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Tom's Guide
7 hours ago
- Business
- Tom's Guide
I just tested De'Longhi's $149 espresso machine, and it performs like one double the price
I've spent the last few days testing the De'Longhi Stilosa espresso machine, and I still can't believe how affordable it is. What do you mean, one of the best espresso machines is literally just $149? Yes — it's true. The Stilosa is less than $149 (over half the price of the Breville Bambino Plus) but performs like a much pricier model. Of course the machine's looks are a little disappointing, and I would immediately replace the plasticky tamper and the flimsy portafilter, but for just $149, I can't really complain. Although I've kind of given the surprise away (yes, this machine is worth its price tag), I'll get into all the details below. To find out all the info, keep reading my De'Longhi Stilosa espresso machine review. Price $149 / £104 Weight 9.4 pounds Grinder No Dimensions 8.1 x 13.5 x 11.2 inches Heating system Stainless steel boiler Pressure 15 bar Water tank capacity 2 pounds Accessories Plastic scoop and tamper The De'Longhi Stilosa has two different versions: the EC260 and the EC230. I tested the EC230 for this review, but the EC260 works almost identically. The EC260 is compatible with ESE pods (like teabags for coffee) and the EC230 is not. The other difference is the stainless steel finish (so purely aesthetic) and the width of the steam wand. In the U.S., it's the Stilosa EC260, available for $149 from Amazon U.S.. In the U.K., both the EC260 and the EC230 are available, for £99 from Amazon U.K. and £104 from Amazon U.K. respectively. As I said earlier, I tested the EC230, but this review encompasses both Stilosa models. Considering this machine is just $149, it wouldn't be fair of me to berate the plasticky design and flimsy accessories. So, I won't — but don't be unboxing this machine expecting it to look like the Breville Bambino Plus. It's got an all-plastic exterior construction and flimsy group handle, but you get what you pay for. The best part of the Stilosa's design is its super-compact size (just 8 x 11 x 12 inches) and incredibly light weight (just 2 pounds!). When I picked this machine up, I was gobsmacked by how light it was. In terms of aesthetics, if you don't mind a plastic construction, then the Stilosa is fine. However, if you want something fancier, you'll need to spend a little more. Don't get me wrong — the Stilosa looks fine. I tested the black version, which looks inconspicuous on the kitchen counter. It just doesn't look good. It looks like it costs $149. On top of the plasticky appearance, the Stilosa has some design quirks. For starters, the plastic tamper doesn't actually fit the 51mm portafilter. I would simply trash this (or recycle, of course) and get a 51mm metal tamper. De'Longhi sells tampers for $29 on its website. Another quirk is the fact that the Stilosa doesn't come with a milk jug, so you'll need to buy one. Personally, I love Breville/Sage's milk jugs, so I would recommend getting a Breville jug — the $24 jug on Breville's site even has a live thermometer. I also really dislike the group handle. It's made from hollow plastic (or feels like that, anyway), and is very flimsy. On top of that, the portafilter falls out of the group handle when you knock out the used puck. The portafilter also slots into the group head at a specific angle, and if you move it by a tiny smidgen, it gets jammed. I would again recommend buying a separate 51mm portafilter — I'd like something like the IKAPE 51mm portafilter, which is $69 on IKAPE's website. However, for just $149, you can't really expect much. As I discussed earlier, most espresso machines start from around $300. When an espresso machine is this affordable, it's a given that some sacrifices will have been made. In the Stilosa's case, it's design has taken the brunt of it — the machine pulls great espresso and steams perfect milk (with practice). Even so, the Stilosa proves my point that coffee doesn't have to be an expensive hobby. In all honesty, I didn't have massively high expectations. £104 is very cheap for an espresso machine, and the overall plastic appearance (not to mention the straight-up awful plastic tamper) didn't bode well for high-quality espresso. However, I was happy to be proved wrong. Although the Stilosa didn't pull shots with particularly thick crema, the espresso shots tasted delicious. For this shot pictured below, I measured out 18g of finely-ground coffee (using my Eureka Mignon Specialita) and let it extract for 25 seconds. As the Stilosa is a manual espresso machine, the user needs to control extraction time. In 25 seconds, it extracted around 50g of espresso, which is a little larger than the ideal 1:2 ratio. As you can see, the espresso shot is honey-colored, with a tiny dark 'heart' at the base of the glass. As I said above, the crema was quite thin, which impacted my ability to pour pretty latte art, but didn't massively affect the taste of the espresso. However, the espresso was still a little sour. Usually this means the shot is under-extracted, so I repeated with a different grinder (Comandante C40 MK4). This time, in 25 seconds the Stilosa pulled 38g of coffee. This was the best shot I pulled on the Stilosa. It was deliciously thick and creamy, with an airy crema and honey-colored body. There was no bitterness and a bright sourness (not from under-extraction). With a bit of experimentation and dedication, there's no reason why you can't be pulling consistently delicious shots on the Stilosa. However, I will admit that the Stilosa needs a little more expertise to get this level of quality than the Bambino Plus — that pulls perfect espresso with no effort required. The Stilosa has a remarkably powerful steam wand, but this is both an attractive feature and a little annoying. On the one hand, it's great to have such a powerful steam wand. On the other hand, it requires a little more babying than other steam wands I've used. One of the best compact machines for milk frothing is the Breville Bambino Plus, as it