What was your upgrade path from a Rancilio Silvia class espresso machine?

[HB]

Many espresso enthusiasts upgrade one or more times. Have you upgraded? (For those who plan to upgrade and have decided on the type of espresso machine, please select above as if you had already upgraded).

[jrtatl]

Went straight to HX -- no other first step. Happy so far. Double boiler may be in my future.....

[grong]

Started with a Gaggia Coffee Deluxe for a couple of years. I liked it a lot, but it stopped working a couple of times, and I had no idea how to fix it. After a second repair at the shop, I bought a Rancilio Audrey at Peet's.

I used Rancilio Audrey for about ten years, till much of the composite base disintegrated. This machine still produces espresso flawlessly, without ever having any special water or service, except for a new portafilter gasket. It has stood in several times while my upgrade machine, Zaffiro, awaited one part or another for repair. It steams a milk drink very nicely.

I have had the Zaffiro for three years, and it makes great espresso. I make one milk-based drink a day, so I would not consider an HX machine an upgrade.

I recently got a Ponte Vecchio Lusso lever machine, which I really like. In some ways it is the simplest of them all, it makes great espresso, and it steams beautifully.

[serenewu]

I can not forget miss slivia.
She is so charming, but I'm using Fiorenzato Bricoletta right now.
I won't say Bricoletta is an upgraded version, because HX is another type Espresso machine.
If I want to buy another new espresso machine, I may choose 2 group Commercial Espresso Machines like LM Linea(Modified).

[luca]

I've voted for HX. Haven't actually gotten one yet, but I'm toying with pushing the button on a maver marte. DBs are an interesting lot ... got to admit that I haven't really played around with them much, but I didn't really like the expobar. I loved the commercial Dalla Cortes, but haven't used their domestic machines. If they're similar, that might be a future upgrade path. For the moment, the Maver seems to be pretty easy to use; with the tiny cooling flushes that are necessary, it feels more like using a linea than a HX. I'll leave the in-depth tweakage for the Synesso at work. More news when and if I get one.

I also have a la peppina, which I don't really consider to be an upgrade from my silvia - just something different to play around with. Having ebayed it up second (or third, or fourth) hand, like many of the dudes on the lever forum, it's more of a project. This week, the peppina has a presso sitting next to it on loan from presso Australia.

Cheers,

Luca

[OkcEspresso]

I also voted HX. I went from a Silvia to a commercial single group HX (CMA - Laurentis) machine I bought used on eBay and renovated and [improved].

C.

[randomperson]

From steam toys to Gaggia Classic and now onto HX (La Valentina). My struggle in terms of deciding between double boiler vs HX was well documented here on other threads: Because of what I had read about HX machines I had developed an irrational Fear of Flushing!

How foolish that turned out to be! As Dan says, once you get your machine, it all becomes quite obvious in a relatively short time. You learn how to "Trust the Force." And then once you learn the basics, the flexibility and tweakability afforded by HX machines is just amazing.

I have to say that while I flirted for a while with the idea of the Brewtus, at the end of the day I am delighted with my choice. While I do not know the absolute temperature I am achieving, I am quite capable of adjusting the result based on taste. To my mind this is no different then starting with a "known" temperature with the Brewtus -- at the end of the shot you still have to adjust based on taste. As long as you keep your technique consistent, La Val can produce completely repeatable results, just as if you had dialed a specific temperature. I see no reason to upgrade in the future, as La Valentina completely meets (and even exceeds) my needs.

I still think that for low volume home use -- a shot or two at a time, let's say -- that the Gaggias and Silvias of the world are perfectly acceptable alternatives and can produce great coffee. But for consistency, tweakability, repeatability, and any kind of volume (by that I mean more than a shot or two at a clip) an upgrade becomes essential. All you have to do is entertain four people at home and go through the motions of making four milk-based drinks and you become an instant convert!

[miKe mcKoffee]

A Hex on HX! Pox the surf! Such was my mantra a scant year ago as I contemplated leaving my first love Miss Silvia. Yet I now have an HX which is perfectly suited to my consumption style giving the ability to pull back to back shots each a different blend or SO each requiring a different shot temp at will and quite accurately. Turns out HX machine much better suited for me than a dual boiler would have been. My understanding and thinking was changed primarily due to Reviews and forum threads on HB. Much as my thinking about PIDing Silvia took two years to change so I surfed for two years before deciding having a PID hanging on her side wasn't a cancerous growth but more akin to a dragster blower!

