Other than the newfound lightness in your wallet, you won't regret it!

The more I use it, the more I like it. I've pulled shot after shot that just came out nearly perfect each time. I'm even drinking straight espresso shots and I've always said I didn't like it!

As a test, I pulled 6 straight shots and then steamed 2 pitchers of milk. Nary a burp, boiler pressure stayed rock steady at 1.4 bar. Of course, this was done after I plumbed it in 'cause while you can use it as a pourover, that gets old quick.

Any tips or tricks on the plumb-in process? Did you order anything special from Chris, or did you have to go searching for any parts?

Ron_L wrote:Any tips or tricks on the plumb-in process? Did you order anything special from Chris, or did you have to go searching for any parts?

It comes with the water inlet line you need to attach and mine had the John Guest fittings (very nice) on it. I bought the water softener/filter kit that came with everything else. I used 3/8". Hardest part was under the sink, but here's the link to what came with my kit to do that:

http://www.chriscoffee.com/produc...ittings/maxadaptor

That is in the kit for the softener/filter. Here's the link for the kit :

http://www.chriscoffee.com/produc...ing/softenersystem

I also got the drain kit which was easy to do since I just run that to a container. I couldn't install close enough to an existing drain pipe.

The John Guest fittings are really slick. Push and they are done.

Thanks! I just talked to Roger at Chris Coffee and he has me set up with what I need. I can hardly wait!

One of the things that I changed on mine was the pressure setting. From the factory it was set at 1.4 bar, I changed that to 1.1 to allow for shorter flushing times. Steaming is still excellent.

Adjusting the Pstat is very easy on this machine. Take the cup warmer off, look down at the left front of the top of the machine. There is a good size slot and the Pstat is right underneath it. Just a simple straight-slot screwdriver and about 1 3/4 counterclockwise turn brought mine right where I wanted it. No disassembly required.

The more I use this machine, the more I like it. Just superb!

I'm probably going to get a single-hole steam tip as I can't quite get the hang of this two-holer. I wonder which ones will fit?

lparsons21 wrote:I'm probably going to get a single-hole steam tip as I can't quite get the hang of this two-holer. I wonder which ones will fit?

The expobar single hole steam tip is a perfect fit and it's what I use.

DaveC wrote:I also read in the thread some confusion about a Vibe pump in the machine, this could be confusion with it's little sister the Vivi

You're right, there is a lot of confusing material out there in the rotary v vibe debate. Two articles however, seem to stand out, 'The tale of 2 Juniors' by Ken Fox and Jim Schulman, is outstanding in it's impartiality and technical substance. Your article on the other hand http://tinyurl.com/ycdvya makes no reference to the vibe's ability to preinfuse and seems to suggest, that Rotaries have preinfusion qualities.

chris wrote:

Since we introduced the Vetrano over a year ago many people have asked for an espresso machine with a nice quite rotary pump that they did not have to plumb in."

There are lot of people out there that want the benefit of a quiet rotary pump but either do not wish to plumb a machine in or cannot for one reason or another.

Chris, isn't there a grave danger of overhyping the rotary pump. In the domestic scene, the vibes must outnumber the rotaries by 100 to 1. Ok one is quieter than the other and costs more and Rotaries have longevity built in, but there are loads of happy vibe customers out there and not that many complaints, considering the volume sold.

The question is more about what percentage of customers that contact us are looking to purchase a machine they can direct plumb vs adding water to manually. The percentage is 60/40, 40 percent buy machines that can be plumbed in and another 10% wish they could. I speak to people all the time and there are a few basic reasons people prefer direct plumbed machines over manual fill.

#1 Convenience of not having to add water.

#2 They like the idea of a much quieter machine. Many people have told me they have babies in the house and do not want to wake then up at 5:00 AM when they get up for work.

#3 The have hard water and prefer to simply add a filtration and softening system and not have to purchase bottled water.

#4 What fresh cool water entering the heat exchanger vs warm water from a water tank.

The list above is also in priority order.

When they purchase a direct plumb machine from us they also find out that it is not hard to do. Since we service more than 2,000 locations within a 75 mile radius of us such as convenient stores, coffee houses, hotels, restaurants, offices, hospitals, etc., etc. my seven techs have seen it all and done it all. Our goal is when selling someone a direct plumb machine is for them to be able to open the boxes and install it with NO trips to Home Depot and be done in less than 45 minutes.

Rainsford wrote:Chris, isn't there a grave danger of overhyping the rotary pump. In the domestic scene, the vibes must outnumber the rotaries by 100 to 1. Ok one is quieter than the other and costs more and Rotaries have longevity built in, but there are loads of happy vibe customers out there and not that many complaints, considering the volume sold.

From your post, I'd say the opposite: rotaries are in danger of being underhyped. I'm not going to argue any differences in espresso quality, although IMHO this hasn't been adequately tested (La Cimbali Junior results do not automatically generalize to all HX machines). But even so, once you get into espresso machines costing over $1000, the added value of a rotary is very easy to justify. Every time I use my Vetrano's rotary pump, I'm grateful for its quietness. Remember, you engage the pump for the HX flush, portafilter wiggle, backflushing - not just pulling the shot. With a rotary pump, I can monitor the HX flush by sound alone; this was difficult with a vibe pump. Rotary pumps should also outlast vibe pumps, so in the long run they may actually be a cost saving upgrade.

Just my two cents worth. But I can't imagine ever going back to a vibe pump machine. Rotaries rock!
________
John

I agree with all that Chris said. The combination of plumb-in, rotary pump just makes so much sense, especially at the prosumer level.

Further, you use lots of water with an HX/E61 combo. I have an Izzo Alex and used it for a day as a pourover, I wouldn't want to do that much or often. It seemed like I was always filling the reservoir. I like it that I can use it pourover for outings and such, but I'm really loving the plumb-in.

And the plumb-in hardware that they sell is excellent. A few minutes under the sink to make that first conversion and then everything is push in simple.