has an auto steam wand and a manual setting. I was able to get beautiful latte art with this machine. However, the Stilosa's steam wand can be a touch overzealous. I found that I needed full concentration during steaming, or my milk would be too aerated and foamy. If you prefer a foamy milk, then it might be a good thing. However, if you want microfoam (like what you'd get from a cafe), then you will need to practise with the machine to reach optimal texture. Here's a photo of some latte art. As you can see, the milk is a little frothy, and that's with my full concentration. Some of the best latte art I've ever done was with the Smeg Mini Pro (EMC02) machine — but that's $1,499, so of course it's going to be amazing. In terms of budget machines, your best bet is the aforementioned Breville Bambino Plus. But if $149 is your max? The Stilosa will still work a treat. In terms of price, there's very little comparison. The Stilosa is, undeniably, one of the cheapest espresso machines on the market. If you want proper espresso for very little money, then there's nothing else for you: the Stilosa is your machine. However, if the budget can stretch a little further, there are a few more options. The Breville Bambino Plus I've mentioned throughout is an excellent compact espresso machine — I can confidently say that's one of the best (if not the best) beginner-friendly espresso machines on the market. However, it is $499 (often on sale for $399), so I understand it's considerably pricier than the Stilosa. De'Longhi also makes the brand-new (as of June 2025) Dedica Duo, Dedica Arte, and the Dedica Maestro, $299, $299, and $499 respectively. The Duo can make cold brew, so if you're an iced beverage fanatic, it could be worth the extra spend. With the aforementioned fixes (buying a different group head, a milk jug, and tamper), there's nothing comparable at this price point. Considering its incredibly low price of $149, the De'Longhi Stilosa espresso machine performs exceptionally well. If you can get over its all-plastic construction and flimsy accessories (or replace them entirely), then there's nothing better at this price point. Sure, it requires some fiddling to get 'perfect' espresso, but isn't that true of anything? Once you've got the routine down pat, there's no reason why the Stilosa won't be brewing delicious creamy espresso and steaming microfoamed, soft milk. For beginners or those on super-restrictive budgets, I recommend the Stilosa wholeheartedly. If you want something just a touch above, then the Breville Bambino Plus is your best bet. However, for just $150? The De'Longhi Stilosa is a machine and a half.
Tom's Guide
4 days ago
- Tom's Guide
Neewer Basics BR60 5" Ring Light review
The Neewer Basics BR60 5' is a cheap and easy way to improve selfies, videos, or online video calls. It's certainly one of the best ring lights I have tested . The design is focused on being as functional as possible, making it incredibly easy to operate. The added attachments of a clip and tripod make it convenient for any situation. It brings out the real world colour typically lost when taking pictures, especially when using the front facing camera on my phone. The only caveat is that the ring light has to be plugged in to work and doesn't come with a battery power option. This means while it is lightweight and easy to walk around with, it isn't entirely portable without a power bank in tow. However, the need to be plugged in does mean you are sure to have consistent lighting for whatever you are doing. You can find out more in my full Neewer Basics BR60 5' Ring Light review. Price $21/£19 Dimensions 5.7 x 5 x 1.1 inches Weight (with clip) 4.6 ounces Weight (with tripod) 6.6 ounces Number of LEDs 60 Maximum illumination 450Lx/0.5m Accessories Clip, Mini tripod CRI (color rendering index) 97+ Color temperature 3000-6000K The Neewer Basics BR60 5' Ring Light is available at Amazon U.S. for $21 and Amazon U.K. for £19. The price is slightly higher ($29) if purchased directly from the Neewer website, but you'll get a one-year warranty as a bonus. In fact, you can extend this further by signing up to the company's newsletter if you're so inclined.. You're paying a little extra, sure, but you get the added peace of mind of a warranty period which for some is worth the cost. The design of the Neewer Basics BR60 5' Ring Light is exactly that — basic. But not in a bad way. It eliminates any fuss that comes with an awkward set up and is super straightforward to use. The entire body is plastic with metal threads at the base to attach to the tripod. The tripod itself is easy to attach, and the legs fan out for stability. There is also a clip which slides into the bottom of the ring light. This clip allows a tilt of up to 170° so I was able to adjust the light exactly how I needed it even when it was in a fixed position. The clip can be attached to anything less than 1' thick. I was able to easily attach it to my mirror while doing my makeup, on my laptop for work calls, and my phone for selfies. The clip has a gap on one side which perfectly fits over the camera on my phone and laptop. So it doesn't obscure the camera view when attaching the light, which I have had happen with other phone light attachments I have used in the past. The light needs to be plugged in at all times and comes with a built-in six foot USB-A cable which is also where the controls are. There is a USB-A to USB-C adapter included though and this meant I was able to plug it in to my MacBook which only has USB-C ports. The controls for the Neewer Basics BR60 5' Ring Light are extremely easy to get on with. It seriously couldn't be any simpler. Attached to the built-in charging cable is a control pad. The power button turns the light on and off when plugged in and there is a mode button which cycles through the light's six modes. My personal favorite of these modes is the warm light as I found this looked the most natural and added some warmth to my face. The settings then become cooler as you cycle through them. There are plus and minus buttons to alter the brightness of the light with 