Boy, the GS/3 buyers are sure insecure! "Disgruntled copycats"? Classic. Gee, you're not emotionally invested! You go right on telling yourself that plastic is better looking & engineered than stainless, that you'd need to kneel to access something sitting on a kitchen countertop, that you'll be throwing your machine in the car on the weekends. I think this thread is on the verge of transitioning from an interesting discussion to something utterly un-interesting, so I tell ya ' what, the GS/3 is indisputably the bestest, most rockin', extra special machine ever, and no other machine could possibly compare. You can go now, go enjoy its "sleek, attractive low profile."

Now back to the substantive discussion. People who have actually used a Synesso, rather than eagerly trying to defend a different purchase, are any of you running off a bottle? My building water is terrible & I probably want to install to run this way, but I'm wondering whether folks are feeding the pump with a Flo-Jet, or using a gravity feed, or ...?

I wouldn't say my tap water tastes all that great either but after running it thru an MC1 filter it tastes quite good. Water hardness runs about 5-7 grains. I think 5 grains is supposed to be optimum for taste. My machine gets descaled once every 4-6 months.

cinergi wrote:I wouldn't say my tap water tastes all that great either but after running it thru an MC1 filter it tastes quite good. Water hardness runs about 5-7 grains. I think 5 grains is supposed to be optimum for taste. My machine gets descaled once every 4-6 months.

The trick for me is, my building has the weird thing where sometimes the water comes out smelling like mold or mildew. Every time you turn on the water, you have to let it run for at least 20-30 seconds to make sure you don't get that. There used to be a cafe on the ground floor, and occasionally, I would taste it in their espresso, and let me tell you - yuck. And that's not to mention the health effects. I'll definitely be going bottled unless I move in the near future (which is also a possibility).

JimWright wrote:Boy, the GS/3 buyers are sure insecure!

And down the rabbit hole we go.

"Disgruntled copycats"? Classic.

Is this untrue? Former LM employee. Copied boiler design. Copied group design. Pretty much the whole thing. Give credit where it's due. LM did the work on these innovations didn't they?

Gee, you're not emotionally invested!

Nope. Just making valid points -- which for some reason seem to have upset you.

You go right on telling yourself that plastic is better looking & engineered than stainless,

Telling myself? The plastic sides on the GS3 are over stainless (not instead of). And yes, the machine on the whole is much nicer looking, just my opinion. I see you politely disagree. That's fine, really.

that you'd need to kneel to access something sitting on a kitchen countertop,

Only if you're over 3' tall. I don't judge. But most folks are. If it works for you...

that you'll be throwing your machine in the car on the weekends.

Did I say that? Nope, deliberate exaggeration. How clever. But I will indeed take it to the shore with me for a few weeks this summer.

I think this thread is on the verge of transitioning from an interesting discussion to something utterly un-interesting, so I tell ya ' what, the GS/3 is indisputably the bestest, most rockin', extra special machine ever, and no other machine could possibly compare. You can go now, go enjoy its "sleek, attractive low profile."

And this rambling diatribe is interesting?

Now back to the substantive discussion.

Finally!!

People who have actually used a Synesso, rather than eagerly trying to defend a different purchase, are any of you running off a bottle? My building water is terrible & I probably want to install to run this way, but I'm wondering whether folks are feeding the pump with a Flo-Jet, or using a gravity feed, or ...?

LOL... he couldn't have made my point any better.

The GS3 has had more problems than poorly machined drip tray holes but I do not see a reason to go down that path. Personally, I would be perfectly happy with either machine in my home although I will never be able to afford either.

110 or 220, I have a 6 liter 110 machine now and cannot outpace the recovery rate of the machine. Having said that, I use to have a 2 group 220 machine, when looking for my current machine I was trying to get it in 220 but the cost jumped dramatically. I was disappointed at the time, but in retrospect, I see no reason to have gone with the 220 version. However, I run my machine 24/7 so heatup time is not important to me.

cannonfodder wrote:The GS3 has had more problems than poorly machined drip tray holes but I do not see a reason to go down that path. Personally, I would be perfectly happy with either machine in my home although I will never be able to afford either.

Yes, I'm sorry for mentioning it given how upset I've apparently made a couple of them at even the thought that they might not have bought the "best" machine... and I agree, someone would be lucky to have either and still have not completely decided (or may even go with the VBM), though I was leaning toward the Synesso for the obvious reasons...

cannonfodder wrote:110 or 220, I have a 6 liter 110 machine now and cannot outpace the recovery rate of the machine. Having said that, I use to have a 2 group 220 machine, when looking for my current machine I was trying to get it in 220 but the cost jumped dramatically. I was disappointed at the time, but in retrospect, I see no reason to have gone with the 220 version. However, I run my machine 24/7 so heatup time is not important to me.

Have you ever measured how much power you use by running it 24/7? Just curious - if I left it on, I'm sure the wife and I would use it all the time for tea, etc.

I thought about it, but never did. There have been others that have tried to measure the power consumption of their machines with mixed results. I did not notice any dramatic jump in my electric bill but I am sure it went up a couple of dollars. I have seen guesses from many dollars to the equivalent of leaving a 75 watt light turned on all the time. So it turned off the front porch light to compensate.

JimWright wrote:Have you ever measured how much power you use by running it 24/7? Just curious - if I left it on, I'm sure the wife and I would use it all the time for tea, etc.

From the FAQs and Favorites: Running an espresso machine 24/7, Electricity Usage Monitor, actual consumption and a poll. The actual consumption link is particularly interesting:

john_k wrote:6.6 KWH * .062 = $0.41 per day, $12.30 per month.

Turning the machine on in the morning (cold start) and letting it run for thirteen hours with about the same usage pattern provided the following data:

4.3 KWH * .062 = $0.27 per day, $8.10 per month.

These numbers prove (for my machine) that its less expensive to turn the machine off at night and on in the morning than to let it run 24 hours per day. The energy consumed warming the machine up to operating temperature is less than that consumed letting it idle all night.

6.6 KWH * .062 = $0.41 per day, $12.30 per month.

Turning the machine on in the morning (cold start) and letting it run for thirteen hours with about the same usage pattern provided the following data:

4.3 KWH * .062 = $0.27 per day, $8.10 per month.

Those numbers need serious revision for this part of the country these days. Electric rates around here have been upwards of $0.17/kw for a long time, so just multiply everything above by about 3x.

PhillySteve has a lot of good points. I would also think most people think the plastic sides look better than the erector set look of the Cyncra. No one commented on the good looks of my ECM Giotto which was all shiny steel. I thought it looked great but I think many women see it as just a bunch of metal. The curved plastic sides of the GS3 and it's proportions are just look more cozy in any standard kitchen home. It has a more comfy home cafe look. The industrial steel look might be perfect in that ultra industrial modern kitchen, but the photos I've seen don't look very attractive. Just today, a friend of my wife came by and commented on what a beautiful espresso machine. The cool blue glow of the buttons and the oval display also add to the softer cooler look. A neighbor from Italy had a similar reaction. The Cyncra looks cold and a bit scary and intimidating to me.

JimWright wrote:Boy, the GS/3 buyers are sure insecure!

I'm pretty happy with it and I seeing that I am a happy grateful owner, I would like provide my own testimony. That's what these forums are about. Get on here, share information. This is the information I have to share.