HX espresso machines... Is there any more love? - Page 2

#11: Post by **brianl** » February 17th, 2016, 1:13 pm

bluesman wrote:Wow! How do you do that????

<image>

You haven't seen the Martian movie? not all that hard.

But I kid.

#12: Post by JK » February 17th, 2016, 1:19 pm

What I can say about looking down the road is prices are rising at a good rate IMHO..
I bought my Fiorenzato Bricoletta for $999 six years back and they are now there $1,500 at 1st line..
That's an increase of $100 a year almost..
I don't remember seeing any $3,000 plus pro-sumer machines back then and now $3,500 is the normal..
They do have PIDs now.. What I remember six years was the good machines having easy access to the pressure stat and PID being rare..

#13: Post by **Almico** » February 17th, 2016, 2:06 pm

I switch coffees often - daily, if not shot by shot. Sometimes I feel like a South American chocolate bomb, other times a light roasted natural Ethiopian. Both require different very brew temps for my taste. The flush routine of my HX machine let's me adjust brew temperature on the fly. With Chris' thermometer I feel like I get the best of both worlds: temp surfing flexibility with a digital readout of the actual grouphead temperature.

My first morning flush after a full warm up gets me from 210*F to 198* with about 6oz of water. I flush right into my capp cup so the drip tray doesn't take on excess water and my cup gets nice and hot.

My machine is not plumbed in and I fill the reservoir every two days. So far it has not become inconvenient enough to go through the hassle and expense of plumbing.

The only thing I would like is a outside knob and gauge to control pump pressure. Maybe one day.

#14: Post by **FirstBetta** » February 17th, 2016, 2:07 pm

May I suggest that one of the reasons behind some of the increased interest in DB machines is due to the larger number of new aspiring baristas entering the quest for great espresso and is simply due to time. A lot of the experienced home barista were pioneers in the home barista movement and were paving the way for the newcomers to be able to pull decent shots and were interested in the process for its own sake. Whereas the new guys/gals are simply interested in a cup of coffee based drink and want the simplest way there based on the steps taken by the "old" hands and published here and on the other forums. The necessary steps in the HX implementation are simply too much trouble and are simply a PITA enroute to their nirvana for the new guys.

Don't shoot me, just my $.02.

#15: Post by **jwCrema** » February 17th, 2016, 3:01 pm

gophish wrote:You lost me here, why was this a mistake?

My bad - should have said without.

February 17th, 2016, 3:41 pm

I guess my original post/ramble is not to necessarily debate flush or no flush. But to rationalize "build quality" for a prosumer machine.

I just seems that most E61 DB's hover around the mid to upper $2k range. And the higher end DB's are north of $4k and sometimes $6k or higher.

For the money in the upper $2's to around $3k you can get an unbelievable HX machine that's built like a tank. With ALL bells and whistles too. I'm just curious if the new mid level DB's have shadowed the HX market and have us thinking myopically at the HB market? And curious if these mid level DB's will somehow scare manufacturers out of making good quality HX's with limited R & D going in that direction?

So my questioning more revolves around if the market will have a seismic shift in the next few years? I would hate to see no more R & D going into HX's especially since they have served us well for so any years.

Anyhow...great viewpoints. Keepin' coming!

#17: Post by **forbeskm** » February 17th, 2016, 6:38 pm

I rebuilt a 93 Salvatore HX 1993 Salvatore Famosa Rebuild

Love my HX and the flush is honestly no big deal. I don't make my water but buy it at the moment for the HX. The few pennies of the flush will not break me and I find it not much different then the flush to warm my group on my cremina or pavoni's.

They are built like tanks, as one can see in the thread and as already mentioned there is not much to break. Mine was easy enough to add a hot water wand to and an OPV.

#18: Post by **jwCrema** » February 17th, 2016, 6:48 pm

I think the flush point is about temperature stability, which is a key to consistent product. But, I think posts have established that those of us that have figured out temperature stability and feel that's more of a pro or a neutral issue. My temp stability is rock solid because I'm only pulling two cups in the morning. If I was doing 10+ cups, back to back every morning, I'd be in a higher Dx machine.

This ECM build quality is everything reviewers said it was. Given my water quality and the lack of scale I see, I believe this machine will last me a long, long time.

--

On the earlier point of adjusting pump pressure, I'm a bit surprised to read about other machines. This is a picture of where that adjustment is made on my machine, after opening the lid to add water to the reservoir. Clockwise for more pump pressure, counter clockwise for less.

#19: Post by vg » February 17th, 2016, 11:51 pm

Just last year, I almost had my mind set on a prosumer DB like the Pro 700. I learned here about the Cimbali Junior and eventually came to the exact same conclusion as the OP: for approximately the same amount of money, I'll go with the simpler machine. I'm still glad I did and I wouldn't go back. The flush regimen is very simple and it probably helps that I don't obsess over the exact brew temperature.

I must say it helped a lot to consider an HX when I finally "got" what it is exactly.

#20: Post by **drgary** » February 18th, 2016, 3:30 am

I own an Olympia Express Coffex, and it's easy to use. I like being able to change temperature from one shot to the next. I've enjoyed wonderful shots off of an Elektra T1. I've heard good things about the Oscar and will rebuild one. Maybe there will be some bargains to be had with machines that are out of fashion. Pretty soon, who will want a machine that can't pressure profile?