10 levels of adjustment. This makes the light extremely customizable — there is something for every scenario. Having been disappointed with the performance of small ring lights in the past, I am pleased to say that I was blown away by the Neewer Basics BR60 5' Ring Light. I seriously think it changed my face for the better during selfies and now I get why the Kardashian Instagram game is so strong. The light has a CRI (color rendering index) of 97+. A higher CRI means that the light ensures that objects and subjects appear true to their original colour, and lower values indicate more color distortion. This is measured on a scale of 0-100. So this light having such a high reading is a great sign, and I found that, with the light on, I looked more like what I would see in the mirror as opposed to in my phone camera in natural lighting. With all the settings to cycle through on the light, the color temperature of the light ranges from 3000K to 6000K. The lower values are the warmer tomes and higher values are cool tones. Both are necessary for different types of photography as cooler lights are often better in a studio setting, or just depending on what your own style calls for. To test out how the light works for every day use I used the tripod to set it up next to my mirror to do my makeup for the day. This is one of the uses recommended by Neewer so I wanted to check if it made me do it better. I was able to have far more attention to detail and found I could see the colors better and get a better idea of how everything was blending. It was pretty gloomy outside on my testing day so the natural lighting was dull so it was a good opportunity to get some natural light tones. It is easy to see why makeup artists use ring lights when working on clients, I'll definitely be adding this to my daily routine. I also used it to take some selfies, since this is probably one of the most likely use cases for this product. And it massively improved the visual quality and made me look more polished and professional on camera. Both of the above images were taken using the front facing camera of my iPhone 14. The first image is taken with the ring light on the warm light mode. It is clear that the light enhanced my features while brightening my complexion. The second image is taken in natural lighting in front of a window with the same camera and is very dull and there is a lot more noise in the image. The ring light made everything sharper. In a society where everything is documented, the Neewer Basics BR60 5' Ring Light is an essential addition for anyone's home or office setup. The color reading index rating is high and it is evident from the images I took that it brings out real world color on camera, which usually dulls the color. It also worked incredibly well to reduce noise in the image by creating sharper lines. Unfortunately you do need to be near a power outlet or have some sort of portable charger with you to turn the light on since it is not battery powered. This means you're quite limited with movement when using it, but on the flip side you'll never get caught out by a dead battery. At only $21, this ring light is an affordable way to improve your selfie or video calling game.
Tom's Guide
6 days ago
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Philips 1000 Series FlexDrawer Air Fryer review
The Philips 1000 Series FlexDrawer Air Fryer is unlike any air fryer I have tried before. The draw is one large tray that can be converted into a dual basket fryer. Sounds good on paper, but this setup didn't suit me. The air fryer is easy to use and has presets, like most of the best air fryers, to make setting up cooking times that much faster. And it is fast since it uses RapidAir Plus Technology which forces the air to circulate around the fryer. However, I found the large tray awkward to use when split in two as I couldn't give the food a quick shake without disturbing the other side. The contents at the top of the basket also cooks faster when the tray is split in two. You can find out more about how I got on in my full Philips 1000 Series FlexDrawer Air Fryer review. Price £159 Capacity 7.5QT Weight 5.8kg Dimensions 17.2 x 11.9 x 11.6 inches Controls Touch sensitive buttons Modes 6 presets Temperature range 104 - 392°F Unfortunately, for any Americans looking to upgrade their trusty air fryer, the Philips 1000 Series FlexDrawer Air Fryer is currently only available for purchase in the U.K.. The air fryer is priced at £159 on Amazon U.K., but can also be purchased directly from the Philips online store for £133. If you would rather have an air fryer with two fixed drawers, the Philips 3000 Dual Zone air fryer is priced at £179/$199 and also has the rapid air technology but has two fixed trays. It is currently unclear whether the FlexDrawer style air fryer will become available in the U.S. but we will update this page when we find out more. The Philips 1000 Series FlexDrawer Air Fryer has more of a basic design when compared to other models like the Philips Air Fryer 3000 Series and the Philips 3000 Dual Zone — but the FlexDrawer is designed to be a cheaper offering. The air fryer has a plain matte black finish with a glass finish on top for the touch screen controls. It has a cooking temperature range of 104 - 392°F, so it is perfect for a range of cooking needs. It has six preset cooking modes, including frozen potato snacks, steak, chicken, muffins, vegetables, and reheat. I was most impressed with the muffin preset, as it gave a perfect bake. The FlexDrawer means that the air fryer can be turned into one large tray or two compartments, with the addition of a divider in the middle. However, the two compartments are conjoined, and I found this to be really inconvenient. Usually when making tater tots I would take the tray out and give them a shake to make sure they were cooked evenly. But since I was using the other compartment to cook pizza at the time I couldn't do that, and the tots ended up being crispier on top. When the large tray is split into two sections, the temperature and cooking time can be altered independently for