Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello: One-minute review

The Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello espresso machine isn’t a typical espresso machine that most people use in their homes, and you’ll know that as soon as you take it out of the box. There are no buttons here to push, no dials for programming settings. This, my friends, is a next-level espresso machine, not quite an industrial-grade one you expect to see at coffee shops but more elevated than that automatic one you’ve got at home.

Most of the things you do on it are manual. Want your shot of espresso? You have to operate a lever and know when to stop the pour. Want frothy milk? You have to get used to turning a knob all the way then quickly shutting it down before your froth spills over. So, I can’t really blame anyone if they took one look at the Diletta Bello and ran the other way.

But, while many of the best espresso machines make it easier for users these days, I found that there is a steep learning curve with this particular machine, although it took me less than a day to see its appeal (and learn its ways). As a coffee enthusiast, I do appreciate a smooth cup of thoughtfully-crafted coffee that greets you every day like it’s a lazy Sunday morning – even on days when it feels like I do not have the time. 

I also appreciate the meditative process it takes to make one on this machine. It takes focus away from the necessity of brewing coffee – contrary to the best coffee makers being items of convenience – and shifts it back to the craft by slowing you down a little.

And, here’s the thing: as intimidating as the Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello looks, it’s also incredibly accessible and easy for neophyte espresso machine users to use. Experienced or not, I would recommend it to most people… or at least those who are willing to pay the price.

Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello review: Price & availability

• List price: $1,699
• Unavailable outside the US

Despite being handcrafted in Milan, Italy, the Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello is only available for purchase on the Seattle Coffee Gear website to US customers. That’s because the company only currently ships to the US (all 50 states) – which is understandable considering that the machine comes packaged in a thick and sizable protective case similar to what photography and filmmaking gear come in.

To get one yourself, you do have to pay a hefty price of $1,699 for the kit that includes baskets and portafilters. Considering there are pricier espresso machines for consumers, I’d consider this one a higher mid-range entry – although it also doesn’t come with its own bean grinder, which means you’ll have to spend more if you don’t own one already.

The specs of our Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello review unit

• Price: $1,699
• Type of coffee maker: Manual espresso machine
• Skill level: Intermediate
• Programming: None
• Brew time: 30 sec
• Boiler volume: 1.8L
• Reservoir size: 3L
• Material: Stainless Steel
• Dimensions: 11 x 17.75 x 14.5 inches

• Value: 4 / 5

Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello review: Design

• Manual controls
• Elegant minimalist design
• Pretty big so it takes up space

As I mentioned above, the Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello is devoid of any buttons, taking an all-manual approach to brewing and steaming. So, if you’re hoping to just press buttons and let the machine do all the work for you, you definitely won’t be getting what you want. Not that you should let that affect your decision about getting this machine, however, as the manual controls just look deceptively complicated.

In actuality, things are pretty simple here. You turn the power switch on, wait a few minutes until it reaches the desired operating pressure, which you can check using the decently sized pressure gauge, twist your grounds-filled portafilter in place, lift the brew level to brew and pour, and lower it back down to stop. Really the only thing that’s different here is that instead of a button, you operate a lever.

Steaming milk is similar in that instead of pressing a button, you’re turning a knob all the way to the left to steam and foam then turning it all the way to the right to close. This is the trickier part here, as you do have to find the right speed when you’re turning the knob. It took me about three days to kind of get comfortable with using it, but that’s only because I was being too careful. As soon as I got used to it, operating it felt like second nature.

There is a hot water dispenser on the other side of the brew group that looks very similar to the steam wand in look and operation, except it actually dispenses hot water instead of heating up what’s in your cup. There is also a cup warmer on top next to the water tank opening. Both are pretty neat additions to an already impressive machine. Sadly, however, you have to invest in a stand-alone coffee bean grinder, as it doesn’t come with one.

Just like its old-school approach to its controls, the Diletta Bello also comes with a retro-esque design, as if SCG took inspiration from vintage espresso machines and modernized it. That, I think, allows it to look elegant and nostalgic yet minimalist at the same time, especially if you go for the white colorway (it also comes in black and stainless steel). 

