You Won't Believe What's in the Ninja Luxe Cafe - Teardown Video!

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Check availability and pricing at Ninja direct, as these are often OOS: ninjakitchen.pxf.io/LuxeCafe (Ninja affiliate link)

[@aramse]

Hey Tom, love your tear down videos. I need to figure out how to get my hands on the this machine. Oh and massive congrats on 100K! Well deserved.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Thank you so much on both accounts, I really appreciate it! 🙂

[@FaithAndCoffeeBean]

Tom is the coffee Doc Brown! I love that you have an engineer brain. 😎☕️👍🏽 one day your going to find the espresso flux capacitor 👍🏽

[@jhosoi808]

😂😂😂

[@lechatbotte.]

Lol back to the future

[@CechMtl-gm9yq]

Thanks for taking the time and making the video. It's a good eye opener and confirms to me that a good warranty and return policy is recommended. I'd probably only consider this machine if Costco decides to sell it.

[@George-nx8zu]

I'm with you. The 1 year limited warranty doesn't make me confident as a consumer that Ninja would stand behind this product

[@PaulCharlton-o8v]

If you purchase from Nina direct you get an extended 2 year guarantee automatically if from another seller you get a 2 year guarantee If you register with Ninja within 28 days ​@@George-nx8zu

[@Kiaulen]

What a pita to tear down. Thanks for all the hard work on this, Tom. And I thought my MiiCoffee Apex was hard to get into. That said, at the price of this machine, I can forgive it not being super repairable by the lay person. Ninja did a good job making essentially a half price Breville barista touch impress.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

I can agree with you there! 👍🏻

[@jankoodziej877]

The irritating thing is that it's clear they did at least some of that on purpose. The weird torx screws, the 2 screws accessed from the bottom with a super long screwdriver, there's no other reason for that than to just make it harder to disassemble.

[@1101naomi]

Bold move taking it apart! And I certainly appreciate it.

[@chryseass.5143]

Tom, your wife is still waiting for you to fix up that shelf to the wall, ha,ha ! Seriously, I always enjoy your tear-down videos and am super impressed with this one! Happy Labour Day!

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Hope you had a nice Labor Day, too! Which shelf?

[@DDPAV]

Engineering is amazing and under appreciated by the masses.....

[@philindeblanc]

Makes me appreciate all (mostly) the copper piping in the Italian machines vs all the silicon and such.

[@felixoghina553]

Italian machines often use silicone for cold water paths as well. For hot / pressurized water, I'm sure the braided lines are well rated to handle the temps/pressures that this machine produces. This actually looks pretty well made to me (not an expert by any means).

[@jensmertes9864]

Lelit is doing the same. In general I would say that from an engineering perspective it's ok. But I do not like plastics (especially in combination with higher temperatures) involved with my food or beverage preparation. But hell yeah, it's hard to avoid for good.

[@philindeblanc]

@@felixoghina553 The braided lines are for pressure, because they are not copper. Any plastic, even BPA claim, which is 1 out of so many other issues, #1 off-gasing....with introduction to heat is a problem in my book. No reason why better less harmful material cant be used.

[@Conservator.]

@@philindeblancI agree. The reason to use plastics instead metal is costs of course. Metal pipes are more expensive in terms of materials, manufacturing and assembly (I assume).

[@Basjuh1984]

⁠@@Conservator.and repair. It is just more convenient for basically anything.

[@JoshuaWilsonpossible]

Tom-- you're killing me! What's behind the door at 5:42? it was the first thing i noticed on the back of the machine when it came yesterday

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Do you mean the plastic box that enhouses the PCB?

[@JoshuaWilsonpossible]

@TomsCoffeeCorner I'm assuming so. I thought it was odd that they had a torx screw with a small door on the back... Did it have a USB plug? I'm wondering if it's possible to flash update these if needed from home

[@Lorec03]

Great video, Tom! Thank you so much for this tear-down it was incredibly informative and entertaining! Im absolute sucker for those tech deep dives! Ninja for sure has a lot going on under the hood! Wish they'd be a little more self repair friendly. Now at least people can refer to your video, if they need. Cheers!

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Yes, it's quite impressive what they've packed in here, in their first espresso design.

[@Good.News777]

Thank you Tom for revealing in side!

[@mindaugasrimselis9378]

Tom maybe you can teardown of sage barista express impress?❤

[@masonheller2842]

Great videos Tom, very helpful on picking out the right machine for me. Are the braided lines (hot service) stainless steel tubing?

[@philindeblanc]

Would love to see a tear down on the new Meraki! Firm supporter of Right To Fix, and such videos are GREAT!

