I bought my Barista Express in January 2019 – it is the BES875 variant, which supersedes the BES870. It came with the Sage / Claro Swiss water filter (BES008), which I understand was introduced some time in 2018.
Prior to the introducion of the new filter, the machine was designed to use a smaller charcoal filter (BWF100). Sage’s website states that the charcoal filters are compatible with Barista Express machines from batch 1734 and earlier.
I understand that Sage also adopted the new filter in a number of its other espresso machines at around the same time – the Oracle, Dual Boiler and Duo Temp Pro machines. Sage’s newer line-up of machines also use the new filter – the Oracle Touch, Bambino Plus, Barista Pro and Barista Touch machines.
The most obvious difference for the user between the two filters is the price – the old charcoal filters are (sporadically) available via the Sage UK website priced at £13.95 for 6 filters, meanwhile the new Sage / Claro Swiss filter costs £13.95 for one unit. However, it is possible to get hold of knock-off versions of the filter through eBay and Amazon, currently for around £14 for two, or £45 for six. I don’t know why Sage could not have partnered with a better-known company such as Brita, whose water filter cartridges are cheaper and more readily available in the UK.
It is advised in the instructions that one Sage / Claro Swiss filter will be good for around 3 months or 40l of water, depending on water hardness in your area. It is also advised that failure to replace the filter will result in the user being unable to claim under warranty (apparently irrespective of whether you use pre-filtered water). This is in comparison to the old charcoal filters, which the manual for older versions of the Barista Express advises should be changed every 2 months, and more frequently in hard water areas.
The need to buy filters was a bit of an unexpected outlay for me, and I am also uncomfortable with being forced to buy so much disposable plastic – essentially big lumps of landfill (but isn’t so much of what we buy?). If you live in a softwater area (as I do), and descale regularly (as I do), this new filter seems like an unnecessary expenditure and waste of materials.
Happily (and unbeknown to me until I opened the box), my machine came with a one year supply of filters upon registration. These have been sent out in the post every 3 months, free of charge.
I would like to see Sage do a more thoughtful and eco-conscious job when designing consumables into their machines.
As to cost – it is perhaps worth noting here that home espresso is not a cheap hobby, and it is essential that one takes good care of their equipment in order to prolong its life and extend one’s enjoyment. I will write a dedicated post about maintaining the Barista Express in due course, and recommend some cleaning products.
My adventures with the Sage/Breville Barista Express espresso machine 
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