Tanax wrote:Anyone?

Some general concerns with the Appartamento is:
- Non-insulated copper boiler instead of insulated stainless steel
- No shot-timer PID
- Somehow feels not quite as good quality of the build compared to the Pro 300

Some general concerns with the Pro 300
- No E61 brew group
- Dual boiler in a very compact package = seems cramped
- Fragile steam- & hot water knobs
- Ugly (but smaller in width which is nice)

I haven't used either, but I did order a Pro300 so I'll chime in with my thoughts. The first is: do you want a PID Dual Boiler machine, or an HX machine? If you're considering the Appartamento, the more natural comparison in Profitec's range would be the Pro500 - at least here in the US they are very similarly priced with extremely similar spec sheets. The Pro500 is a little bigger, but it has a slightly larger boiler and a brew pressure gage.

For me, dual boiler, PID, and build quality were all of top importance. If that's the same for you, then the Pro300 is your machine. I don't know if I would call the Pro300's steam and water knobs 'fragile', rather befitting of a machine at a ~$1500 USD price point. If you want a machine that is (subjectively) more attractive on the counter, and would prefer an HX over a DB, than perhaps the Appartamento is the machine for you!

Thanks for the reply!
DB vs HX doesn't actually matter for me, I know that to some, DB is the only way to go - for me it doesn't matter.
Perhaps spec-wise, it's a more natural comparison to the Pro 500, but counterspace-wise, the Pro 300 is a better comparison since 29.5cm is all I have room for :/

I thank you for your opinions and insights as to why you choose the Pro 300, I'll definitely make my choice with that in mind.
The best thing would be to get a Pro 700 (but smaller), it could even have the same price as that's not the issue - I want a top quality machine and would expect it to cost similarly, just want a small one XD

Tanax wrote:Thanks for the reply!
The best thing would be to get a Pro 700 (but smaller), it could even have the same price as that's not the issue - I want a top quality machine and would expect it to cost similarly, just want a small one XD

Those that have compared the Pro700 and Pro300 side-by-side have expressed that there is little difference in the espresso each machine makes. Yes, the Pro700 has an E61 and rotary pump (just to name a few differences), but the Pro300 is no slouch. It's about as close to as one is going to get as a Pro700 in a small package - a rotary pump would be too large to fit in a machine the size of a Pro300, especially with a reservoir and 2 boilers. This is my personal opinion, but when it comes to Rocket and Profitec machines, I get the sense that with Rocket one will pay a slight premium for design/looks, whereas with Profitec one will pay a slight premium for build quality.

Tanax wrote:Would you guys choose the Profitec Pro 300 over the newly released Rocket Espresso Appartamento? Both are basically the same price here in Sweden.
Profitec is better on practically everything, quality-wise, but my main gripe with it is that it's so damn ugly

From what I can read from your comments, I could suggest that if pre-infusion is important to you, go with the Appartamento. If not, go with the Pro 300. Unless steaming is of utmost importance. Not that the Pro 300 is lacking, but I think the Appartamento will have more steaming power.

As a note, that is being cautiously said with the North America version of the Pro 300. The 1600W version. If you can get the European (2400W?) version, that would probably be a non-issue.

At the end of the day, Rocket is a renown manufacturer and Profitec has impressed with its design and built quality. SS may be better but copper has been used for ages (both manufacturers insulate their boilers)... I can't help you with what you find ugly or beautiful. The Appartamento looks nice, yes, but all my guests find my Pro 300 shiny and a looker too. So that's up to you.

I really like my Pro 300! DB all-the-way! ha ha

Tanax wrote:The best thing would be to get a Pro 700 (but smaller)

The Pro 300 IS a smaller version of the Pro 700!!! Only they changed the look to hit the price-point they were aiming for. Smaller boilers, vibration pump, - gauge, knobs...

As an aside, I was at the anniversary party of my local tea/coffee/wine place last night (http://www.halffullglassware.ca/) and they were demo'ing the LeLit Mara, which has to be the smallest, narrowest E-61 HX that I have ever seen - it makes a Silvia look big (WTF is it with Silvia pricing, anyhow?) I am familiar with the local roaster's blend that was being pulled (http://www.happygoatcoffee.com), and, well, to me, a vibe-pump E-61 HX is a vibe-pump E-61 HX, you have to figure out what flush works best for the machine/coffee.

In any case, given the poster's width limitation, dislike of the Pro300's looks, and lack of budgetary constraint, perhaps consider an Elektra Micro Casa - either the Leva or the Semiautomatica? In some sense the two Elektra's are the exact opposites of the Pro 300. Curves instead of box, clarity instead of punch, 50+ year-old technology instead of double boilers and PID's ... all I know is that if I was going to keep just one espresso machine, then it would be the Elektra Micro Casa a Leva - it isn't the most versatile machine, it isn't the easiest to use, it benefits from mods right out of the box (teflon heat break), but, with the right coffee (and only the right coffee), it will delivers shots - in silence - that have me staring at the cup in wonderment .

That being said, I don't think that you can go wrong with the Pro 300 or the Rocket. They both sound like great machines from respected companies.

Our Pro300 from Clive Coffee arrived yesterday! After waiting for two months without a machine, it's nice to finally have espresso at home again. Can't wait to continue to test the machine out and see what it can do, but the early results have been great.

Wow Andrew, it's so refreshing to see your full res photos! Also, I filmed a brief video during bench testing of our first batch of 15 amp machines to show that the performance matches that of the previous 20 amp model. With this fantastic two hole steam tip, I think a lot of people are going to find this machine easier to learn on than heat exchangers. And for those that like smaller drinks like macchiatos, gibraltars, cortados, the Pro 300 is going to be a great fit.
https://youtu.be/XvzSOTJPZf4

@BP

I was going to pull the trigger on a Breville Dual Boiler, but then I saw the Profitec 300. It's a bit more money, but the quality seems to be well worth it (20 amp circuit here). I see that it has a steam pressure gauge and not a brew pressure gauge, however. Is steam pressure really that important? This would be my first espresso machine, so I'd really like a brew pressure gauge to debug my shots. It was one of the selling points of the Breville for me. Is this really that big of a deal?

cjk wrote:It was one of the selling points of the Breville for me. Is this really that big of a deal?

I come from a Breville Barista Express with brew pressure gauge and I bought a Pro 300. It would be a nice to have but once you have dialed in the grinder timing your shots per volume is sufficient.