I was ready to pull the trigger on the Rancilio Silvia but am having second thoughts. is it a better choice than, say the Breville BES820XL? have settled on the Vaneli's Mini Pro III grinder. guess i'm just looking for a little moral support. Thanks.

$600 is absolute top of my range right now. any other machines i should consider? I think i've researched myself into confusion.

sheenap1st wrote:I was ready to pull the trigger on the Rancilio Silvia but am having second thoughts. is it a better choice than, say the Breville BES820XL? have settled on the Vaneli's Mini Pro III grinder. guess i'm just looking for a little moral support. Thanks.

ANYTHING is better than a Breville. Seriously, Brevilles, though pretty, are some of the most griped about machines in existence. Go over to CG and search the threads for inputs on them to validate what I'm saying.

I had two - first one died within a week; second was given away. Mine were the 800ESXLs, which internally is the same as the one you mention, minus the programmable function. They are simply incapable of producing great shots. Their thermoblock just can't maintain the sufficient or steady temp needed to pull a good shot. Couple that with some of the poorest steaming performance and you have a machine that is incapable of producing great microfoam to try to cover up its even poorer espresso.

If possible, before you spend a dime, try to find an HB or CG member that lives within driving distance of you that has equipment you are interested in. Bribe that person for a visit to see the machine first hand and to hopefully pull a few shots to see what it is capapble of.

Just my $.02

Mark, search "Breville" here and on coffeegeek and you will find dozens and dozens of posts basically saying, "Run awaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" and very few saying "Ooooh, great machine." Make of that what you will. It is, after all, your money to spend.

The Mini-Pro III will be a fine choice for a grinder. No one questions the quality of the Rancilio Silvia. It's at the top of its class (consumer model, Single Boiler/Dual Use). That said, the only real "knock" against the Silvia is the price tag. it does seem to many, myself included, to be somewhat overpriced for what you get. You may want to take a look at the Le'Lit PL041, which sells for $200 less than the Silvia.

Either of these machines will be fine. Don't let "analysis paralysis" get to you. In a sense, the choice is simple: either get the Vaneli's Mini-Pro III and the Rancilio Silvia, and realize down the road you'll want to upgrade your grinder; or get the Le'Lit and take the $200 you save by not getting the Silvia and get a better grinder like the Baratza Vario, and know that it has the ability to work beautifully with an upgraded machine.

Cheers,
Jason

I had a Breville Ikon as my first machine. After getting the bottom of the pressurized portafilter chopped off, it made decent espresso and even steamed milk competently. However, it just stopped turning on after a month or two of use. Luckily I was able to trade the full value toward a Gaggia Classic, which I've had for almost 3 years now with no problems.

Mark,

Try this.

http://craiglook.com/all.html?q=rancilio+silvia&m=0

There are always people looking to upgrade or get out of coffee. Look at this daily and you should be able to pick up a Silvia at a reasonable cost.

Mike -

PS - Thanks to Sweaner for getting me hooked on Craig's list with Craiglook!

I just recently sold my Breville 800esxl. DO NOT buy one. I, fortunately, managed to sell it for more than I bought it and kept the knockbox for myself...so I loved the purchase (at 150), but, not the shots.

The problem is, simply, temperature stability and extremely high pressure. I can only tell the difference in pressure by comparing it to my Gaggia, but it is a significant difference in visual and physical .

I ran multiple styrofoam cup tests for the temp, and a few other testing methods of my own device. I found that for the initial 5 seconds it would pull at 200 degrees. Then after 10 seconds it would drop to 190, then dropped to 180, 170 and 160 somewhere around 20 seconds, then it would start to rise .

The steaming was ok though, but the Gaggia has more capabilities, though if not timed just right it has a tendency to run out of power early, which never happened with the Breville.

zin1953 wrote:Either of these machines will be fine. Don't let "analysis paralysis" get to you. In a sense, the choice is simple: either get the Vaneli's Mini-Pro III and the Rancilio Silvia, and realize down the road you'll want to upgrade your grinder; or get the Le'Lit and take the $200 you save by not getting the Silvia and get a better grinder like the Baratza Vario, and know that it has the ability to work beautifully with an upgraded machine.

I think that this is great advice. The Vario is a really terrific grinder and YES YES YES grinders do make a difference. If you are going to spend ~$800 I'd strongly consider pairing the Vario with a Gaggia Classic. Wholelattelove has the pair for $767 ish. http://www.wholelattelove.com/Gaggia/classic.cfm

The Silvia is a great machine (I had a V2) but $600 is kinda pushing it. I'd try to spend more on the grinder personally.

I have little experience compared to most people on this board but I do have the experience of being a recent newcomer to the world of yummy espresso, so here is my opinion based on my experience.

First, get the Vario. It will be well worth it and you won't need to upgrade for a long time, maybe never. If you have a problem, there is a large and growing user base and Baratza is very responsive. What everyone has been saying on here is absolutely right: the grinder should come first, and the Vario is a great choice. (I've had one for about a month and love it.)

With what's left, get the machine you can. If you're a bit short, save up for a little while and use fresh coffee and your Vario to make coffee with an aeropress, french press, or some other way. (This isn't my advice, it's what the experienced members are saying and if I were to start again on a budget, that is what I'd do.)

Last but definitely not least, pick a supplier who will work with you. If you're spending this amount of money you will want someone to go to if you have questions or problems. Places I have dealt with:

• Chris Coffee Service. My last 4-5 purchases were from them and I will make more. Their service is exceptional. If they aren't the ones who will help you they'll tell you who will. The day after I got my Duetto I had an issue with the PID. It was a Saturday and they were closed, but I called and left a message anyway. The head of customer service called me within the hour and we discussed the solution I came up with as well as a future replacement for the PID, which I installed this weekend.
• 1st-Line Equipment. I bought my first setup from them. Jim Piccinich emailed (or called me?) early on and patiently helped me fix some problems in using the equipment. Soon after that I realized everything he said was written in the instructions they gave me with the machine. I did follow those instructions at first but as time went by I started experimenting and forgot about them. He could have said RTFM but he never did. I would shop with them again.
• Whole Latte Love. When I called Tech support with Brewtus-III issues I found the response dubious. When I had to send it back the instructions on draining the boilers were inadequate; even a newbie like me knew that. After I called tech support for clarification their instructions were incomplete. I called that night and left a message but they never got back to me. I had to figure it out myself. They have never responded to an email. Customer service, while very polite, has lied to me on multiple occasions. Don't be lured by free "gifts" and discounts. Nothing is free. Heck, the "free" coffee they gave me with the Brewtus (which they later charged me for what I couldn't return) was more stale than the stuff you get in grocery store bins; I'm not exaggerating. Others may have had better experience with them but those have been mine. I will not be purchasing from them again.

Call Chris's place or 1st-Line. They will help you make a decision based on your needs and you may even get a discount.

Hope this helps.