[@joefenech6839]

You are a boss sir… I wish someone would open a Lux up and do a good investigation. Thank you very much.

[@DoreK]

Jiayin elements are found in many espresso machines, including the HiBrew H7A. They have valves, pumps, etc. In the H7A, their pump is used for steam :P

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Thanks for that info, I didn't know that. Cheers!

[@robotortoise]

Very cool! Thanks for taking it apart for us!

[@theWALLofWOLFSTREET]

have you tried unscrew the shower screen ? how is the shower holder? in barista express there is a plastic piece there that it gets peeled over time

[@gailoakley4010]

Thank you Tom for making this video!

[@ben3561]

I really like these types of your videos, intention and presentation 11/10. Do you have any information on availability outside of NA? E.g. Europe? Thanks

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Thanks for your feedback! I think it'll be a couple 2-3 months yet, before it's deliverable in the EU.

[@SeleneMunoz]

Thank you for this video! My machine is leaking water through the front of you slightly incline it. Mmmm I wonder if a tube got disconnected? It’s brand new, used 3x so far.

[@jhosoi808]

I buy everything through Best Buy - I can return for full refund or replacement for 2 years- can’t go wrong I just bought this machine a few days ago

[@DanielB-j3o]

I'm wondering about the brewhead... Is it made of heat resistant plastic? Is there any way to ajust the pump pressure, and read the pressure somewhere on the front display?

[@proveau7]

Thanks for your great video. The actual group head bottom area where the Porta filter connects looks pretty cheap on this machine compared to the Breville Bambino plus etc. Is it metal, it looks like plastic in the video when you have it turned sideways to put the screws back in the bottom?

[@abnerg7247]

The shower screen screw for my machine was either missing or fell off. Any idea what size screw goes in there to try and replace??

[@sullydog101]

Wow that is a tricky tear down

[@homecafecharlie]

This is awesome!

[@ianpollard6642]

Up date Tom. Looks like we will be getting this soon in the U.K. Ours is coming with an extra button for just hot water. 👍

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Sounds awesome! Where are you buying it from?

[@ianpollard6642]

@@TomsCoffeeCorner Ninja are offering 10% off on their site when its in but ours is $722 (£549.99)

[@ianpollard6642]

@@TomsCoffeeCorner Ninja have a 10% off on their site but over here its $722.20 (£549.99). If you buy direct you get a 2 yr warranty but i will see if there are offers.

[@Usernameunknown-w1i]

Can I ask where you have seen the extra button for hot water? I can only see pre order at currys and can't see mention of a hot water button but would prefer this option.

[@ianpollard6642]

It’s in between the grinder buttons and the centre control knob. If you look on the U.K Ninja site it’s there but saying out of stock. Sign up to get emails and you’ll know when it’s available

[@AlexAnteMachina]

There was a time when machines had printed circuit diagrams inside, held by extra clamps. So everyone opening it had a fair chance to repair it.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Oh man, that would be cool!

[@AlexAnteMachina]

@@TomsCoffeeCorner buy an old radio or television from the 1950-1970/1980 and you have a good chance finding its printed circuit diagram inside its case.

[@Conservator.]

Yes, I remember those!

[@jeffandersen6233]

That was alot of work. My wrists were getting sore just watching. If anything goes wrong and its under warranty my first thought is to send it back. Thanks for all rhe effort.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

You betcha!

[@forsy80]

Does it keep warm in a holder when it connected to a group?

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Yes, it does! But only after your first pull. So you have to start an extraction before the thermoblock warms up.

[@damayanticedenovergara9208]

Hi Tom, excellent descriptive video. I don’t think there is a lithium battery or any other kind of battery inside of machine? Please correct me if am wrong and thanks for your input.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

@@damayanticedenovergara9208 I didn’t see any battery, no. There is no clock, so I wouldn’t expect one.

[@damayanticedenovergara9208]

@ thanks 🙏 Tom

[@cesiliaduarte1781]

Hi, did you see a lot of plastic components where the hot water runs through? Which machine of this category uses the least amount of plastic?

[@schmiddy8433]

That grinder looks like a definite point of failure with those plastic gears. Fortunately they look like they could be 3d printed if they wear down or break over time. Many of the heating parts seem to be off the shelf which is nice.

[@Phantoma3]

I'd want one without the grinder, less things to go wrong and I already have a Eureka grinder. A spare espresso machine with a high clearance under the portafilter would be useful.

[@mrstinky-7]

Do you know what those braided tubes are made of? Wasn't sure if it was braided stainless steel wrapped in a braided insulation? Would love to avoid hot water going through any plastic or silicone for leaching purposes.