each, and they can be synced or matched. To switch between the single or dual zone settings is easy with a click of the 'XXL' basket button. The two compartments are far smaller than a normal air fryer drawer. The total capacity is 7.5 quarts, so each tray is about 3.75 quarts. This is about the same as the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer, which also splits one large tray in two. However the 1000 Series has less cooking room than the dual basket fryer I'm used to, like the Ninja Dual Zone Air Fryer. The large tray has two handles on either side of the drawer, and while this was easy to pull out, it was a little awkward to maneuver compared to the usual pull out drawers with the handle on the front. That being said, for cooking larger things like fish or a whole chicken, the option for a larger tray is perfect to cater to both needs. The cord at the back of the Philips 1000 Series FlexDrawer Air Fryer is very short at about two feet, so the unit has to sit next to a power outlet. There is storage on the back of the fryer to wrap the cord if you need to store the fryer elsewhere though. The Philips 1000 Series FlexDrawer Air Fryer did a great job at evenly cooking my food, but I still prefer the results I got from the Philips Air Fryer 3000 Series (which is available for purchase in the U.S.) as I felt the RapidAir Technology worked better in a single basket setting. Both air fryers use RapidAir Plus Technology. This means the base of the air fryer basket has a star shape with peaks and troughs that aid the circulation of air through the tray. The FlexDrawer Air Fryer has two of these star shapes to cover both compartments. I cooked some frozen sausage rolls, and each one was evenly cooked on the top and bottom without the need to flip them over thanks to the RapidAir Technology. This is the most even cook I have achieved when testing out air fryers. I was also impressed at the puff from the pastry — further testament to how even the cook was. I cooked some frozen tater tots to test the frozen potato snacks preset on the air fryer. They were finished cooking in just 12 minutes and were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I did notice that the tots on top of the basket were slightly more browned, but I couldn't combat this since the basket is hard to shake anyway because of how large it is, and I had a small pizza in the other half of the basket. The cheese on top of the pizza was pretty well done, but still tasted fine. Despite this, the air fryer was able to cook the pizza base all the way through. The Philips 3000 Series was able to cook the pizza without burning the cheese so I think the FlexiDrawer may have let in some heat from where the tots were cooking. The cooking zones are described as independent by Philips, but since the zones are conjoined, there is bound to be some heat transfer. The air fryer was able to perfectly cook halloumi sticks in just six minutes at 320°F using the timer and temperature control for the independent zone. The air fryer is incredibly quick and works well for cooking party food for big groups of people when you need to keep up with demand. Needless to say, everyone in the office loved these. To see how the air fryer worked with hard vegetables I cooked some butternut squash and zucchini croquettes. The veggies became really tender and stayed juicy. The outside crisped up nicely to hold it all together. These only took 12 minutes to be perfectly cooked. Let me start by saying, these turned out to be the ugliest muffins ever… but they were so good! Now that we are past their looks, I'll tell you that they were perfectly cooked with a slight crunch on top and moist in the middle while using the muffin preset on the air fryer. Despite appearances, they lasted all of three minutes in the office and had glowing reviews! Clean-up with the Philips 1000 Series FlexDrawer Air Fryer is very easy. The whole tray is dishwasher safe so you can save on washing up by hand. I decided to wash it by hand as I think the entire tray of the FlexDrawer is far too big to justify taking up space in the dishwasher. The fryer has a non-stick coating so with a little dish soap and a wipe it was sparkling again — no scrubbing required. The cord wraps around the back of the air fryer for easy storage and at only 5.8kg it is light enough to pick up and move when not in use. While the Philips 1000 Series FlexDrawer Air Fryer is easy to set up and operate, I don't think the flex drawer is for me. While it is a great space saver as you get a large tray and two smaller baskets in one, it is just awkward to use. The basket is hard to shake since it is so large anyway, but you also can't check how one side of the dual tray is doing without disturbing the other since they are conjoined. That being said, the air fryer is fast and the RapidAir Technology works well to evenly cook the contents, but when the tray is split the top of the tray cooks much faster.
Tom's Guide
7 days ago
- Tom's Guide
I just tested the perfect mic for content creators — and there's a reason why you see it in so many TikTok videos
Rode consistently makes some of the best microphones, and the new Wireless Go Gen 3 is no different. A worthy upgrade from the Go Gen 2, the Gen 3 has better wireless range, 32-bit float recording (up from the 2's 24-bit), a massive 32GB of on-board storage in each transmitter, headphone monitoring, GainAssist, and so much more. Yes, it's true: the Go Gen 3 definitely deserves its place as one of the most iconic wireless mics. While there are still a few little annoyances (for example, opening the Rode Central app stops recordings midway and the high-pass filter isn't super adept at noise cancellation), the Wireless Go Gen 3 is a fantastic set of compact mics. So is it worth the $329 price? It depends who you are — if you're a content creator looking for the best of the best without dropping $$$, then it's certainly for you. Keep reading to find out the full story in this Rode Wireless Go Gen 3 microphone review. Price $329 / £279 Connectivity USB-C, TRS, lightning On-board storage 32GB (40 