Unfortunately, just like other old espresso machines, it also takes up a bit of space at 11 x 17.75 x 14.5 inches and is considerably heavy. So, you better make sure that you’ve got plenty of counterspace, lest risk cluttering your kitchen or losing precious countertop space.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello review: Performance

• Takes 13 minutes to warm up
• Smooth brews
• Steam wand takes practice to use

The biggest downside to the Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello is that it’s not for fast brewing. It takes 13 minutes to warm up – meaning getting the pressure gauge needle up between 1 and 1.5  – though in my experience, it delivers stronger and richer brews better after the indicator light on the top right turns green. This means that you have to get into the habit of turning it on first thing in the morning, before you shower and go about your morning routine. 

However, here‘s the thing I’ve noticed from using the Diletta Bello for three weeks: it’s only the warm-up that takes time. Once you get the process down to a T, from brewing to steaming and foaming your milk, it actually doesn’t take that much longer than making a cup from a concentrate (if you were to also heat up your milk in the microwave then foam it using a frother). 

It’s also less tedious than using a french press, which is much more annoying to clean. And, the fact that it’s got a 3L water tank means that you only need to refill every five to seven days, depending on how much coffee you’re consuming.

It also makes much smoother cups of coffee. I typically use a french press and concentrated coffee as they’re much more convenient for me, but I could really tell the difference between those and a cup made from the espresso shots I get from Diletta Bello. The shots also come out piping hot so I make sure to pour every single one into a bigger cup as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the shot glass tends to get too hot to handle bare-handed.

The steam wand does take practice and patience to use. It doesn’t function like a stand alone frother, which typically just whips the milk. There is a trick to it – I’d explain it here but you’re better off watching YouTube video tutorials – and you definitely have to practice to get it right. Also, different types of milk froth differently. I prefer oat milk, which tends to froth thinner, so I had to practice a lot and try different techniques for days to get this part down to a science. 

The thing I had trouble really getting used to here is the fact it takes several turns to get the steam knob fully open and the wand itself can get pretty loud, which can be intimidating. Also you have to be quick enough to close the knob so that the foam doesn’t spill over, but not too quick that you're stunting your foam. 

Once I got the hang of it, however, it felt like second nature. So, do not be discouraged if you haven’t used a steam wand before and are just not getting cafe-worthy foam out of your milk on your first few days. Just have lots of patience and maybe stock up on milk. Plus, it’s a fun challenge to do before you can progress over to making coffee foam art.

The Diletta Bello may be minimalist, but it does come with two extra yet very handy features – a hot water wand that dispenses hot water for your tea and other hot drinks, and a cup warmer on top so you can warm up your cup while you’re making a fresh brew. Both are useful and work incredibly well, as with everything else on the machine.

• Performance: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

If you would like an espresso machine but prefer a machine which is not a staff pick by the SCG team (as all the above), here a couple of options to consider.

How I tested the Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello

• Tested daily over a two-week period
• Used both single and double portafilters
• Experimented with steam wand and tested hot water wand

The great thing about testing espresso makers is that we get to enjoy premium espresso shots and coffee drinks every single day without needing to spend money. And, so I did, using the Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello first thing every morning and topping my energy off in the early afternoon. I did that every day for a little over two weeks. It must have been the most delicious testing process I've ever done.

Testing the steam wand was even more fun. As I'm used to frothers, which are much easier to use, mastering milk foam took a few days and lots of practice. I used both oat and 2% fat milk as well.

Naturally, I also tested the hot water wand and the cup warmer as well as noting how long it took for the machine warm up, brew a shot, and finish its water reservoir tank.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed February 2023

The Bissell SpinWave R5 does a lot of things well. It vacuums up debris and mops hard floors exactly as one would hope. It offers plenty of control through its app including disengaging the mop functionality for certain zones and setting schedules for regular cleanings. And, it has plenty of battery life to get the job done.

So, if you’re in the market for one of the best robot vacuums, you could certainly do worse. As Bissell is a known name in the game having been around since the 1880s, the company knows a thing or two about cleaning. And, the SpinWave R5 is proof that that the company knows what it’s doing.

That said, it has some quirks that keep it from besting the competition. Of course, some of the best two-in-one models go for twice the price as the R5 so it deserves a little slack. It won’t have self-emptying functionality, for instance.

Also, like most robot vacuums, it’s good enough to keep the daily build-up of dirt and debris at bay but is not quite at the level to replace regular deep cleaning. It can certainly handle most surfaces but struggles with thicker rugs, door frames, and other obstacles making this tough for scheduled cleanings when you’re not home. For that, you’ll also want one of the best vacuum cleaners on hand. 

Yet, if you have a lot of space that needs to be cleaned, especially with pets around, and want to keep from having to break out the handheld vacuum every other day, the Bissell SpinWave R5 will do a great job. 

