I will state my experience along the upgrade Highway:
My first setup was Silvia + Rocky. I used that for 6.5 years.
I sold Silvia when my Vibiemme Domobar Super arrived. It was a better machine in regards to the espresso quality from the very first pull. As others have stated, if you can skip the single boiler machine and jump straight to the HX machine, you will save money in the long run. At $10 a day coffee habit, the difference in price between Silvia and a much better machine would be paid for in a short time. And in the long run you will have a machine that will be making much better coffee, day in and day out, which will also be well suited for multiple drink creation, party service, and steaming large quantities of milk.
After that I sold the Rocky and upgraded to a large (monstrous, actually) commercial grinder. It made a difference, but not as large as the difference between Silvia and the Vibiemme machine.

Bottom line- make the long-term investment in the better machine. You will never regret it.

Jessabelle,

As a previous Silvia owner I must say that Jman's right on the money. It's not that the Silvia can't produce a good cup of coffee, it definitely can. But perhaps it's not the best suited machine for your intended usage.

Also, I've noticed that in these types of threads, members really do try their best to suggest a machine within your intended budget. Of course, that didn't happen this time around but I think their advice is right on the money.

Good luck with your shopping and let us know how it goes.

Thanks guys for pounding it into my head. I'm going to make some calls today and see what kind of deals are out there if I purchase everything at once. This is going to be one interesting journey!

So I called a couple of the equipment companies recommended here. The Bezzera is out of stock at one place and the other had never even heard of it before. Both companies, of course, suggested different machines...the Ascaso Steel Duo and the Anita by Quick Mill.

I'm not locating an overwhelming amount of feedback on either of these machines, as was my experience when looking into the Bezzera. Are HXs just not that popular, as most users here do not drink, as someone here called them, "Big Gulp lattes"?

I'm still pouring through posts that contain a reference to either machine and asking people for feedback where ever I can, so hopefully I can come to a conclusion before my golden years Do you good folks have any information that you would care to share regarding either of the two machines I have mentioned?

Thanks again!

jessabelle wrote:Both companies, of course, suggested different machines...the Ascaso Steel Duo and the Anita by Quick Mill.

The Anita is a popular choice among HB members. It has the same internals as the Andreja, which was reviewed in the Buyer's Guide to the Quickmill Andreja Premium. Google found Mark's Ascaso Steel Duo - First Look on CoffeeGeek and a discussion on HB which ironically poses many of the same questions as you.

If you are thinking about the Ascaso Steel Duo then please have a look at this post on TMC (a European coffee forum) http://www.toomuchcoffee.com/index.php?...pic&t=8211 and this one http://www.toomuchcoffee.com/index.php?...pic&t=8282

I realise this is only one person's experience and knowledge here (which is appears pretty intimate it has to be said), but it certainly has put me off Ascaso for good.

The biggest thing in Anita's favor is that you can buy it from Chris.

Best service I've seen in a long time. Had an issue with my new machine - it arrived but would not complete initial startup. It was after business hours, so I left a message with service. Got a call back that night and they walked me through things to check until we discovered a part broken in shipping. They shipped a new part out at no cost the next day and sent an email with photographs and a walkthrough of the replacement.

These guys rock. Seriously.

I just wanted to let you all know that, thanks to you, I have made a decision *and* a purchase! I ordered the Anita and Vario from Chris Coffee this week. I'm pretty nervous about trying to figure out how to use these machines, but I'm pretty excited, too! Thanks again for everyone's help You guys are seriously awesome!

Yahoooo! Great choice!

You'll have to snap a pic or 2 for us:)

jessabelle wrote:I'm pretty nervous about trying to figure out how to use these machines, but I'm pretty excited, too!

If you want to reduce the skill factor, I strongly suggest getting Eric's E61 Thermometer Adapter. It really makes the whole HX flush rigmarole a no-brainer.