How long before you upgraded from a Rancilio Silvia-class espresso machine?

[HB]

Similar to the poll What was your upgrade path from a Rancilio Silvia-class espresso machine?, this poll asks not what, but how long.

[poison]

Awesome, thanks Dan! 4+ long tiresome years for me!

[seattlesetters]

I hung around a Silvia owner just enough to make me pass on her, altogether. Too much wrangling over temperature control for my feeble brain.......

To try and take as many variables as possible out of the equation, I started with Miss Alexia PID and a La Cimbali Max Hybrid. I'm hoping these two will do the trick and save me upgrade costs in the future.

[AUSTINrob]

Luckily for me, I skipped the Silvia altogether and got the Alexia/Macap M4 stepless combo - I'm still in disbelief how good and consistent the shots are coming out of this thing. For just a few extra dollars, I feel like I'll be able to avoid ugi for a long time...

[shadowfax]

Less than a month. I returned Silvia after a few weeks and quickly upgraded to La Valentina. I figured for that kind of money I might as well go all out. Silvia was much better than my $200 machine, but... I dunno about $300 better. She was just too inconvenient for my milk drink habit, I guess.

[CoffeeOwl]

One full year... but after 6 months of use I started having regular wish to throw it out the window (but resisted and then gave it away to my friend, who anyway was willing to pay for it, and he did - patience pays off)
I learnt quite a number of things during that time anyway, so when I jumped out I found myself in heavens.

[mike]

Huh?

Why upgrade? Just plumb it in, hook up a rotary, install a front panel gauge, actively heat the grouphead with PID control, PID control the boiler and put in adjustable water debit.... hehehe

One of these days I'll get a picture up for you guys.

Oh - one reason. Steaming multiple drinks over a session is a pain with Silvia.

[Bex]

3 months, though I hesitate to say the Carezza is in the same class...I hear good things about the workmanship of the Silvia and think that the workmanship of the Carezza was lacking (my steam knob didn't work, steam and water leaked out of the grouphead).

[shadowfax]

Oh - one reason. Steaming multiple drinks over a session is a pain with Silvia.

...just buy two...

[Randy G.]

Huh?

Why upgrade? Just plumb it in, hook up a rotary, install a front panel gauge, actively heat the grouphead with PID control, PID control the boiler and put in adjustable water debit.... hehehe

One of these days I'll get a picture up for you guys.

Oh - one reason. Steaming multiple drinks over a session is a pain with Silvia.

Sounds like Andy's FrankenSilvia.
Steaming a pain? Just get another Silvia!

[Java Man]

4 years.

[Beezer]

I upgraded less than one year after getting my Gaggia Classic, which I consider to be in more or less the same class as a Silvia. However, I did have a Gaggia Espresso for several years prior to that, and was reasonably happy with it. So if you count the Espresso, then it was probably six years or so before I upgraded.

[zin1953]

As I indicated in the prior thread, I had started with a Pavoni Europiccola level machine back in 1976 as my first introduction into making my own espresso drinks. After five years or so of being frustrated by burning myself on the boiler, of not being able to make everyone coffee when company came over (i.e.: couldn't add more water to the tank unless cool, shots were too hot when pulled in succession), and of dealing with its finicky temperament, I moved to my Coffee Gaggia sometime in 1981 (replacing the first with a second one about a decade on). In the intervening 25+ years, I have used my Gaggia virtually everyday.

In late 2006, I moved up to an HX machine (La Valentina) for my home, and late last year acquired an old Olympia Cafferex for my office.

Cheers,
Jason

[fflewddur]

I bypassed the whole upgrade thing. My first 'home' espresso machine was my faema 2 group. I picked up a gaggia factory for work in January.

[mike]

Sounds like Andy's FrankenSilvia.
Steaming a pain? Just get another Silvia!

Indeed. Inspired by Andy's and Greg's machines, much of the modification done at the labs of Verna Designs (I'm still roasting beans for Lino to pay back his excellent work!). Andy even consulted on a couple of problems I ran into.

[cappadoc]

Started with *$ barista for 6 months, then jumped straight to La Spaz.
Skipped Silvia class altogether.

[jesawdy]

I've got a lot of toys, but for the moment, Silvia still sits in the kitchen. We've come to terms with one another and understand each other (usually). It is PID temp controlled but otherwise stock (OPV "adjusted"). I do wish that it was a bit gentler to the bed of coffee. My solution to this problem is an underdosed large basket (i.e. 15-16 grams in a Synesso 18 gram ridgeless, quasi-triple basket).

[mike]

I've got a lot of toys, but for the moment, Silvia still sits in the kitchen. We've come to terms with one another and understand each other (usually). It is PID temp controlled but otherwise stock (OPV "adjusted"). I do wish that it was a bit gentler to the bed of coffee. My solution to this problem is an underdosed large basket (i.e. 15-16 grams in a Synesso 18 gram ridgeless, quasi-triple basket).

Not that I'm trying to hijack a thread, but that has interested me. I am getting a lot fewer fractures with my new rotary pump and adjustable water debit, with really the water debit adjustment being the key factor to avoiding the channeling. Yet, when I google to see what Andy measured for debit on the vibe, it was reasonable at 90ml/10s. I recall that mine "looked" faster than that before I converted. Would somebody measure the debit real fast on a stock Silvia? I'm tending to recommend people not go the hassle of an external rotary, and if the debit on the vibe is too high, that might be relatively easy to adjust with a bit of plumbing work inside the machine.

[poison]

Started with *$ barista for 6 months, then jumped straight to La Spaz.
Skipped Silvia class altogether.

I like the way you think!

[bukaeast]

Skipped Silvia class too. Too many posts on the delicacy of trying to get a consistently precise shot.
Went from a Gaggia Baby to a Pasquini Livietta that I had to clean up and out. Never hesitated.