DeLonghi Dedica vs. Stilosa: Which Should You Buy?

Thermoblock With Settings, or Boiler With a Knob

Both are De'Longhi manual espresso machines with a portafilter, a steam wand and a 15-bar pump. The Dedica (EC685) heats with a thermoblock and has one-cup and two-cup buttons, a settings menu (brew temperature, water hardness, auto-off) and an orange descale light. The Stilosa (EC260, and the EC230 and EC235) heats with a stainless steel boiler. It has a knob to choose coffee, off or steam, no display, and no descale light: De'Longhi says to descale it every 200 coffees.

Everything below comes from De'Longhi's instruction books and US product pages. We haven't used price, because it changes weekly.

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Side by Side, From De'Longhi's Own Documents

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Where the Dedica Earns Its Extra Controls

Cup buttons. The Dedica has separate 1-cup and 2-cup buttons with lights that show when it's heating and ready. On the Stilosa you turn the knob to the coffee position, and back again to stop.

Temperature you can change. Hold the steam button for 10 seconds to open the settings menu. Brewing temperature has three levels, and De'Longhi notes it's the temperature of the water in the thermoblock, not in the cup. The same menu sets water hardness and auto-off (9 minutes, 30 minutes or 3 hours).

A descale light. The orange light on the steam key flashes when descaling is due. The program takes about 25 minutes with De'Longhi descaler. Our Dedica descaling guide walks through it.

One thing to know about steam. After frothing, the Dedica's two coffee lights may flash together. That means the thermoblock is too hot for espresso, and the book's cooling cycle is to run the steam dial into a container until the lights change. The book also says never to deliver steam for more than 60 seconds.

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Where the Stilosa Keeps It Simple

Fewer settings to get wrong. One knob, one power button and one ready light. The manual is almost entirely pictures.

Cup clearance. The Stilosa manual gives 8 cm under the spout with the cup support in place and 10.7 cm with it removed.

Maintenance by count. With no descale light, De'Longhi's rule is: "If your machine is not provided with a dedicated indicator, make the descaling cycle every 200 coffees." The program takes about 45 minutes. The book also asks you to clean the filters every 200 coffees and the boiler outlet every 300 coffees, which means unscrewing it with a screwdriver.

Auto-off with no settings. If it switches off, the manual's first check is whether the steam knob was left open. Close it, then press the power button.

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What's the Same

• 15-bar pump, portafilter with 1-cup and 2-cup filters, steam wand.
• De'Longhi descaler only. Both books warn that unsuitable descaler, or descaling done incorrectly, may cause faults the guarantee doesn't cover.
• No dishwasher. None of the Dedica's parts is dishwasher safe, and the Stilosa manual shows a crossed-out dishwasher.
• Pressing matters. The Dedica book says tamping too hard gives slow, strong coffee and too lightly gives fast, weak coffee. The Stilosa pictures list "coffee pressed too hard" as a cause of coffee only dripping.
• Hotter coffee tips, the same in both: warm the cups, and run hot water through the empty filter holder into the cup first.

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When Each One Has a Problem

Our Dedica troubleshooting guide and Stilosa troubleshooting guide cover each machine in full.

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Which One to Buy

Buy the Dedica if you want 1-cup and 2-cup buttons, a temperature setting and a light that tells you when to descale. It's the narrower machine, 15 cm wide by De'Longhi's figure.

Buy the Stilosa if you'd rather have fewer controls and don't mind counting to 200 coffees between descales. Its boiler, knob and pictogram manual make it the simpler machine to own.

For milk drinks, both steam; the Dedica's frother adds a HOT MILK setting as well as CAPPUCCINO.

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FAQ

What is the main difference between the De'Longhi Dedica and Stilosa?

The Dedica uses a thermoblock, with 1-cup and 2-cup buttons, a temperature setting and a descale light. The Stilosa uses a boiler with a knob, and you descale it every 200 coffees.

Does the Stilosa have a descale light?

No. De'Longhi's rule for machines without an indicator is to descale every 200 coffees. The program takes about 45 minutes.

Can I change the brew temperature on either machine?

Only on the Dedica: Low, Medium or High in the settings menu, opened by holding steam for 10 seconds.

Do both machines take ESE pods?

The Stilosa takes ESE-standard pods. The Dedica uses a pod filter that comes with certain models only.

Which is narrower?

The Dedica. De'Longhi gives 15 cm, and the Stilosa's US page lists 8.07 in.

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Related De'Longhi Guides

• De'Longhi Dedica EC685 Not Working
• De'Longhi Stilosa Not Working
• De'Longhi Dedica Descaling Guide

Sources: De'Longhi EC685/EC695/EC785 Dedica instructions; De'Longhi EC230-235-260 Stilosa instructions; De'Longhi US product pages for the EC685M and EC260BK.