Hi,
I just cannot make up my mind.
The A3 is tempting to me
The Junior is built to last forever (IMHO)

Any help from whoever been to such a confusion and found a way out?

Thanks!

Ran

doubt you can go wrong with either..

but I'd go for the Elektra..

PS.
I have a project with an OLD Elektra La Delisiosa,
and the frame of the machine is though as nail, the boiler is the thickest I've seen... and with good care I'm pretty sure the Elektra can also last forever..
http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc11 ... mview=grid

the A3 has a 58mm portafilter (more standard, if you care) and is much more attractive IMO. I think they're both extremely well-built, though the Junior is definitely the winner there. Home use? I'd still take the Elektra. I don't expect to be using it for 1000 shots a day or anything else that would tax it seriously enough that the Junior's superior build quality would come into play.

Beyond that, each of these machines has been reviewed well on this site. What further information are you looking to get?

I've been using a junior for 3 years and it's a wonderful machine. If I were to buy a new machine today I would not choose either of the 2 and would look into a double boiler machine. At this point in my espresso play I am more interested in the temperature programming capabilities of a PID'd machine than a tank which pulls a max of 10 shots per day and 15-20 a few times a year. If I were to start again I would budget 40% of my funds towards a grinder for the best possible combination.

I've been to a local dealer today and he opened up a Junior, showing me how neat it looks inside. The direct head-boiler coupling etc'. It really is convincing.
Dealer claimed that all these faema61-styled machines (inc' A3) are lacking this kind of neat, perfect coupling of head to boiler, a fact that leads to less-than-adequate temperature stability.

Looking at an inside view of a new A3 (Elektra site) we can see the simple brass tube that couples boiler to head. But, does it really mean anything?

On the other hand, HB Review of the A3 is much more "in favor" than the Junior review (both by Mr. Kehn). But Mr. Kehn is an Elektra aficionado if I can read between the lines

Both of these machines would be high on my list were I to be shopping for a new machine right now. I own a couple of Cimbali Juniors, one almost 15 years old (vibe pump driven pourover) and the other about 5 years old (current version D1 plumbed in rotary pump driven).

I'd love to have the chance to use an Elektra for a week and to compare it to what I have, but I've never had the chance. In fact, I've never even seen an A3 in the flesh.

I can't really comment on the Elektra other than saying that it has a bunch of enthusiastic owners. I think that Cimbali owners are less enthusiastic in public, which might have more to do with them being somewhat less interesting people more than anything else I don't know what to do with that piece of information so I'd probably ignore it . . . . .

As to the Junior, I think it is a bit dated in design. This is no different than what I have said about this machine several times in the past in these forums. I don't know if this is also true of the Elektra. The Cimbali could use an update, but even so it is bulletproof and if you don't like it out of the box there are a couple of modifications you can do on it which will make it much more user friendly.

I can't compare the quality of construction or durability of the two machines since I have no experience with the Elektra; the Cimbalis have been very solid for me and have needed little repair work, all of which I've been able to do for myself. If you are a fan of updosing, the Cimbali is not really very good for this in the current DT1 iteration, unless you do a delay timer mod, which I have written about here before. I'm not sure that either of these machines are all that good as regards temperature stability without some attention to this issue, which can be addressed several ways. The easiest and cheapest is Dan's "Water Dance" approach to managing heat exchanger machines.

ken

Note: the Cimbali uses a 58mm PF also.

Ken Fox wrote:If you are a fan of updosing, the Cimbali is not really very good for this in the current DT1 iteration, unless you do a delay timer mod, which I have written about here before.

Neither is the T1/A3 Elektra.

Mark

Every Elektra I have used melts down if you up-dose. I contribute that to the group head design. There is no head space above the shower screen. You have to allow head space so you are dosing 14-16 grams, higher go to a triple basket.

But what is dated will eventually become 'retro'. I am in the reverse fix of Ken, I have an A3 and love it but have never had the opportunity to work on the Cimbali. Both are built solid but the Cimbali looks like you could park a truck on it. Both were on my short list, in fact they were the only two on my list when I went looking for that 'last till I am retired' machine. I went with the Elektra because it did not need any work to tweak it. It simply works out of the box and I liked the looks better. But at todays price, I dont know, the Cimbali may have won.

Check out ebay, both machines have been around for quite a few years and both show up for a substantial discount now and then. You may have to put a little work into a used machine cleaning it up but if it saves a thousand dollars or more, I would sure do it.