Bissell SpinWave R5 review price & availability

•  List price: $549.99 / about £455.19 /AU$799 
•  Available in the US and Australia 
•  Not available in the UK 

First, those in the UK won’t be able to purchase the Bissell SpinWave R5 without an enterprising family member of a vast smuggling operation in either the US or Australia (or are willing to pay high shipping costs).  Actually, that's not quite true. If you're keen on getting your hands on the Bissell SpinWave R5 and you're in the UK, you don't actually have to set up a smuggling operation. You can get your hands on it through third party resellers on Amazon, though at an inflated price of £636.39.

For the rest of us, the Bissell SpinWave R5 offers decent value for its 2-in-1 functionality with a standard price tag of $549.99 / about £455.19 /AU$799. Not only is it available on the Bissell site but is carried at most major resellers such as Amazon and Best Buy in the US, and Appliances Online in Australia. Since it goes for the same price everywhere, you can pick your favorite retailer and not have to worry about price matching.

It’s far from the most expensive as you can find plenty that will cost double, such as the highly rated iRobot Roomba Combo J7 Plus. And, if you go much lower in price range, like the Eufy RoboVac 11S which goes for $219.99 / £189.99 / AU$229, you miss out on that mop functionality as well as app control. A better comparison might be the Eufy RoboVac G30 Hybrid, which at $369.99 / £369.99 is almost $200 / £100 cheaper. Of course, its app can’t save the layout of your home like the Bissell, an important feature if you want to schedule cleaning a certain part of your home when you’re not around. 

• Price: 4/5

The specs of our Bissell SpinWave R5 review unit

•  Recommended uses: Dry, Wet 
•  Battery life: 110 minutes (wet), 180 minutes (dry) 
•  Battery type: Rechargeable 
•  Accessories: Dry dustbin, dry/wet dustbin, sample size cleaning solution 
•  Weight: 6.83lbs (3.10kg) 

Bissell SpinWave R5 review design

•  Clean, minimalist look 
•  Comes with two dustbins, one of which is for mopping 
•  Charging station is small 

The Bissell SpinWave R5 doesn’t break any trends aesthetically, though it does come in white with mint green accents as opposed to the usual black that most robot vacuums come with. It has a bumper that covers its front half to safely navigate with, as well as a protrusion on top that I can only assume is for its 360-degree LiDAR system. Besides a power switch on the side, the vacuum itself only has two buttons situated on top of the unit, one to start or pause cleaning and one to dock.

Like most robot vacuums, the R5 has a side brush and brush roll to vacuum up debris. The mop function is not equipped on the body, instead attached to one of the two dustbins it comes with. The bin with the mopping functionality has two mop pads attached as well as a reservoir to pour in the water / cleaning solution mixture while the other skips all that when you just want to do basic vacuuming.

The charging station is composed of two pieces: a base for the R5 to sit on when not in use and the charging bay itself. There’s a little cable management here as you can orient the direction of the power cable that plugs in underneath for a cleaner look. Since there’s no self-emptying functionality built-in, the charging station is relatively small. If it weren’t for the base, this part of the R5’s setup would be fairly discreet.

• Design: 4.5/5

Bissell SpinWave R5 review performance

•  Not as set-and-forget as one might assume 
•  Vacuums and mops very well 
• Surprisingly quiet operation

As a robot vacuum, the Bissell SpinWave R5 is not going to get all the corners or do the kind of on-the-fly judgment on what to clean or go around that a person with a vacuum can. It will get stuck on thick rugs or bundles of cables as well as things with thin parts like a cat toy. And, that all makes running the vacuum on a schedule tough if you have pets that tend to bring out and leave their toys around or if you use said thick carpet in your bathroom. This means that there’s a certain amount of prep required to get the most out of this robot vacuum. I found the R5 stuck on both the rug as well as cables more than once. It even got stuck on the raised door frame for my apartment’s sliding door.

While that’s a bit disappointing as that could result in you coming home to a stuck vacuum and a partially dirty floor, that’s one of those things that robot vacuum manufacturers presume to have solved but haven’t really. That said, it does a great job cleaning otherwise. Obviously, larger debris won’t be picked up but it does a great job of picking up dust, tracked kitty litter and those finer particles that pet owners tend to battle to keep their spaces clean. 

