I am looking at upgrading to a new machine and thought it would be good to ask for input from others that may have had experience with any machines on the list.
There is also the possibility the machine may be used for a few "events or functions" so there would be the occasional higher output demand than my 3-4 doubles and various drinks for company stopping by.
I have a Mazzer SJ grinder and now need to pick a machine.

If you had to choose between the following machines... which would you choose and why?

Vibiemme Domobar Electronic

La Spaziale Vivaldi II Single Group Dual Boiler

New Nuova Simonelli Appia Single Group Automatic

Fiorenzato Bricoletta Direct Connect Electronic

or do you have any suggestions of a machine not mentioned that would be in the same ball park?

Thank you for your input and any insight / suggestions you have,

Marty

Vivaldi is on the list and that's my choice but - I'm in a lazy mood today and didn't look for any info on the other options. Only Vibiemme is a bit familiar (from reading) but regardless if it's the dual boiler or hx option I still would prefer Vivaldi.

Thank you for your recommendation.

I thought about posting the links to the machines to make it easier for everyone, but did not know if that was acceptable or not. After coming out of lurk mode for a year, I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot ;o)

Very good question.

The reasoning behind the machines chosen (not in any definitive order):

All are from suppliers that I have heard good things about and would feel comfortable purchasing from.

The reviews are part of what helped me compile the list and I was hoping for additional insight from other users given the occasional larger gathering demand (church function / back yard / block party for the neighbors, etc) beyond regular home needs. I was also hoping that someone may have some experience with the Appia and would share their thoughts.

They all are within the budget range.

My opinion may be somewhat bias, but given that you plan on doing some entertaining, and in large groups, I would go with Domobar Super, or the soon to be out double boiler version.

The super has a big boiler and recovers fast. It steams like a rocket (in part to the larger boiler) and uses one of the largest water reservoirs out there so stopping to fill the machine will be minimal. I have prepared drinks (all milk based) for 11 people. I ran as fast as I could and never outpaced the super. It was starting to kick back at shot 11. If I had run another 2 or 3 drinks it would have needed some recovery time.

The Bric is a plumb in, not good for moving around since it needs a direct water connect, or get a flojet and water jugs to move it around. You would have to adjust your brew pressure when you went from plumb in to flojet and it has a smaller boiler so it may not be able to keep up with the volume, not to mention its somewhat industrial looks. La Spaziale, double boiler so there is no temperature management, reservoir fed so it can be moved around, but in a large group, continuous run it may need some rest time after every few drinks to recover due to the smaller boilers. If you were only doing small groups, say 4 or 5 back to back drinks and did not want to bother with the cooling flush needed by a heat exchanger it would a tie with the VBM in my book.

The Appia is a full on commercial machine with a larger boiler than the VBM and it has NSF certification. It will certainly keep pace with anything you can throw at it. But, it is a plumb in machine. So again, you would need a flojet and water bottle to be able to move it around, and it would need the brew pressure adjusted when you go from plumbed to flojet. In my opinion, it is ugly as sin. I would not put it in my kitchen, and you could get 2 VBM's for the price of one Appia plus shipping.

That is my opinion, and others will certainly have other opinions.

Dave,

That is very helpful. Thank you for your feedback.

Marty

I have been happy with my Siliva for almost 10 years now, but now am also planning to upgrade.

The biggest issue for me is the wait for the steam to heat up, and then waiting again for it to cool down. Secondary issue is I'm finally getting tired of "temp surfing".

Plenty of good information on the Anita, Isomac and other HX machines. But still with those, you need to flush the grouphead before brewing to get consistent temperatures.

For me, I decided on the dual boiler machine and will get a Vivaldi II. A bit more money than HX, but still within my budget and will look good on the counter. (not into the shiny chrome look of the Isomac, Quickmill and Expobar, but that is just me.). The drawback is I have to choose between the convenience of the plumbed in version and the portability of the mini-Vivaldi. and I'll have to get another Thor Tamper.

Bryan,

I know what you mean about being ready to upgrade. It does sound like a nice machine and you certainly cannot go wrong with a tamper from Les. One of my concerns and a main reason for asking about the various machines is trying to keep up at our yearly block party or at a church function if I have a few people at a time that want milk based drinks. Thought it would be nice to share another one of my passions with others, but my current old Astoria CKE cannot quite keep up with more than four or five people wanting a latte at a time.

Marty

I recently was in a similar position and chose the La Spaziale and am extremely pleased. Excellent espresso, incredible steam. Easy to use and consistent results. One factor that helped me to decide was the very active user group and website. (http://www.rimpo.org/s1/) It has been of tremendous help. Also the seller (Chris Coffee) has been excellent in followup support.

Mario