Defleshed wrote:Thanks for your input, now i am back to a party of 3. You are 100% correct that i WANT the SLayer more, however i am trying to weight the pro's and cons and make the best decision, i truly believe there is no wrong answer, In the end i desire all 3, and will have to live with my decision for a very long time. The Intent of this thread is to exchange opinions and ideas so i can be more confident in my choice.

The sooner you realize your decision is about home decor and not functionality, the sooner you can get on with just enjoying the espresso.

In the market for a new machine myself and am leaning toward the slayer. Intrigued with the flow profiling and, as to marshalls point, the slayers style and footprint is best suited to my kitchen and its current espresso space. Just waiting to see the HB review before I move forward

Marshall wrote:The sooner you realize your decision is about home decor and not functionality, the sooner you can get on with just enjoying the espresso.

This, and the Comments about the BDB vs GS/3 are 100% accurate.

As of this afternoon, until i change my mind yet again, i think i may go with the GS/3, maybe something interesting will come out of the LM at home project for customizing it.

I just need to stay away from that damn cafe and their beautiful Slayer.

Thanks all, Happy thanksgiving, if any of you are Canadian.

Defleshed wrote:This, and the Comments about the BDB vs GS/3 are 100% accurate.

As of this afternoon, until i change my mind yet again, i think i may go with the GS/3, maybe something interesting will come out of the LM at home project for customizing it.

I just need to stay away from that damn cafe and their beautiful Slayer.

Thanks all, Happy thanksgiving, if any of you are Canadian.

I'd give Joe @ caffetech a call, if you haven't already. Aside from the initial pricing foul up, he seemed like a stand up fellow. If you're interested in "prettying" up the GS3 after the fact, shoot me a pm and I can point you towards a fellow in MN who seems to do top notch woodwork. Happy Thanksgiving to you too.. Unless you're a Stamp's fan, in which case I simply bid you a good day.

At this level of machine, there are no bad choices. None of the trade-offs are really deal breakers. You may find benefit in the preinfusion style of the Slayer or a Synesso Hydra, or even a Strada-modified GS/3. In the very top tier, the build quality is basically impeccable with all of them, and the Slayer group, in its third revision, is probably much more reliable than the earlier generations. They all steam like dragons, and have great temperature stability. The Synesso and Speedster are pretty much bulletproof as well.

At the level you are shopping, it may actually come down to size and looks. Functionally, they will all make the best espresso that you, your grinder, and your coffee can make. I am not replacing my Synesso with a Slayer because I expect radical transformation of my espresso. Its preinfusion is just another tool in my arsenal. It will take up less space, and appear far less massive than the machine it replaces. It is built as robustly as the Synesso, and more so by far than the GS/3. I like its style and customizability, but I cannot argue with the Speedster in this regard. THe GS/3 is less attractive cosmetically, but EPNW can fix that for you!

Or, you can buy a BDB, and replace it as often as necessary, or update to new models as often as needed/wanted, for the same or less money. It will make very predictably good espresso as well. The sacrifice is build quality and steam power for volume applications.

I can vouch for the service from Synesso and am impressed so far by Slayer. More than once, Mark Barnett has returned my calls on a weekend! Everyone says that Kees is just as great with support.

You will be very happy with any of the machines.

Grinder, grinder, Grinder! So say we all.

-Mike

UseIt4Toddy wrote:Have to ask, did you still have your Cremina in the mix when doing these side-by-sides? Would be interested to hear how you thought it compared to both. I have access to a Slayer at the shop, and I have to say that I would take my best Cremina shots over it any day of the week. (Perfectly willing to admit that this might very well mean that I need to play around with the Slayer more.)

Don't get me wrong. If I had the cash, there would be a Slayer in my kitchen right now. Pulled plenty of shots on a Strada MP, and I have to say that the feel of a Slayer paddle trumps the LMs by a quite a margin, IMHO. Hoping someday I might be able to follow my heart on this one.

Cheers,

I'll PM you as my response is far off from the topic.

Defleshed wrote: La Marzocco GS/3 MP
The Good
-I can have a GS/3 and a Titan Grinder for the Same Price as Slayer.

I'm not sure if the buying options in Canada are the same as in the US, but I'd say you can purchase the GS/3 and 2 titan level grinders for just the price of a Slayer or a Speedster; and you'll still have money left over for supplies, gear, accessories. You'd be pretty surprised what the real street price of a GS/3 is once you call around and negotiate or package machines/grinders together. Again, this is based on my personal experience buying a GS/3 in the US, but you can buy a GS/3 AND a conical titan grinder AND a titan flat burr grinder for less than what you'd pay for just a Slayer or Speedster. Just something to think about as the 'real' street price of GS/3 is vastly different than what you may see advertised, whereas I doubt there is much, if any, negotiating on the price of the Slayer or Speedster.....they are pretty much priced as you see them.

uscfroadie wrote:I'll PM you as my response is far off from the topic.

Merle, would you cc me in on that? I'm a lever player too. Maybe even paste it into a new thread in the lever forum?

-Peter

I've had the pleasure of using the Slayer for about a month now. Very happy with the performance. Previous machine was an Alex Duetto. I drink a lot of light roasted espresso and the Slayer is wicked .-)

Go for it!

etout00 wrote:I'm not sure if the buying options in Canada are the same as in the US, but I'd say you can purchase the GS/3 and 2 titan level grinders for just the price of a Slayer or a Speedster; and you'll still have money left over for supplies, gear, accessories. You'd be pretty surprised what the real street price of a GS/3 is once you call around and negotiate or package machines/grinders together. Again, this is based on my personal experience buying a GS/3 in the US, but you can buy a GS/3 AND a conical titan grinder AND a titan flat burr grinder for less than what you'd pay for just a Slayer or Speedster. Just something to think about as the 'real' street price of GS/3 is vastly different than what you may see advertised, whereas I doubt there is much, if any, negotiating on the price of the Slayer or Speedster.....they are pretty much priced as you see them.

I haven't gone beyond the offer that was proposed to me when i was initially looking at the GS/3, however i don't think that we have as competitive of a market as the US, online retailer pricing is generally 7-8k, i think current store pricing is near the top of that, and the store offered me somewhere in the middle right off the bat. I personally place a Value on having service and a shop here, so i don't Expect a local, non-online retailer to match the lowest price, however i have heard your comments many times before, so when am in store with payment in hand, i will see how it goes. I do believe that gs3 and one of the new E10's is in my future.