[CoffeeBeau]

I tried to start off with a Silvia (from my krups steamy), and bought one used from CG buy/sell/trade. The machine came damaged, so I sent it back and got full pay pal credit. Sad and depressed, my lovely wife encouraged to go for a nice machine, and gave me the green light. After researching I decided to go for an HX. The need for a decent frothing machine for my wifes cappas or lattes, and an E61 for its shear beauty and guilt free performance.

The long winded version of a Silvia upgrade: HX with no regrets.

Bob

[kaioslider]

Silvia>Vetrano. I don't see myself upgrading again as the only upgrade I would bother with is a GS3 level machine. I'm pulling great shots and don't feel limited with my Vetrano. If I got a GS3 is would be b/c I had lots and lots of $$$ sitting around.

[Alan]

Just upgraded my Silvia to an Astra Gourmet GS (HX machine). The E-61 grouphead is drilled and tapped with a thermocouple in it which makes the flush pretty easy to get right. I am liking it a lot. 2200W and 4liters of steaming power.

[mrgnomer]

Many espresso enthusiasts upgrade one or more times. Have you upgraded? (For those who plan to upgrade and have decided on the type of espresso machine, please select above as if you had already upgraded).

Less than a year after starting with a Silvia my upgrade was to a Quickmill Vetrano. Excellent home use e61 HX IMHO.
I wanted consistency, adjustablilty and reliability. There's not many double boiler machines to choose from vs. HX machines but even if there were more double boilers I felt I'd rather have the flexibility and control an HX offers.

It's been two months since the upgrade and it looks like upgrade fever has been cured.

[affas]

After 2 years of the Silvia I ended up with an Spaziale S1. So easy and nice to use. Makes excellent shots time after time and the foaming is just so easy and makes me very good microfoam, even in small quantities of milk. The price is not so bad at all

[mogogear]

As a lever -head I kind of feel lonely in this group.
I started with and moved to :
Rancilio Betsy>Silvia> La Pavoni Europiccola>Olympia Cremina>La Peppina>Gaggia Compacta( commericail lever)>Conti Prestina (Same )

I have tried out some small.. HX machines for size- Livietta, Astra Gourmet and a Isomac TEA- maybe next year...

[jimoncaffeine]

My upgrade path - aka "The Upgrade Cycle of Doom..."

Various steam toys - (about 25 years ago)
-Gaggia Espresso - (about 20 years ago and still in use)
-Starbucks Barista - (about 5 years ago - pressurized portafilter caused me to think I had grown to dislike espresso!)
-Gaggia Baby - (about 2 years ago - after I realized it was my machine wrecking the espresso.)
-Quick Mill Anita (semi-auto, HX, pour-over) - (about 1 year ago - after I could not find a decent, used, commercial machine that I could afford.)
-Faema Compact S (semi-auto, HX, plumb-in) - (about 2 months ago - purchased all parts in a box, rebuilt and re-assembled - but it only cost $50... and it looked like way too much fun to let go by... I was on it like a crow on a dead squirrel! )
-La San Marco, Practical 95e (auto, HX, plumb-in) - (A week ago today... Found it used for $300 and just couldn't pass it up.)

I've enjoyed having an HX machine compared to the single boiler non-hx's in the past. Its nice to be able to steam milk drinks while pulling the shot meant for the drink. A larger boiler makes it much more stable when the boiler is filled than for the same amount in a smaller boiler. The plumb-in machines added far more to my enjoyment than I ever believed that they would. (Its nice not worrying about the water tank level all the time and you go through A LOT more water with an HX machine due to the cooling flushes.) The auto-dosing on the latest machine is nice too since you just sort of gaze occasionally at the creama while steaming the milk rather than having to stop it manually but, I wouldn't not buy a semi-auto machine just because it didn't have this feature.

I've enjoyed the upgrades I've made. I've sold everything from the Starbucks Barista to the Anita for more money than I originally spent on them. So far I've lost $295 on the Anita (sold it last week for $700) but I got a year of trouble-free use out of it and that's worth something to me as well. I suspect I will make up for it when I sell the Faema since I've only got $150 in it, including the rebuild parts.

For me, coffee is a hobby and meant to be fun as well as taste good. I'm having so much fun, lately, that I'm running out of counter space! (Check out the pic. You can see my gaggia mdf decaf grinder right beside it for scale!)