hours) Range 850 feet / 260 meters Max SPL 123.5 Audio resolution 196kHz, 32-bit Frequency response 20 Hz – 20 kHz Microphone type Condenser Battery life 7 hours Polar pattern Omnidirectional Weight 1.2 ounces (RX and TX), 3.6 ounces altogether Dimensions 1.8 x 1.7 x 0.8 inches Colors Various: I tested black The Rode Wireless Go Gen 3 costs a pretty hefty $329 from Amazon U.S., making it $20 pricier than its predecessor the Wireless Go Gen 2. Surprisingly, the Gen 3 comes in a huge range of colors: I tested black, but it also comes in white, red, purple, blue, and more. I've never seen a mic with this much range before, so it's a welcome departure from mundanity. On Amazon U.K., the Wireless Go Gen 3 has an RRP of £279, but has been around £230 since April. Right now, I'm unsure why there's such a price difference between the U.S. and U.K. However, I think $329 is still a pretty decent price for a microphone of this quality. If you want the most basic Rode wireless mic, I'd suggest the $149 Wireless Micro. It's basically just the Wireless Go Gen 3 but with a much more beginner-friendly usage and slightly reduced quality audio. Even so, for amateurs or beginners, there's nothing better. Conversely, if you need a fully professional mic, then check out the Rode Wireless Pro ($399). The Rode Wireless Go Gen 3 looks pretty much like every other wireless RX and TX set, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the design. The transmitters and receiver are the same size: just 1.7 x 1.8 inches. The microphones also come with a soft pouch for easy transportation, which is also roomy enough to fit the USB-C, lightning, TRS cables, and dead cats. On the receiver, the controls are as follows: Volume (mic gain) buttons, channel buttons, and the Ø button for connection. The transmitters have one button for pairing or recording, and an Ø button for muting and marking (which I struggled to get working — more on that in the 'Features' section below). Both transmitters and the receiver also have a clip, which I found incredibly useful for on-the-fly recording. There's also a 3.5mm output on the RX for live monitoring and 3.5mm inputs on each TX for additional lav mics. I quite like the RX's bright LED screen. It's a little brighter than the Shure MoveMic 88+'s screen (which I still liked), but a decent amount smaller. In future versions (I know the Gen 3 has literally just been released), I'd like to see this screen even bigger, and maybe even controllable via touch for even easier usability. There's also a dead cat for wind resistance. I found this really efficient for pop reduction when carrying out my plosive testing, so I'd recommend using it to mitigate pops with interviewees who perhaps don't have the best microphone etiquette. Unlike the Sennheiser Profile Wireless, the dead cat didn't distort audio clarity. First off, one of the most impressive features is the 850-foot wireless range. This makes it a touch longer than the Sennheiser Profile Wireless' ($299) 800 feet. The Rode Wireless Go Gen 2 ($299) has a max range of around 650 feet, so this is a major improvement on the previous iteration. Another major improvement is the massive 32GB onboard storage — 40 hours of 32-bit recording. On the Gen 2, this is 40 hours of 24-bit float recording, which means the Gen 3 has higher memory. You can still export at 32-bit on the Gen 2, though. While the Gen 3 has improved range and memory over the Gen 2, it also carries over one of the Gen 2's most helpful features: Safety Channel mode. This mode automatically records a second track at -10dB, so if your first recording is too loud or distorted, you've got a backup. Enabling this feature is easy: simply activate it in the Rode Central app. Even when I was trying to shout loudly into the mic and distort it, my recordings were reasonably salvageable thanks to GainAssist. I definitely would place my trust in this mic, even when recording in noisy environments. Due to the 32-bit float recording, even tracks from loud environments are easy to edit in post. I tested this with both whispered speech and shouted speech. I was able to amplify my whispered recordings without losing any quality. Incredibly, the recording still sounded clear and crisp. In fact, all the recordings you'll hear in the 'Audio quality' section were amplified in Audacity. Then, I held the mic way too close (think complete microphone newbie) and talked loudly into it. I was, again, able to save this in Audacity. One of the most interesting features is the customizable 'Ø' button. This button can be configured to mute the mic, or place a 'marker' in the on-board recording. Markers can be used for noting in long audio files where you need to trim, edit, or cut, amongst other reasons. It basically makes your life easier in post. I was expecting this marker to place a beep sound in the recording, but nothing happened. I've reached out to Rode for assistance, but have yet to receive a response. I'll come back to update this review once I hear back. Another fantastic feature is the Camera Preset. This is an automatic, premade setting that links up with a number of cameras. You can load these presets into your RX (via Rode Central desktop only) and then enable when the mics are set up with your camera. Unfortunately, this is limited to new and popular cameras: my Canon Rebel T3i is too old now. Finally, battery life. The Go Gen 3 has 7 hours charge in each TX, and you can buy a charging case (to up the overall charge to 21 hours) for $89 from Amazon U.S.. This is a pretty good battery life, but other wireless mics come with a charging case, like the Sennheiser Profile Wireless. As with the Rode Wireless Micro, the Wireless Go Gen 3 works with the Rode Central app. This app is very straightforward and easy to use: I had no problems navigating it during testing. As you can see from the three screenshots above, the camera preset settings has a huge range of cameras, from Canon, to GoPro, to Panasonic and more. You can also customize channel gain and split or merge the TXs, and configure settings like the Ø buttons. As you can record in 