Hello everyone! New to the forum so excuse my newbness. Saw a generic ad for "commercial espresso machine" 500$. I called the guy and he said he didn't know what the model and stuff it was, but it was at a Italian restaurant he owns. He sent me a picture that I attached. It appears to be a La Pavoni Pub 1v. He said it is about 5yrs old, was used a few times a month throughout that time and the condition is very good. I shot and offer of 400$ and he said he would do it, apparently the restaurant is closed and he is selling everything. Is this a good deal. I would have to drive about 2hrs to go see/buy it.

Thanks!!!

Brandon

If its in decent shape it could be ok. You would be buying a commercial machine, and it looks to be plumbed. This means you probably need a 240v line, and a plumbed in water source. If you have this infrastructure or can produce it then you can use the machine. If you don't, its useless. The machine is dosed automatically, so you lose some control, but there's usually a button for infinite dispensing. There isn't a portafilter included in the picture, so make sure it comes with one. The problem with a commercial machine at home comes down to volume. If you don't use it enough, it's cumbersome to use, and you're better off with something more suited to your volume of consumption.

You also need a grinder. The one you have won't work well.

Pub 1groups are 110v 1500w requiring only a standard 110v 15A circuit. While they make a pour over model that one does appear to be the more common plumbed model. Current new price ~$4000 so yes I'd say $400 a good deal even if it needs a bit of TLC. It's big and it's bad, as in once heated up can pull shots and steam virtually non-stop all day. This is because of it's large 7l boiler, which because only 1500w 110v takes close to an hour to fully heat up from cold start. If planning to turn off at night put it on a ~$30 digital timer from Lowes/HomeDepot etc. and be ready to rock in the morning when you are.

Unlike Prosumer class HX machines you need to flush to bring the group up to production temp from idle rather than a cooling flush. Then just pull shot after shot after shot without need to temp surf each shot. Commercial HX machines are made to be used and work most effectively/consistently constantly used.

I have a pourover semiautmatic version of the Pub 1 at home. The only concern as a home machine is a larger case than your typical prosumer machine. Steaming is a lot faster than my grimac e61 but you get use to that. I like the taste of the shot more than my grimac but that is a subjective opinion as both machine make good shots. I can only speak to the vibe-pump version of the Pub 1 but it is a very forgiving machine with respect to barista technique. In the beginning, I was able to get good shots from it while similar shots from a SBDU left much to be desired.