[@jamesabke5851]

Great video(s) on the Ninja, seriously... the best I've ever seen. How much time or how much contact does the heated water travel through either plastic or non-stainless materials? In your opinion, is it worth worrying about? Do you know of any espresso machines that don't run through plastic at some point point in the water path?

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

I don't worry about the silicon or nylon lines myself. But if you want a totally plastic free machine, try a La Pavoni, Cafelat Robot, or something like that. Cheers!

[@MySierraNevadaLife]

Excellent video! Just what I was looking for. Is the pressure adjustable? Can you adjust it from the menu, or do you need to access the OPV? Thank you!

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

It's not adjustable, no. I wouldn't fiddle with the OPV myself, since the machine seems to have a way to regulate the pressure otherwise. Cheers!

[@amertahir]

Aren't you able to rotate and adjust the OPV? I'll double check with mine when it finally arrives :)

[@nikunj2707]

Tom recently I came across a youtube video as to how the coffee machines have small amounts of dissolved plastic in them everytime they make coffee. i have then decided to buy a better machine with as less plastic as possible without breaking the bank. Is ninja luxe one of those machines ?

[@matthewhorwat7540]

Love the watch 😆 which model is it? How many days between charges do you get? I've got #2 version, around 30+ days typically....

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

@@matthewhorwat7540 Thanks! It’s an Instinct 1. It lasts me about three weeks on a charge, but I don’t use any GPS function.

[@SuperAllpeople]

Hello Tom, Miicoffee Apex is now availabe at Amazon in Germany. Can you make again a Video about this Espresso machine?

[@MountainCub]

What are your thoughts on the build quality / quality of internal materials compared to other machines?

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

I'd say it's similar to Delonghi or Breville. Wish they used connections with clips though instead of those one time use clamps. But again, I think it'd be better to send this in for repair, than to try on your own. They'll have all the specialized tools needed.

[@thecoffeespezi]

immer gut wenn man nach dem Zusammenbau keine Schraube übrig hat😅

[@Tass...]

Pretty much what i would expect inside an appliance grade machine except the thermablock itself looks better quality than I thought it would be. It certainly looks much better quality than the cheap thermacoils Breville/Sage use.

[@hotwings6918]

Im tired of thermo blocks having a bad reputation because of the cheap ones that breville/sage use. High end ones have very very stable temperature, on par with high end boilers and also to the degree temperature control. Its a shame the only brands that make high end thermo blocks for espresso machines are ascaso/decent.

[@Tass...]

@@hotwings6918 I have made the same argument myself many times myself also. Good quality thermablocks are very temperature stable and much more temperature accurate than boilers. The things Breville use aren't even thermablocks and is why I called them thermacoils in my previous comment. They are just a little cheap flat disc where the water travels through the coil. From the appearance of the thermablock in this Ninja machine tho it looks like a proper thermablock of decent quality.

[@Rick9482]

That was a nice teardown but I doubt any replacement parts are available on a $500 machine. Most likely failure point is the grinder....plastic gears and all. I would not pour beans from the bag directly in the grinder hopper but use a separate container so that you can check for rocks and debris......then fill the hopper. Preventative maintenance is the first rule for a machine such as this and using bottled water is a must so no scale issues occur. So, check for rocks and debris in the beans and use bottled water. You should be good for a couple of years.

[@stanleyderochea6505]

Great video. I wish there was more info on the grinder. I love my ninja lux. I was under the impression that darker roast requires a more coarse grind than med or lighter roast. If that's true, then I won't be able to use anything but dark roast on my ninja lux My current grind setting is at 1. I cant go any finer. Can anyone please tell me what setting their machine is for dark roast? Can the age of the bean make that much of a difference in ground sizes. I really don't want to have to purchase a standalone grinder

[@thebigdan88]

That should not be happening. You should contact their customer service

[@MrSteamDragon]

Is that a Breville/Sage burr setup on that thing ? ...look remarkably similar if it isn't...

[@amertahir]

pretty much the same thing, atleast the 5-lobe burrs. I plan to try and replace mine with Baratza Encore ESP ones. I was able to do that on Breville Oracle older model so this should be doable.

[@svenjabesch2266]

I saw that Ninja sells the bean hopper separately. Can I just get a second bean hopper to have one for crema beans for the drip coffee and one for espresso beans? Or is it not possible to keep them in there out of the machine?

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Sure you could do that, but keep in mind that you'll have to purge about 5-10 grams of beans that still sit in the burrs, and between the burrs and hopper.

[@svenjabesch2266]

@@TomsCoffeeCorner I gotcha👍🏼😊Thanks for the information!

