Cheap Coffee Machines: How to find cheap rental and purchase options
The first comment we get when people see the prices of coffee machines is: Wow, coffee machines are expensive, I was hoping for something cheaper. And it is true, coffee machines can be expensive but if you are looking for a good deal there are still come “relatively” cheap coffee machine options you can pick up.
What Makes Coffee Machines so Expensive:
The two most expensive components of a coffee machine are the brewing unit and the grinder (only in bean to cup coffee machines). The brewing unit is essentially the heart of the coffee machine where the ground coffee gets tamped (compressed), infused with water under pressure, and eventually extracted.
Instant coffee vending machines and capsule coffee machines don’t have brewing units at all which results in them being much cheaper than bean to cup machines.
The other pricy component in a coffee machine is the grinder (again not present in instant coffee machines and capsule machines) The grinder is either made of hardened stainless steel or ceramic and made for consistent abrasion every day.
In cheaper low quality coffee machines grinders are often made from a poor quality metal and the brewing units are not made to tight tolerances which allows for consistent perfect extraction of coffee each time.
How do I get a cheap coffee machine which won’t break down and still do what I want?
Cheap good quality coffee machines do exist but be careful about the ongoing running costs of the coffee machines. There are 4 types of coffee machines:
- Filter Coffee Machines
- Instant Vending Machines
- Bean Machines (automatic and vending)
- Capsule coffee machines
You get cheap bean coffee machines but unfortunately due to the high cost of important components in good quality ones, you don’t really get cheap bean machines which also last long and make coffee of a good quality (and believe me we’ve looked)
Capsule coffee machines are as basic as you get as all the technology is in the capsule itself. Hence almost all capsule coffee machines are relatively cheap however the ongoing running costs of capsule machines makes them the most expensive of all to run (A capsule goes for between R6-R8 per cup)
Filter coffee machines come in two types: Industrial and Domestic.
Domestic filter coffee machines are the ones sold at supermarkets and they are almost always made entirely of plastic components. This means the machines never heat up the coffee to the correct temperature and on top of that never keep it hot for long. If you are looking for cheap, you can still pick-up a decent priced industrial filter machine made entirely of stainless steel. Look out for either Bravilor Bonamat or Coffee Queen filter machines.
Instant vending machines come at a relatively cheap price do to the fact that they also have no grinder. They are a bit more advanced than capsule machines and usually have a number of canisters and mixing bowls but they are often at least 20% cheaper than their bean equivalents.
Which cheap coffee machines should I avoid?
It might sound clichéd but as far as coffee machines go try to avoid anything made in China, India or Taiwan. Capsule coffee machines are the exception to this rule as due to their simplicity almost all branded capsule machines are now made in China and are of a good quality.
When it comes to coffee machines are there any cheap rental options?
You can often score cheap rental deals on high quality, high value coffee machines. Coffee machine rentals are usually linked to coffee purchases so if you buy a sufficient amount of coffee the company renting you the machine will often discount the rental heavily if you buy your coffee directly from them.
What price range am I looking at for a good quality but still affordable coffee machine?
Please see our pricing guide below:
Capsule Coffee Machines: R1,000-R3,000
Bean Coffee Machines : R80,00-R13,000
Instant Coffee Machines : R12,000-R20,000
Filter Coffee Machines : R2000-R4000
Conclusion
Coffee machines are expensive but if you know what to look for you can get a relatively cheap option on either an outright purchase or on a monthly rental. If you are looking for a cheap coffee machine be sure to consider the cost of the coffee required by that machine to make sure that you aren’t saving now but spending more in the long run.