'Split' or 'Merged', be aware that you will need to re-merge the mics if you turn one off. The first time I used the Go Gen 3, I didn't realise this and was left with a stereo recording only on one channel. I had to fix it in post, which was easy, but a little annoying. Thankfully, due to the 32-bit float recording quality, my recordings were never distorted even with a lot of fiddling in Audacity. The tracks were crisp, clear, and faithful to my voice, even when I had an ambient noise track playing in the background. Here you can listen to all my standardized audio testing clips. As with all mics I test, I recorded clips of tongue twisters (to analyze plosive and fricative performance), ambient noise clips to test the high-pass filter, alongside generic spoken tests. Plosives Here you can listen to the Rode Wireless Go Gen 3's ability to record plosive (B, P, D sounds) sounds without popping. To get the best result, I used the dead cat here. As you can tell from the audio clip above, the Go Gen 3's quality was pretty excellent. There were no loud pops thanks to the dead cat. A word of warning, though: I would recommend using said dead cat, as when I repeated this test sans-muff the recording was quite poppy. Fricatives/sibilance Fricatives are soft, airy sounds like F and Z, and sibilance refers to S sounds (like a snake). I recorded myself saying a couple of S-heavy tongue twisters. As you can hear above, the sibilance performance was really impressive. There's no unsavory hissing whatsoever, and I was really trying to do my best imitation of an angry snake here. I would have no reservations about interviewing even the most serpentine of guests with this mic. Ambient noise performance As with the Wireless Micro, the Wireless Go Gen 3 doesn't really have an 'ambient noise reducer' like some of the best Shure microphones. It's got a high-pass filter, which basically blocks noises below a certain threshold (75Hz or 100Hz). For these clips, I used the 75Hz. This is with the high-pass filter enabled. You can still hear quite a decent amount of background noise. Sure, my voice is still audible, but this might require a few hours in post-production if you want it completely silent. This is the same clip without the high-pass filter. See, there's not much difference between the two clips. It's definitely because the Wireless Go Gen 3 doesn't have an ambient noise reducing technology like Shure's proprietary 'Denoiser' (which is excellent). It's just a high-pass filter, so better to use for wind and quiet interference. In the future, I'd like to see Rode release an AI traffic/speech reducer, so post-production would be easier if recording in very loud environments. Still, it's not awful… just not mind-blowing. The Wireless Go Gen 3 is a worthy upgrade from Gen 2. You get higher quality recordings, more onboard storage, a range of new features like GainAssist, a charging case, and live headphone monitoring. On top of these extra features, the mic's recording quality is fantastic — of course it is, it's Rode. You'd expect it to be brilliant. My only qualm is that the high-pass filter isn't hugely adept at minimizing ambient noise. For a mic that's so often used as a street interviewing mic, I'd expect it to have much more advanced ambient noise reduction in future. However, if you're a content creator looking to upgrade your professionalism, of course it has to be the Rode Wireless Go Gen 3. There's a reason this mic is everywhere in TikTok videos.
Tom's Guide
23-05-2025
- Business
- Tom's Guide
I tested the brand-new De'Longhi Rivelia — it's like an enthusiastic robot barista has set up shop in my kitchen
The De'Longhi Rivelia is a superautomatic coffee machine, which means it turns button-pressing into coffee in seconds. Yes — completely hands-free. You don't need to do anything. It's perfect for people who want hot, fresh coffee and don't have a lot of time. De'Longhi has a huge range of automatic coffee machines on its roster, starting from just $549/£399, and going up to over $2k. The Rivelia is slap-bang in the middle of its range, at $1,499/£749. Yes — that price discrepancy is wild, I know. If you're a U.K. customer, you're getting a much better deal. A steal, almost. However, is the Rivelia enough to be one of the best espresso machines at this pricepoint? Find out in this De'Longhi Rivelia automatic coffee machine review. Price $1,499 / £749 Weight 21.4 pounds Grinder Have reached out to De'Longhi for confirmation Dimensions 16.9 x 9.7 x 14.6 inches Heating system Have reached out to De'Longhi for confirmation Pressure 15 bar Water tank capacity 47 ounces Accessories 2 bean hoppers, cleaning tablets, milk stopper The De'Longhi Rivelia Automatic Coffee Machine is a massive $1,499 from Amazon U.S., and just £749 from Amazon U.K.. The price is likely different because the Rivelia came out in the U.K. back in 2023, but it's brand new to the U.S. market as of May 2025. Even so, customers in the U.K. are getting a much, much better deal. I don't think this machine is worth $1,499 — $1,000 would be a better price. Automatic coffee machines tend to be pricier than at-home espresso machines, but they don't really make 'proper' espresso. I'll go into that in depth in the 'Espresso' section, but it's worth mentioning here as it's unfair to compare this machine to typical espresso machines. The KitchenAid KF8 is $1,999, which is the priciest automatic coffee machine I've tested. However, that's not the most expensive one I've seen. The Jura J8 is a whopping $3,499, but there's a sub-$1,000 Jura machine in the $999 Jura ENA 4. De'Longhi also makes the $1,299 Magnifica (in the U.K., this starts from just £399) if you really want a superautomatic De'Longhi, but the Rivelia is a little too pricey. In terms of baseline appearance, I think the Rivelia is very attractive. I received the green colorway, which would have been my choice had I been purchasing it myself. De'Longhi also makes the Rivelia in white, black, and gray. In the U.K., you can also get beige and green. The Rivelia is relatively small for a superautomatic espresso machine, at 17 