De'Longhi Dedica EC685 · problems & reliability report

De'Longhi Dedica EC685 problems: what real owners report

35% of 139 verified De'Longhi Dedica EC685owners don't recommend it, and 2 describe specific problems — based on real owner comments from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

For balance: 48% recommend it. This page collects the complaints so you know what you're signing up for — read the full owner report for both sides. How we score

Trend
Recent owners are happier than older ones — the last six months run 62% recommend vs 48% all-time. Early problems may have been addressed.

Most common complaints

In owners' own words

“It was a constant stuggle to get nice espresso. Partly because of my noobness but partly because of the machine. Temperature is the main problem I think. The max temperature is not high enough for the beans (medium roast) I was mainly using.”
— PyingPyongPyang on Reddit
“Long story short: my dedica never delivered hot enough water and I could't brew any coffee other than oily dark roasts in a consistent way.”
— epegar on Reddit
“I recently upgraded to a Gaggia Classic Evo Pro from a Delonghi Dedica EC685 (bought in 2020) and have been loving it so far, pulling much tastier shots and getting higher quality frothing.”
— kennilicious on Reddit
“All that did was point out the flaws in the Delonghi. I am wasting coffee trying to dial in the grind, and stalling my machine in the process.”
— iso186 on Reddit
“Btw I had a DeLonghi EC685 which was not a great machine IMO. I recently upgraded to Profitec pro 400 and the results are phenomenal!”
— 9090dydy on Reddit
“The EC685 was frustrating the shit out of me - portafilters flying off, shots choking etc. I just couldn't find consistency.”
— Expert_Cup3083 on Reddit
“As I am coming from a De‘Loghi EC685 the consistency the Jump brings is just incredible.”
— WWetter_24 on Reddit
“On EC685 - using the same coffee beans, same grind level - no crema, no texture, taste way below from ECP 33.21.”
— Which-Cake-9330 on Reddit
“I also have a DeLonghi (Dedica EC685) but I'd trade it for a Moccamaster in a heartbeat.”
— kikimaru024 on Reddit
“Similiar products get choked the fuck up on fine settings. My EC685 does at least.”
— Chrysalis- on Reddit
“I used their coffee years ago (when I had a De'Longhi EC685 espresso maker). It all turned out super sour cuz apparently the machine couldn't put 9 bars of pressure.”
— Due-Entrepreneur-562 on Reddit
“Yeah, its the same on mine. I've just accepted it and now hold on to the handle during the extraction. Not super fun but at least I don't have to mop up the mess every second shot.”
— Familiar-Contest-591 on r/espresso

Setup quirks & things to watch for

Not complaints — practical notes from owners that didn't affect the score.

“I've had a DeLonghi Dedica EC685 and yes the basket will fit with more, but it'll channel like mad because there is no room for the water to evenly spread above the puck.”
— Aertheron01 on Reddit
“I have been using Ec685 for almost 1.5 years and I have faced the same issue, if I grind too fine the machine fails to make a shot and the liquid comes out of the side of the basket.”
— Otherwise_Yak_4864 on Reddit
“No matter much effort I put into my puck prep, I always got around 15 seconds of good extractions until a channel broke through the coffee, adding some really sour flavors.”
— haradion1 on Reddit
“I find the EC685 clogs if I let coffee dry in the single hole part of the basket.”
— disposable-assassin on Reddit
“I did it, took my machine apart. Yes, it was fun, but I did not notice much improvement. The steam pressure is anyway not so strong as on prosumer machines because the boiler is small.”
— FlyingFalafelMonster on r/espresso
“well I can do same thing with ec685, but that require smaller pitcher(450ml) so I changed the wand later, I have both 685&885. The length of the wand is not ideal though”
— TLinCAR on r/espresso
“I'm still learning to get good microfoam with the rubber wand of the 685. Miserable first two attempts but the 3rd attempt was a lot better.”
— gandharvasharma on r/IndiaCoffee
“Same Dedica, same "problem" it looses when the coffe machine is hot, after 2 use in a row, and time I think. Not a problem for me.”
— Clean_Kale_ on r/espresso
Weighing it up? The full report has the other side — what 48% of owners like about it, who it's for, and every sourced quote. Full De'Longhi Dedica EC685 owner report →