Parts & repair for Valentina, Spaziale S1 or Brewtus II

[JBS]

After suffering through 5 problem-plagued years with a Capresso super? automatic, and their intolerant requirement that the machine must be sent in --even to replace a 50-cent part-- we're scrounging the forums/reviews for a top-rated semi-automatic. Because we live in MT, sending in a machine for repair can take up to 3 weeks and cost $$$ in shipping. Yet I know I could diagnose and repair most basic problems if a parts schematic (and willing supply source) are available.

We've read literally every post about the Valentina (1st-line), Spaziale S1 (chriscoffee) and Brewtus II (wholelattelove)... and the first 2 seem the best option since our usage is primarily lattes and cappuccinos. But one question we have never found answered is the future availability of parts - since we'd like this machine to last 7-8 years. Each of these machines has one primary authorized Internet importer -- which implies that if they cease to exist, parts or repair could be tough to get.

Does anyone else worry about this when purchasing a machine?

Does anyone have an opinion whether parts & service support might be more readily available on one of these machines over the others?

Does anyone know where to get a parts schematic -- that can be used for ordering parts?

There's a lot of hype about the "commercial parts" used in the Valentina. Does that mean the S1 & Brewtus use lighter-duty parts, even though they're double boilers and cost more?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[chris]

La Spaziale has a USA office in Seattle where parts are also available as well as technical assistance. They do not sell machines to end users but they do sell parts and offer repair assistance if needed. La Spaziale is the 5th largest manufacturer of espresso machines in Italy.

[beanjammin]

I have a Brewtus ll and as far as it being well built, all I can compare it to is the Silvia it replaced. The Brewtus is a tank in comparison. I've only had it for about a month, but it seems extremely well built. The service tech at Wholelattelove is a really dedicated young man. There is a Googlegroups Brewtus site filled with Brewtus owners : http://groups.google.com/group/brewtus?msg=subscribe

If you have any questions about a Brewtus ll, that's the place to get the answers. From what I can see, most Brewtus owners are very happy with their purchase.

Max

[HB]

Valentina and Brewtus are assembled using a lot of "off the shelf" parts. The S1 has more custom parts, but it's backed by a strong manufacturer. Bottom line is that getting parts down the line would not concern me for any of the three.