inches tall and 14.6 inches deep. For contrast, the KitchenAid KF8 is 18.5 inches high and 14.3 inches deep. While it's still not compact, it's not as bulky as other espresso machines. My De'Longhi La Specialista Opera is 17.5 inches wide, compared to the Rivelia's just 9.7 inches. The water tank is quite small (could be a worthy sacrifice for this relatively non-bulky machine) at just 47 ounces. The KitchenAid KF8's water tank is a seemingly massive 74 ounces. I found the Rivelia's water tank emptied after around 5 drinks, which was a little frustrating, but I suppose it's good to have fresh water. On the top of the machine is the ground coffee compartment and a scoop. This is also where the milk carafe plug lives in between uses. Then, in front of this hidden compartment, is one of my favorite aspects of the Rivelia: the bright touchscreen. The icons are clear and easy to navigate. The Rivelia alerts you when it's going to rinse, when the carafe needs a clean, and when it's going to heat up. You can scroll through the drinks options (there are 18), which adds great usability for complete beginners. Each drink option has a full-color image, so you're learning which drink is which while brewing too. In general, I'd say that the Rivelia looks fantastic for a superautomatic machine. The colorful LED screen is a nice touch for beginners, and the machine is very easy to use. I would 100% recommend this for complete beginners. I'm going to start by saying that superautomatic espresso machines, by design, do not make 'technically' perfect espresso. They won't be able to dose and tamp like humans, and that's a feature, not a bug. Superautomatic machines are for those who just want coffee, quickly and easily. These types of machines are not for espresso purists. The 'espresso' setting (without customization) doses around 42g of espresso in 21 seconds (including pre-infusion). This is a little outside of the golden window of extraction (1:2 in 25-28 seconds). Afterwards, I customized the espresso to maximum intensity (5) and small size. This dosed 24g of espresso in 17 seconds (including pre-infusion). Again, this is outside the golden window of extraction. Unfortunately, as it's an automatic machine, I have no way of weighing the pre-extraction coffee dose so can't tell you the ratio the Rivelia brews at. As you can see, the shot is quite watery. The crema isn't fluffy, and there's not much weight to the espresso. It'll do the trick, but it won't impress coffee purists. The 'lungo' espresso shot brews a massive 120g. This is much bigger than the generally accepted 1:3 ratio, but I suppose will do the trick if you want a half-espresso-half-Americano beverage. I was a little confused by the 'ice' Americano and 'ice' coffee options. This isn't like the De'Longhi La Specialista Opera ($899, so $600 cheaper than the Rivelia) and De'Longhi La Specialista Maestro ($1,199, so $300 cheaper than the Rivelia) — the Rivelia can't make cold espresso. I pressed 'iced Americano' and it told me to put in 8 cubes of ice (which I did). Then, the Rivelia extracted a hot espresso shot — I thought, okay, no problem, I'll just put more ice in after the water. But then it dosed hot water into my glass. Even though I'd pressed iced Americano. Confused, I did this whole process again — and it brewed another hot Americano. The only difference is that the 'iced' Americano shot is 31g and the 'hot' Americano shot is 41g — I assume as it's going to be watered down by ice. Here's a picture of the 'ice' Americano. I just don't understand why the machine doesn't dispense cold water for iced drinks. Anyway, it's worth noting that if you want an iced Americano, I'd recommend just pulling a regular shot and topping up with cold water. Strangeness regarding iced drinks aside, my interest was extremely piqued by the Rivelia's 'Bean Adapt' feature. This feature basically analyzes your coffee bean and tells you the optimal grind size. Of course, seasoned baristas will be able to navigate grind size without this assistance, but it's nice to have for beginners. The Rivelia told me that my light-roasted Rwandan beans should be ground on number 5 (1-7), which surprised me. I'd been brewing on grind 4 and it tasted fine. However, I gave the Rivelia the benefit of the doubt and followed its advice. When I switched out my light beans for medium-roasted Indonesian beans, the Rivelia recommended setting them on grind size 4. Ever the obedient user, I obliged and ran a few shots through on this setting. As with the shot times I mentioned above, the espresso wasn't technically perfect, but it still tasted good in the drink. I also tried a dark roast. The Rivelia told me it should be extracted on grind setting 4, and with medium temperature (as opposed to light-and-medium roast's high temperature). I made an Americano, a latte macchiato, and two capuccinos with these settings, and the drinks tasted… fine. My colleagues said they enjoyed their beverages, so, again, the Rivelia doesn't make bad coffee, it just won't impress serious espresso lovers. Again, this is a superautomatic machine, so it's not intended to be used by people who necessarily care about crafting technically-perfect coffee with WDT tools and coffee scales. The Rivelia is about quick, easy, and accessible coffee, and it does excel at that. It just isn't the tastiest coffee I've ever had. De'Longhi's 'LatteCrema' system is supposed to 'guarantee ideal milk frothing'. While I think the milk frother is pretty adept, I'm not sure this 'LatteCrema' system is any more than just marketing. Don't get me wrong, the milk frother works, but there's nothing inherently unique about it. It's identical to the milk frothing I've seen on other superautomatics like the KitchenAid KF8. In the standard Rivelia, you can't make cold milk. However, with the 'LatteCrema Cool' addition, you can make cold foam. This is an extra $129. The milk carafe has three settings: low, 'creamy', and high foam. Adjusting these settings is easy with the dial. Some drinks tell you what milk texture to choose, but others don't. It's also completely up to you: you