Drip filter coffee machines: Price and specs compared

Breville has the most expansive range of filter coffee machines with a whopping, two of them. The Aroma Style and the Precision Brewer sit at total opposite sides of the spectrum; one is purely the basics while the other is entirely customisable.

The Aroma only has six buttons, and two of them are used to set the time. The other four let you schedule a brew within the next 24 hours, pick the strength of the coffee, delay your pre-programmed batch, and turn the machine on and off. While it doesn't allow for granular control, the Aroma Drip coffee maker doesn't overcomplicate a big pot of coffee. 

On the other hand, the Precision Brewer lets you customise every part of the brewing process. From the water temperature, to the bloom time, and the flow rate, you can have complete control of your filter coffee experience. It comes with six settings including one for iced coffee which amps up the strength to compensate for ice dilution. Unfortunately this one doesn't offer brew scheduling, but it does have a thermal carafe so your coffee will stay warm without the need for a hot plate.

If Breville's cheap filter machine is basic, then the Sunbeam Auto brew has drunken its fair share of pumpkin spice lattes too. The coffee machine once again strips back all the nuance to making a coffee.

You can start or stop a brew, and schedule one within the next 24 hours. That is pretty much it. The glass carafe holds 12 cups of coffee, and will stay warm on the hot plate for two hours before the device auto-shuts off. 

A few customer reviews compain that the machine makes lukewarm coffee, and we're not too surprised. It only uses 1100 watts, so it doesn't have much power to heat up and maintain a good water temperature.

Even though the De'Longhi Clessidra filter coffee machine is about double the price of Breville and Sunbeam, it doesn't offer much more for the price. Apart from a cute hourglass design that is.

Similar to the other two home appliance giants, the Clessidra has a glass carafe, and will only keep coffee warm for 40 minutes before turning off. It does have a shower head drip design, which makes for more evenly saturated beans, and some level of water temperature control between 92-96°C however.

Smeg makes some adorable appliances, but whether they actually hold up to their higher price point is debatable. It's 50s style filter coffee machine is cute, but bareboned. It lists 'water tank level indicator' as a key feature. That should tell you a lot.

Apart from some measurements on the side of the machine, it also has two coffee intensity settings, a 1-4 cup function, a descaling alarm, and a programmable timer. Similar to the Sunbeam, the Smeg has a relatively low wattage so the coffee itself may not get that warm, or stay that warm for that matter. Since you can set it to just brew one or two coffees, that shouldn't matter as much as big-batch machines.