A couple of people have asked about the comparison. Since I just went from one to another, and in fact stuck the Vivaldi in another house for my weekend espresso, and thus still use it, I thought I'd give my unscientific opinion on the two. I've had the Vivaldi for around 7 or 8 years I think.

Dan SF asked - I'm curious to hear more about your transition from Vivaldi to Linea Mini. I enjoy my Vivaldi (which I've had for ~5 years), but the Mini hits many of my "must haves" (rotary, dual boiler, not an e61, powerful steam, quick warm up) and I think I'd prefer the standard-sized portafilter, classic looks, and what I imagine is a better fit and finish. The major concern is how much I'd miss volumetric dosing. Plus without a plumb-in kit it's a nonstarter (can't imagine going back to tank).

To start by responding to that: I do prefer the 58mm portafilter, that's been a pet peeve of mine on the Vivaldi. I think the looks, fit and finish are noticeably better on the Marzocco, though I've taken the Vivaldi apart far more times obviously, so I'm much more aware of it's flaws. The Linea is a bit bigger than the Vivaldi, but its narrower and deeper.

Warm up time - I leave the machines on 24/7. That said, I find them both pretty quick to warm up with a couple of flushes. I have the Vivaldi rigged for 20A, the Marzocco is 15, but I haven't really noticed any practical difference between the 2 in my usage.

The plumb in kit is out for the Linea. Based on a quick look, it looks like it would be pretty easy to make oneself, and there is a thread here on it. The linea is not quite as good as the mini vivaldi if you are not plumbing in, but it's basically a wash - linea is easier to fill, but requires filling more often.

Volumetric - I never really used it. I set up the 1 shot as my flush, and the 2 shot at max shot as a failsafe. Given the linea seems to shut the pump off at 45 seconds or so as a failsafe, the latter is less important. It would be nice to have volumetric, but I don't really miss it.

Espresso quality - for ramp up reasons I still pull better shots on the Vivaldi, generally. That said, the few I've really gotten on the linea have had more clarity than the vivaldi. I'd call it in made up precision a 5% difference - noticeable, but not huge. I've been surprised at how long the ramp up is in the switch over. My vivaldi has the spring pre-infusion chamber, and I do think is noticeably more forgiving than the Marzocco.

Milk - Marzocco is noticeably better. Say 10%. Maybe more. I still steam milk better on the vivaldi, but even my errors on the Marzocco have got noticeably better body and texture. Vivaldi is a steaming beast, but for whatever reason Linea blows it away. My problems are that at this point I have to reverse everything, I was very used to the steam wand on the left, and I had fit a longer wand on the Vivaldi, which I like, when and if they come out with one for the linea I'll definitely put it on.

I'll post more as it occurs to me, feel free to ask any questions

ive had the Vivaldi S1 for quite a while, like most everything about it except the "off size" portafilter, but I did get the better baskets from chris coffee; wouldn't want to go back to the tank and actually use the volumetric buttons; also like the adjustable preinfusion; lots of steam and I put on the longer S5 arm

would like to try the new linea but for now im holding out for the mini strada

I think I miss the pre-infusion the most. I'm very curious about the Strada mod for the Linea Mini that the australian guy did.

So far it's worth the $2500 extra for me, but that's within the context of coffee whackjob-itis, and needing another machine in any case.

Thanks for your comparison, especially since I am in about the same position. I have a plumbed in, rotary S1 Vivaldi II, and am close to upgrading the Linea Mini. I am running with 5 seconds of pre-infusion.

Also in consideration was the Profitec Pro 700, but I really like the layout and simplicity of the LM. Kitchen considerations rule out anything much larger than the Linea. Your review is really helpful, but it does leave me wondering if the change in espresso will be too incremental for me to notice.

My personal thoughts on the whole pre-infusion thing, for me personally, I can't notice a taste difference between one and five seconds. So for me, honestly, I think the looks of the machine would be more of a deciding factor.

Thanks for this comparison, I am also in the midst of going through an upgrade.

The Linea Mini and the Lucca A53 (aka Mini Vivaldi) are on my shortlist.
Based on what I read, and the fact that I won't be plumbing in, it looks like I might just drop the Linea from my shortlist.
JonF, I am also considering the Pro 700.

A few other things. PID is more granular, at roughly half a degree C instead of 1, or roughly 1 degree fahrenheit on LM. Easier to change. LM can take a regular timer if you are so inclined, rather than the onboard computer.

LM can be easily changed to plumb in, Vivaldi mini can't.

For some reason the 53mm portafilter always annoyed me, though I eventually came to terms with it.

The LM is unquestionably better looking. The Vivaldi trended towards garish italian. I like the all stainless.

Controls on the front are a bit more cramped on the LM. But the knob control of steam is better than the binary control of vivaldi joystick.

All still fall under the category of minor, but noticeable. I don't regret the upgrade. But I can equally understand someone else not making it.