don't have to obey the machine's commands. If you so please, you could make a cappuccino with low foam. Obviously the auto milk frother can't make barista-quality microfoam. The only machine I've used that matches barista-quality is the Subminimal Nanofoamer Gen 2, and the Rivelia in no way matches that. Here's a photograph of milk on the 'creamy' setting. This is a flat white made with Oatly Barista. As you can see, the milk is decent, but it's certainly not barista-quality. There are quite large bubbles, and it was a little watery as I drank more. However, perfection is not the enemy of enjoyment — and I did enjoy it. Next, I made a cappuccino on the 'dense' setting, as directed by the Rivelia. Here's a close up photo of the milk texture so you can really see it. As you can see, the milk is relatively bubbly. There's no velvety microfoam you'd expect from a barista-made drink. However, this is pretty good for a superautomatic machine, and if you don't want to bother yourself with a manual espresso machine, the Rivelia will be more than fine. I just don't think it would replace barista-trained milk-foaming abilities any time soon. The final setting is 'light'. Strangely, De'Longhi's recommended setting for lattes is light foam milk, which I don't necessarily agree with. As you can see, the milk is very wet. This is what I'd describe as a 'wet latte' if I still worked as a barista. This is just my personal tastes, but I would recommend only making drinks with the 'creamy' or 'dense' foam settings. 'Light' made a watery latte. I do like that the Rivelia prompted me to clean the milk frother every two uses, and meant I didn't have to get into the spout with a pipe cleaner. It feels very easy to maintain. On the whole, I think the Rivelia would best suit someone with minimal traditional manual espresso machine experience, who wants consistent coffee every day. In terms of reliability, the Rivelia is a winner. I'm going to say right off the bat that unfortunately I couldn't run my usual grinder tests on the Rivelia due to the machine grinding, dosing, and tamping inside the machine. This meant I couldn't take out the grounds and analyze them. As there's little information regarding the grinder in the user manual and online, I reached out to De'Longhi's representative to request more information about the grinder itself. I'm unsure if it's a conical burr grinder or a blade grinder, although as De'Longhi's Dinamica and Magnifica machines have a conical stainless steel burr, I think we can safely assume the Rivelia follows suit. The grinder has 7 fineness settings. 1 is the finest and 7 is the coarsest. I started off on setting 2 as I was using light roasted beans, but the extraction was way too slow. After using Bean Adapt, I was told to grind on 5 for my light roasted beans and 4 for my medium roasted beans. Obviously a built in grinder is never going to be as adept as a standalone grinder, but I think for a superautomatic machine, the Rivelia's grinder fits the bill perfectly. As I mentioned in the 'Design' section, the Rivelia is pretty compact for a superautomatic. This means you'll be able to keep it out on your counter, like I did during testing. Thankfully, De'Longhi provides you with a water hardness test strip (to know how often to descale). There's an additional coffee maintenance kit on De'Longhi's website for $49 and you can even purchase additional bean hoppers for $29. The drip tray is very easy to remove, but it is quite small. I'd recommend emptying it after every few drinks. The grounds drawer is also quite small — I've been emptying it after every five or so drinks. However, it's easy to clean (initially) as it's mostly plastic. Even so, this raises longevity concerns as sometimes the plastic can look quite tarnished and dirty after a few years, despite proper cleaning. For U.K. customers, the £749 Rivelia is one of the most affordable superautomatic machines on the market today. It's only beaten by something like the De'Longhi Magnifica, which starts from just $599/£399. The Rivelia has 18 preset recipes (all of which can be customized further), whereas the Magnifica Start has just 3, and no auto milk frother. De'Longhi's top-of-the-range PrimaDonna Elite is a massive $2,199 (a more comparable £1,999), and boasts a 67 ounce water tank, a more adept 13-click conical burr grinder. Jura is one of the hottest superautomatic coffee machine brands around right now. Its closest-priced competitor is the $1,599 S8. You can make sweet foam with this machine's built-in syrup attachment, so if you're a sweet-toothed coffee lover, then you might want to check out the Jura S8. The Jura Giga 10 is a massive $4,979. It has 35 drinks options including cold brew and even connects to Wi-Fi. I think it's overkill for the average person, but it does put into perspective that $1,499 isn't as expensive as other superautomatic machines. Still, that doesn't necessarily mean the Rivelia is 100% worth it. On the whole, the Rivelia is a good, compact coffee machine perfect for small homes, but it's not worth its $1,499 price tag. At this price point, you'd expect delicious coffee (and the ability to make iced Americanos when it says it can), but the coffee is merely fine. I think serious coffee lovers need look elsewhere — may I point you in the direction of the Breville Bambino Plus? If you're in the U.K., then this machine is a fantastic deal. Had the U.S. price reflected the U.K. price, I would've awarded the Rivelia 4 stars. However, at $1,499, I think the Rivelia is quite overpriced for what it is. Yes, superautomatic machines are usually more expensive than espresso machines. However, De'Longhi's Magnifica Evo is just $899 and has similar specs — auto milk frother, 7 customizable recipes, and a built-in conical burr grinder. I think that's a much better deal — I'm not sure that the Rivelia's specs justify the $600 price increase. However, that doesn't negate that the Rivelia is a good machine. It makes tasty (but not quite delicious) coffee in seconds, it is easy to switch beans, and it looks good. It's just a touch overpriced for me.
