I have narrowed my choice for an espresso machine to an Alex Duetto II along with a Baratza Vario grinder.
I've noticed great posts regarding Chris Coffee as far as service is concerned. The other vendor I'm considering is Seattle Coffee Gear. They offer a 2 year warranty on Alex and a $100 discount on the grinder. Chris Coffee only offers a 1 yr. warranty but a $150 discount for buying both. Any experiences dealing with Seattle Coffee Gear- good or bad- and is the extra yr. warranty worth the $50 sacrifice? Thanks

I have not bought from Seattle Coffee Gear, but I have bought numerous times from Chris Coffee and I can tell you they are really top notch shop.

In case where you might need some service on your gear it is good to have them backing you up. I have contacted them for support couple of times and they are really helpful. They'll help you diagnose problem, send replacement parts and detailed instructions for install etc. Definitely my preferred dealer and if you read forums here, I am not the only one that is very happy with their service.

Hope this helps...

My sister-in-law bought a machine and grinder from SCG and liked the transaction, but has not needed service in the 2 years since she bought from them so I don't know much about their service. Of note, I think SCG gets the Duetto from Chris, so in some sense you are buying the same machine and my impression is that they try not to compete too much against each other.

I have not bought from Seattle Coffee Gear, but I have bought numerous times from Chris Coffee and I can tell you they are really top notch shop.

Oh, wait -- someone already said that . . .

Seriously, I have never purchased anything from SCG. I'm not avoiding them; I just haven't needed to avail myself of their services. As such, I cannot say anything about them one way or the other . . .

On the other hand, I have repeatedly made purchases from Chris' Coffee Service, including espresso machines, grinders, and various parts and equipment. They have always been helpful, both before and after the sale, and I've never had any reason to complain or be anything less than completely satisfied with their advice both before and after the sale.

I have no connection with Chris', other than as a satisfied customer, and they remain one of my "go to" vendors.

Cheers,
Jason

I have watched the seattle coffee gear videos.
I have never bought anything from them.
If they are local to you and can offer local service to you for repairs that may be a winner.
I have only had very few problems with my equipment from chris coffee.

Usually they will send you the part and tell you how to replace it on the phone or
tell you how to fix the problem on the phone.
On my spaziale paper towel got jammed in the flow jet and they told me exactly where it was
thru trouble shooting and they where right great service.

It may depend if you are comfortable working on your machine with a tech on the phone or not.
Chris always gave me the option to send my machine back to them and they would fix it and send it back
but that is inconvenient.

Just giving you some ideas why you may decide either way.

Thanks for the advice. Looks like Chris Coffee is the way to go. I was just wondering if the extra yr. warranty from Seattle was important enough to consider. Cheers! Leland

Just a suggestion here. You could ask Chris to "price match" and give you the 2 year warranty for the extra $50. If it's important to you, it's worth asking.

joat

You can't go wrong with either one. I purchased a rocket from SCG and a super jolly from Chris, they both provide great service. I have met Chris in person and he spent an hour with me discussing another machine I am looking at. Great customer service. Good luck.

Chris is tops.

I have friends who considered buying a Vivaldi from SCG during the past year. Apparently, SCG gets the machines from Chris. My friends posed a number of questions to personnel at SCG, and many times the response was something to the effect of, "I'm not sure, I'll have to call Chris."

My friends concluded that they could just as easily call Chris themselves, and bought the machine from Chris.

ken

I'm seriously considering an Andreja and I am faced with the same dilemma. SCG also throws in a couple of nice "cupies" to boot (tamper, chem). I have no problems doing maintenance (with guidance) but the extra year of warranty is nice on a mechanical machine (ok that was a bit redundant!)

BTW... anyone have experience with HiTech espresso? I have contemplated PID'ing and he seems to offer a good deal.