It also picks up hair pretty well. Not only is there a cat roaming around but I have a roommate with long hair. Yet, after running the SpinWave R5, the floors are pristine though some hair does inevitably get stuck around the brush roll (though this hasn't affected performance).

The mop function is particularly well-implemented as it not only vacuums in the front and mops in the back (that way, loose debris is picked up before the mopping begins) but the water / cleaning solution mixture used dries quickly, not to mention can be used on multiple surfaces and is safe around pets.

And, while the vacuum does struggle with thicker rugs, it can handle more typical carpet and rug surfaces. It will also stop its mop function as it traverses such surfaces and then continue once it’s back on a hard surface.

A quick note regarding spot cleaning. Spot cleaning is one of the most important functions since sometimes you just want to clean up a mess and not the whole house. There’s no way to access spot cleaning on the app and it’s not clear how to use spot cleaning when looking at the R5. However, a quick look in the manual will show that you just have to press the play button on the vacuum twice to use.

No matter how you run the Bissell SpinWave R5, it is surprisingly quiet as it maxes out at just 60dB when in use. While certainly not silent, it's not distracting in the same way as a typical vacuum and is much quieter than other robot vacuums I've used, particularly budget and mid-priced Roomba models.

• Performance: 4/5

Bissell SpinWave R5 review app

•  Pairing the app and vacuum may take more than one attempt 
•  Creating zones takes a little extra effort 
•  Has lots of functionality like scheduling and seeing required maintenance 

The SpinWave R5’s app, Bissell Connect, comes with a bit of a learning curve but does unlock quite a bit of functionality. Installing and pairing with the vacuum is straightforward as you can scan a QR code underneath the unit. I did have to go scan and go through the process a few times for the app to recognize and connect with the vacuum.

Once connected, using the app is fairly intuitive as there are tabs for different functions along the top of the app. The landing page and first tab is where most of the action is. You’ll see your space mapped out, even on opening the app for the first time as well as  battery life, the mode it’s in, among other things. At the bottom are a number of buttons to control it such as starting it, docking it, and targeting specific zones. 

The learning curve for the app revolves around those targeted zones. When you press the button to select zones, a new page appears with a map of your space where you can create zones. Unfortunately, you’re limited to drawing and rotating boxes so it can take a little finessing to set up zones, especially if you have an unorthodox floor plan. Luckily, once you’ve drawn your zones, you can determine whether they get vacuumed, vacuumed and mopped or are off limits.

While I won’t spend much time on the other tabs as they’re straight forward and much easier to navigate, the app includes a tab for scheduling cleanings, one to see your cleaning history, as well as a maintenance tab that shows the various parts of the vacuum and their level of functionality. For instance, my side brush is currently at 90%. If it gets too low, there’s a link right below the percentage that will take me to the Bissell page where I can order a replacement part.

• App: 4.5/5

Bissell SpinWave R5 battery life

•  More than enough battery life 
•  Surprisingly efficient on higher cleaning modes 
•  Automatically returns to charging base 

As far as battery life goes, the Bissell SpinWave R5 has a purported 110 minutes of vacuuming and mopping time or 180 minutes of just vacuuming time (when on the low setting). While I have tested this vacuum quite a bit, it has managed to vacuum and mop the 800 square feet available to it and return to its docking station long before its max run-time. 

Even after 45 minutes of vacuuming and mopping, its charge went down maybe 30%. Even running it on its medium setting didn’t do much to drain the battery life faster. In essence, not only does the SpinWave R5 validate Bissell’s battery life claims, it can exceed them if just a little bit. When running it on low for half an hour, its battery loses barely any charge. On top of that, this robot vacuum will return to the charging base on its own when finished so you won’t have to worry about charging it back up between use.

• Battery: 5/5

Should you buy the Bissell SpinWave R5?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Bissell SpinWave R5 review: also consider

If you know you want a hybrid robot vacuum but aren't convinced that the Bissell is for you, here are a couple more top options to consider.

How I tested the Bissell SpinWave R5

• Used both dry and wet modes regularly
• Tested all features of the app including setting different cleaning zones

To test the Bissell SpinWave R5, I not only used it for general cleanings in both dry and wet modes but I used it manually as well as via the app over a two week period to get a good sense of what it’s capable of. I watched it work its magic and sometimes lack thereof on different surfaces and obstacles including hardwood floors, rugs of various thickness, and door frames as well as cat toys and cables. When testing with the app, I made sure to use it for general cleaning as well as using it for only certain areas as well as making certain areas off limits.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed February 2023