[@svenjabesch2266]

@@TomsCoffeeCorner Believe it or not but Ninja upgraded the Ninja Luxe Café machine for the German market and added a hot water and americano function and even added a single espresso basket😅

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

@@svenjabesch2266 Oh, snap! Is it available in Germany??

[@svenjabesch2266]

They will be releasing it next month!

[@louiskealiisantos602]

Cool, can a water supply line be plumbed in ?

[@Conservator.]

Obviously not.

[@Thetache]

This is the modern world where versatility, speed and convenience are the main driving factors in "appliances" they won't last very long and are designed with a "built in obsolesence" factor, the manufacturers bring out new and "better" versions so the consumer is happy to junk the old one and get the new one, I would wager that very few of these machines will last 5 years.

[@Star5dg]

what machine do you actually use?

Hey Tom, consider buying an electric screwdriver from Xiaomi, it is great for such type of work. I often work on different appliances and electric screwdriver saves huge amount of time. Regarding the machine, are the components generic or something hard to find?

[@pvvelll]

I’m totally fine to replace this unit in a couple years when it might become faulty. My family of two uses the machine up to 6 times a day. It’s more than 2,000 cups of coffee a year. It’s lots of coffee to justify the $500 investment.

[@Conservator.]

You could also buy a good used higher quality set for about $£€500 and that will last much longer.

[@MW9X12]

update us in 2 years, I really doubt this will last 2 years with that kind of volume.

[@jankoodziej877]

​​@@Conservator.Yeah, maybe or maybe not. I got a refurbished Lelit for around that price and it broke after a month. I don't think you can get anything of a much better quality for that price, even used. And if you buy used, you never know how it was used.

[@jankoodziej877]

​@@MW9X122 years is the standard guarantee, so if it doesn't last that much, they'll have to replace or fix it for free anyway. But I don't think 6 cups of espresso a day is that much.

[@Conservator.]

@@jankoodziej877 I agree that buying a used machine does include more risks than buying new. I usually know by the way the seller behaves whether he/she is trustworthy or not. Most, if not all, ‘real’ espresso machines however can be repaired at reasonable costs and not too much effort, even after 5 years.

[@pcrate20]

I have an interesting question, where of this machine was made or ensemble it?

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

China.

[@markianross]

My Rocket Espresso is 13 years old and I've done numerous repairs to it myself (replaced heating element, steam valve, pressure stat, rebuilt the group head etc) with readily available standard parts. I can't see this thing lasting more than five years and would not be confident in repairing it myself.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

The Rockets are easier to get inside, but also not super intuitive. I had a Giotto that was leaking out of the steam path. That was really difficult to get to seal, and I had to employ help from a mechanic buddy of mine to find the right kind of compressible washers. But yes, the Ninja is not really made to me serviced one's self, I don't think.

[@MrTinou53]

Merci pour cette video très instructive , le sous titrage en Français m'a manqué , y a t'il le mode d'emploi en Français ? SVP

[@MrTinou53]

Enfin !!! Merci Merci pour le sous titrage en Français très utile dans le cas d'un démontage , je voulais aussi vous féliciterez pour cette vidéo que l'on ne voit nul part ailleurs . J'attends la disponibilité en France 🇫🇷 de cette magnifique machine à Expresso Ninja Luxe Café ☕ Compétitive . Cordialement .

[@Conservator.]

Le sous tritrage est ajouté par KZbin dans quelques heures/jours. 😉 J’espère que c’est correcte, je suis hollandais.

[@SeaCandyMediaSA]

Hi, Been watching all your videos to see which to buy. I got around 500 usd to buy a machine. Would like to have a grinder. Any suggestions?

[@Conservator.]

I highly recommend to buy high quality used machines/grinders. They’ll make better coffees and will last much longer. My first set was €450.

[@Markymark1408]

So how would this compare to the Meraki in terms of replicating the coffee from your local indie?

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Well, the Meraki has a similar grinder (small conical), but you can set the temperature to the degree you want. So it has an advantage that way. It's also a boiler machine compared to the thermoblock of the Ninja, so I find the taste is different between the two heating methods. Finally, the Meraki is a dual boiler, keeping both the brew temp and steam temp stable. So I think it will fair better. But for most users, I think the Ninja is the better choice based on price and availability.

[@Forevernight64]

Can you mod this thing?

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

I don't think so, no. Too difficult to get open.

[@BIGGELATO]

Those plastic gears on the grinder will definitely break eventually. Idk why they don't make them in metal, at least cast aluminum. Would cost them nothing. This whole build costs the brand under 100, maybe 120. In the market, it's definitely worth $500 for the mid-spec.

