Decent Espresso

BengleWand on the DE1: our hands-on experience

Our redesigned Bengle steam wand is now available as an upgrade for all our DE1 espresso machines, in 3-hole or 1-hole versions. It's also available as a customization option for new DE1 owners, at a lower price than the DIY upgrade.

  • The 3-hole version of the Bengle wand 20% to 30% steams faster than the default versions.
  • It has a non-stick tip: milk wipes clean off and doesn't heat up.
  • A redesigned-by-us ball joint is more maneuverable, sits flush to the machine, and doesn't heat up.
  • A redesigned "cool touch" system that now can't be damaged when removing the tip for cleaning.

    • How much faster are the new steam wands ? What does it feel like to use them? This is what we found out.

    Steam wand differences, by model:

    DE1PRO steam wand

    DE1PRO steam wand: an L-shaped steam wand with a protruding ball joint and 1-hole metal tip.

    DE1PRO steam wand

    DE1XL/DE1XXL steam wand: a curved steam wand with a protruding ball joint and a 3-hole metal tip.

    DE1PRO steam wand

    Bengle wand for DE1: a redesigned version of the Bengle steam wand to fit on the DE1. Curved with countersunk ball joint. 1 or 3-hole PPS tip available.

    What did we test?

    On the DE1PRO (220v and 110v versions) and DE1XXL, we compared the original steam wand and the new Bengle steam wand in terms of steaming speed and how much water they add at different flow rates. We steamed 200ml of water from 11 °C to 60 °C and measured the time and the weight increase during the steaming process. The 110V machine was tested on 120V power at 60Hz.

    Results

    Steaming speed (Bengle wand, 3 hole)

  • Bengle's steam wand (3-hole) steams around 9.7 seconds (25.9%) faster on average on the DE1PRO 220v, and 11.3 seconds (29.8%) faster for the 110v version.
  • On the DE1XXL 220v, it steams around 5 seconds (16.7%) faster on average compared with the default wand. However, you may notice that the result at 1.0ml/s flow rate was inconsistent with the trend, so we tested it again, and the result is 25 seconds and 23g of added water. If we use the new data instead, that means it averages to be 6.7s (22.2%) faster.

    • Water added during steaming (Bengle wand, 3 hole)

  • The Bengle wand (3 hole) on average adds 9.7g (30.5%) less on the DE1PRO 220v, and 8g (29.6%) less on 110v.
  • For DE1XXL 220v, same as the situation above, it adds 2g (7.2%) less water than the DE1PRO wand if we include the result from the first test, and 2.7g (9.6%) if we include the second test.

    • Steaming speed (Bengle wand, 1 hole)

  • Comparing with the default steam wand options, on average, the 1-hole Bengle steam wand steams around 1.7 seconds (4.5%) slower on the DE1PRO 220v, and 2 seconds (5.3%) slower for the 110v version. For DE1XXL 220v, it steams around 2.7 seconds (8.9%) slower on average.

    • Water added during steaming (Bengle wand, 1 hole)

  • The 1-hole Bengle wand, on average, adds 4.7g (14.7%) less on the DE1PRO 220v, and 0.3g (1.2%) less on 110v. For DE1XXL 220v, it adds 5.3g (19.3%) more water than the DE1PRO wand.

    • What does the extra water mean?

  • The more water added to your milk during steaming, the more diluted the beverage will become. So in general, you would not want your steam to be too wet.

    • What does steaming with these steam wands feel like?

    Using the 3-hole Bengle steam wand is a very smooth experience since it's very easy to maneuver and allows me to steam at the angle that I prefer. Although the steaming speed is much faster, it creates a gentle vortex, and therefore steaming 200g of milk in our 350ml pitcher is effortless despite having a high volume of liquid. As for foam quality, it's very easy to achieve microfoam to get a glossy and silky texture. The steaming speed is also significantly faster, which is a huge convenience. This is a video comparing the milk steaming performance on a DE1XXL machine using the Bengle 3-hole wand and the default wand. (I will add this when the video is ready)

    Steaming with the Bengle wand 1-hole version also creates glossy milk but the vortex is much stronger. Although it steams more slowly, this is the version that John prefers, since it can deal with milk that doesn't froth easily. If you're in need of a higher shearing power, the 1-hole tip would be a good option. It also heats the liquid much more slowly than the default version and is more flexible compared to the DE1PRO steam wand, making it easier for beginners to use.

    No-stick PPS steam tip?

    The Bengle steam wand tip is made of PPS, and here is a helpful information website about that material.

    We steamed milk to 80 °C and wiped it with a wet cloth after 20 minutes. Everything just came right off. But as a good practice, wipe your steam wand immediately afterwards for hygienic reasons.

    Data

    #bengle #steam




    debby created 2026/05/12.