Jura’s maintenance costs puzzle
I have been looking at new coffee machines, and besides the initial cost, I am interested in ongoing costs. One that I am looking at is the Jura Z10 and was amazed by the amount of maintenance cost just around the milk system! I started wondering if this is a money-grabbing scheme or covering themselves against court cases or a bit of both. 🤔
I mean, you need to clean it daily with proprietary (expensive) tablets, and you need to replace the (silicone) milk pipe and milk spout every three months! Really?!?!? Hygiene (bacteria) and preventing blockages is cited around the internet, so I started wondering if there is evidence for this. First, I looked at other coffee machines, specifically ones that have a similar milk system, like the KitchenAid KF8, and I discovered that KF8 only needs to be rinsed with water daily, once a week with soapy water, and no need to replace parts.
Now my logic goes... Considering the KF8 milk system is similar in a way that the frothing parts are left at room temperature and the milk container goes in the refrigerator, one would think that the risk of bacteria development would be the same, right? Any reports of people getting sick by using KF8? Then the requirements to replace the pipe and the spout every three months. Again, anyone gotten sick by using KF8 for not replacing those parts? Considering Jura wants you to do daily cleaning with chemicals, why would those parts be in risk of clogging? If they are degrading, then are they admitting that they are using inferior materials? Now add to all this the fact that DeLonghi milk carafe silicon tubes are in use for years, makes you wonder what the truth is...