the manual wand on the base Bambino isn't a downgrade, it's the more direct path to that skill. If milk texturing is the piece you'd rather not practice, the automatic wand is the reason to pay more for the Plus over the base Bambino.

The budget-band jump

The Stilosa sits in the 50-100 band. Both Bambinos sit in the 250-plus band. Retailers commonly position the Stilosa as De'Longhi's entry-level manual machine, priced well under Breville's Bambino line, per retailer listings, a retailer-sourced characterization rather than a manufacturer figure. That means the real budget decision in this comparison isn't Bambino versus Bambino Plus, it's Stilosa versus either Bambino. Both sit in the 250-plus band, which does not mean their prices are close, check current pricing at the merchant, since the gap between them can be substantial. The automatic wand and the accessories the Plus is documented to include, covered below, are the differences beyond price.

Portafilter, dosing, and what's in the box

The Stilosa uses a dual-filter portafilter built for single or double shots, per the manufacturer's cached specifications. Both Bambinos use a 54mm portafilter; the Plus specifies dosing for 18g, per the manufacturer, and ships with a 54mm tamper, a Razor dosing tool, and a 16oz steel milk jug. The specifications list the 54mm portafilter for the base Bambino, but don't list a tamper or milk jug, so if you're starting from zero and don't already own those, confirm the base Bambino's box contents before assuming you'd need to buy them separately.

Footprint: base Bambino vs Bambino Plus

The base Bambino measures approximately 11.9 x 6.1 x 13.5 inches (W x D x H), per the manufacturer. The Bambino Plus measures approximately 11.9 x 7.4 x 14.3 inches, per the manufacturer, about 1.3 inches deeper and roughly an inch taller; both machines share the same 11.9-inch width. On a shallow counter or under a low cabinet, that depth and height difference decides whether a machine fits at all, worth measuring your space against before assuming the Plus is a drop-in replacement for the base Bambino.

Water tank: what the Stilosa's 1 liter means

The Stilosa's water tank holds approximately 1 liter, per the same cached manufacturer specifications. The specifications don't list a water tank capacity for either Bambino, so the tanks can't be compared here. For one or two shots a day, a liter is a non-issue; for a household running the machine steadily through a morning, it means more trips back to the sink to refill.

Who each machine suits

Stilosa: the lowest-friction way into pump espresso

Based on the cached manufacturer specifications above, the Stilosa fits someone who wants to know whether they'll actually use a pump machine before spending more. The main tradeoff is a manual wand with no fast-heat spec, in exchange for the lowest entry point in this comparison. Consider this if you're testing whether home espresso is a habit worth keeping, not assuming yet that it is.

Bambino: fast shots, manual milk control

The Bambino fits a first-time buyer who's fine learning to steam milk by hand, or who mostly drinks straight shots and doesn't need automatic texturing at all. Its stated 3-second heat-up is the headline spec, and milk texturing is left to you, which suits someone building that skill on purpose.

Bambino Plus: the step-up for milk-first drinkers

The Bambino Plus fits someone who wants lattes and cappuccinos without practicing wand technique, and who values the included tamper, dosing tool, and milk jug as a complete starter kit rather than pieces to buy separately. The main tradeoff is a larger footprint than the base Bambino, in exchange for automatic milk texturing.