[@petercedilnik3254]

Tom - the manufacturer's nightmare 😄

[@m9000r]

looks like its built to last the warranty and that’s about it where did we start to build stuff like this? so disposable and badly put together. great tear down tho 😊

[@Basjuh1984]

Since consumers don’t want to pay anything else except the least amount and corporations want to maximize profits. Couple this with an ever increasing amount of regulations (material safety, electronic safety, data safety, sourcing, repairability, sustainability) and increased complexity (IOT, touchscreens, sensors, software) and it becomes very difficult to remain competitive on part quality / materials. I work at a R&D facility for consumer goods (also coffee machines) and price (and marketing) has replaced quality and engineering as the dominant factor / differentiator. Anything metal is typically considered too expensive. Production series are typically too small to fully automate production, so there is no need to streamline the product any further wrt assembly / manufacturing (human labor is still very cheap).

[@gragall78]

This is why I love DeLonghi, they are made to be taken apart easily and every part is easy to change. You could have a DeLonghi for life 😅

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

Yes, the La Specialista line is quite a bit easier to take apart, that's true. The Dedica on the other hand is quite finicky to get apart too, though. Cheers!

[@jeet-Seattle]

What do think about that machine Tom? I'm thinking about buying that one. I'm beginner in esspresso world and have cheap Deloghi Stilosa. Thanks

[@Lalala-t9f]

Watch his review and also that of "Just a Dad" KZbin channel

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

I like this machine a lot, to be totally honest. Its Barista Assist works great, it's a versatile machine, and it can be used in advanced mode. Included grind by weight dosing is awesome.

[@jeet-Seattle]

@@Lalala-t9f thank you

[@jeet-Seattle]

@TomsCoffeeCorner really really appreciate your input Mr Tom.. thank you

[@ThePupil]

So if I see it correctly, the cup warmer has steel on top but then a layer of plastic underneath? God why?

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

It might be for electrical insulation and/or structural stability. Lots of machines have a thin stainless sheet on the outside, but plastic inside.

[@larrylitmanen9877]

Any plans on doing Phillips Baristina review?

[@kenroman777]

Likely is not the word..WILL void

[@ianpollard6642]

Hi Tom Without a pressure gauge on the front like most machines, Ninja says it works at 9bar on their web site. Is that a good pressure as I'm a novice at this but love my coffee but being in the UK Ninja don`t even know if they are releasing it here, that`s a shame as watching all the video's i really want one. hopefully they will as we have most of their grills and air fryers here and converting to 230v shouldn't be a problem.

[@Ariel.Estole]

As it probably makes pressurized espressos, 9bar or 15bar wouldn't have great differences. That's because 9bar os preferred in the manual coffee machines because it uses depressurized baskets, with higher pressures it tends to have canalization issues (the high pressure will break the puck or find a weak spot)

[@DutchBigTwinLover]

@@Ariel.Estoleit’s non pressurized.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

They should be releasing it in the UK soon enough. 9 bar is generally what you want for espresso. Cheers!

[@MySierraNevadaLife]

@@TomsCoffeeCorner You mentioned the pressure its adjustable, is there a way to do it from the menu or do you need to open it up and access the OPV?

[@gosman949]

Thanks so much for being a Guinea pig as we say here in Texas and tearing this down. If anyone else does this, I'm sure the warranty would be forfeited.

[@fredlacroix6865]

the space below the QR code is a wasted space without purpose

[@airstripone2419]

Looks incredibly cheaply built. Any advice on a buy it for life machine? This doesn't look like it.

[@adamgrimsley2900]

I still don't believe it

[@dkastra26]

Ninja is the Most crap Brand i owned xD Sorry for my english but in my Language i can Tell you Storys about that bad devices… airfryer, ice machine, ovens etc.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

What went wrong?

[@dkastra26]

@@TomsCoffeeCorner It is the cheapest plastic. Poor quality for the result of an airfryer. Uneven. Philips and cosori are miles ahead. Exactly the same with the other appliances. Simply cheap junk. Ninja simply has good marketing and advertising and everyone falls for it. The only bad thing is that nobody notices when they have the junk at home.

[@TomsCoffeeCorner]

@@dkastra26 Maybe you got a couple of lemons. The molded ABS plastic on this machine feels pretty high-quality to me. I also have a ninja coffee maker, which works well. But, each person makes his own experience. Cheers!

[@lgee4465]

The internal wiring is the work of a non engineering mind. Sloppy looks like a diy'er made it. No thanks.

[@sggr7708]

so to say it clearly a piece of rubbish