Regards,

Jim

[Psyd]

My girlfriend's mom gave us a no-name espresso machine for some holiday. I started using it, and loved it more than any other coffee I'd had up til then. I needed to have a 'real' espresso machine, so I got a Krups steamtoy. Went through about four of those and decided that I wanted a 'pro' styled machine, and got the Krups Thermoblock pump machine. Yeah...
Then I saw Silvia, and fell in love. All my friends thought I was crazy. Then I made them all capps. All my friends thought I was crazy and glad of it. Silvia did me well, with her compatriot, Rocky, for many years, and all my friends, knowing how crazy I was, would keep an eye on me. Then it happened. My present girlfriend told me about a small intimate theatre that was closing, and the machine that was going to go with it. I bought the Astoria-badged grinder for a fraction of what it was worth. It was a small place, and the espresso machine was only abused on show nights and late mornings. It was a cafe by day, and mostly closed or running small shows at nite. The machine was a two group Astoria 'Big Gulp' (named for the size of the cup that would fit under the group, although I'll never figure out why they did that...) and it wasn't generating any interest. I suggested as I'd love to have it, but could only afford the most modest of semi-pro gear, and wouldn't be able to afford anything near what it was worth. The owner said something akin to "SOLD!" and I came by the next day to disco my new babe and load her lovingly into the back of my pickup. I took her apart, slowly and gently, carefully cleaning the signs of abuse that she had suffered. Fortunately, the onliest parts that needed replacing were the PF gaskets and one of the three-way valves. The three-way was the result of a bad braze (solder?) during manufacturing, so the mistreatment that she suffered injured nothing but her dignity. I had originally meant to sell her to a bud, and use a small profit to justify getting a single group E61 machine or a DB, or something equally as nice that I could plumb into my kitchen and plug into a wall outlet, but fate would have it otherwise,
My buddy's plans for a coffeeshop fell through, and she sat, all cleaned up and nice, in my living room. In a fit of boredom one day, I decided that I had all the plumbing I needed where the dishwasher used to be. Well, it's still there, but I don't like using them, so mine is a pots & pans cabinet now. Needless to say, the butcher block top or the washer and the remaining plumbing seemed ready-made for an espresso machine. All I had to do now was to drill a 3/4" hole in the side of my kitchen and park an eighty dollar 220V recept on the wall above my hot water heater, and, VIOLA, espresso. I'm not sure that I'll ever be able to go back.
One day I may want the use of those cabinets back, and I might try looking for a single group that'll impress me. I'm not sure what that is, the GS3 or the Cyncra, but really, who'd trade me for the Astoria? I don't think that I'd want to put out a whole lot of cash to 'downgrade' (I'm not saying that the GS3 or the Cyncra are not as good as the Astoria), but I don't think I could tell anyone here if I didn't get at least one of those machines as my next one!

[zin1953]

Hmmm . . .

Well let's see, circa 1976, I bought a La Pavoni Europiccola EPC-8 for $299. It was my first espresso machine, and -- hey, it was 30 years ago; what did I know? It was finicky about the grind; it was impossible to refill the boiler when company was over (let alone impossible to make multiple drinks at one time); it was a Royal PITA!

Of course, now I realize that a) it was a great machine, exactly as advertised; and b) I was the one expecting it to do things for which it was never designed. It was Operator Error.

So after about 5-6 years of struggle, I got myself a Coffee Gaggia. Had it for about 10 years until it died. I figured, since it too was $299, it had served me well and I got another one to replace it.

Now that I've retired from 35 years in the wine trade, I have (a little) more time to devote to coffee, and so recently upgraded to an HX machine: an Ala di Vittoria La Valentina.

And I already know that -- at some point down the road, when we remodel the kitchen -- I'll have to go plumbed-in/rotary.

Cheers,
Jason

[Reasnor]

Mine's a similar story. My sister gave me a Krups steam machine (which seemed highly impressive at the time). It just didn't do what I wanted it to. When I got married, I convinced my coffee-hating wife that we had enough money to buy the set-up I had always wanted: Silvia and a Solis Maestro. Well, I had upgrade fever shortly after, as I enjoy mostly milk-based drinks. So, less than a year later, I upgraded to a Nuova Simonelli Oscar.

This machine has been a workhorse. I've done weddings with it where I make 100 8 oz single lattes in 3 hours - no problem. But, this darned website has me itchin'. And I'll have to wait until my coffee-hating wife scratches it. I'd be interested in the Brewtus, maybe the S1, or possibly the Appia.

[edna713]

Skip the HX, and go direct to double boiler

I owned a great HX and HATED it.

but just my opinion,

peace to all.

e

[Lovey]

G'day all,
here looks like a good place for a first post, I thought I'd better stop lurking and make a post
I stepped up from a Silvia to a Giotto premium last week, very happy with it so far
All the best,
Steve.