Does it make sense to buy a used Rancilio Silvia? - Page 2

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
dkny3939 (original poster)
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#11: Post by dkny3939 (original poster) »

ira wrote:The Silvia was the go to starter machine in the past, but making good espresso on a Silvia is more difficult than making it on a slightly better machine, hence it's lack of recommendation over the last 5 or more years. As long as you're up for dealing with that, it will be fine. But if I was guessing, I'd say one of these days the word will finally get out and the resale value will drop.
What slightly better machine would you recommend? I'd like to stay with a manufacturer with a long track record of reliability and support, with a large following, and wide availability of parts. Ms. Silvia is on my radar despite its temperamental nature because I make milk drinks, while espresso must be within a certain spectrum of acceptability, it doesn't need to be perfect.

ira
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#12: Post by ira »

I don't know what I'd recommend. Personally any used dual boiler. I started with a Brewtus II, about the least expensive E-61 dual boiler available at the time. All the parts are standard and easily available and the available documentation is excellent. Find something like that used and you'll be set for life. And it will make making drinks about as easy as it gets. But I've been know to rebuild espresso machine and repair ones that just show up at my doorstep on occasion.

vecchi della seattle
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#13: Post by vecchi della seattle »

I had one for 20 years. I sold it in a garage sale for $50. My personal experience; You don't want to steam milk on a Silvia (single boiler). Makes one great espresso (not 2).

Splatcat
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#14: Post by Splatcat »

I've had my Silvia with Pid for almost 8 years now. I LOVE it !!! Makes great espresso and steams pretty well too. I make 2 flat whites every morning back to back, twice. Sure my group guard fell off and the frame is starting to rust, but it's easy to fix and parts are everywhere. It's a great machine to start on.

skink91
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#15: Post by skink91 »

I don't think it makes sense to buy a used Silvia as the savings you mentioned just don't line up with buying new.

That said, I have had good luck with mine for making espresso and the build quality is good (so disagree with a former poster's assessment).

Would I buy it if I had to do it over? No. The PID is great and IMO necessary... the single boiler shared for steam wand and head stinks though, so I actually bought a Breville milk frother to handle that separately. If I was to get a 'do-over' I would buy an ECM Puristika (espresso only, no steam).

dkny3939 (original poster)
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#16: Post by dkny3939 (original poster) replying to skink91 »

$400-500 for 20 year old machines, $500-600 for 10 year olds. I suppose that's a good thing that it holds value, but may as well buy new at this price point. After you add a PID and such to a new Silvia, its total price gets close to low end HX or even used DB territory. That might not apply to me, my prior machine had PID and pre-infusion, and frankly I didn't care for them, espresso all taste the same when diluted with 6-8 oz of milk. Microfoam is a must tho.

I actually may go for something like the Bellman steamer:
https://prima-coffee.com/equipment/bellman/50ss
If I can get over risking having my face blown off if this thing malfunctions.

skink91
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#17: Post by skink91 »

dkny3939 wrote: After you add a PID and such to a new Silvia, its total price gets close to low end HX or even used DB territory. That might not apply to me, my prior machine had PID and pre-infusion, and frankly I didn't care for them, espresso all taste the same when diluted with 6-8 oz of milk. Microfoam is a must tho.
To each their own - I am not a budding latte artist, so the texture the Breville provides meets my needs. And the PID is important to me because I want to know when I am 'actually' at temp and how far it diverges (and that it gets their as fast as possible).

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Jeff
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#18: Post by Jeff »

I forget where I read it many years ago, and apologize to the original author. Paraphrasing
With sufficient skill and patience one can reliably pull good shots on a Silvia-class machine. Unfortunately, by the time one has developed those skills they have lost the patience.
These days I'd recommend a Robot or Flair 58 for someone on a modest budget that expects to explore espresso as a hobby. Even with a cheap or fancy frother or steamer, you're at a comparable or lower price than a Silvia-class machine. The quality of espresso you get with likely be both better and less variable.

The Breville Bambino is another option if you're looking for a solid espresso or cap, but don't expect to be diving deeply into the hobby.

dkny3939 (original poster)
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#19: Post by dkny3939 (original poster) »

Jeff wrote:I forget where I read it many years ago, and apologize to the original author. Paraphrasing



These days I'd recommend a Robot or Flair 58 for someone on a modest budget that expects to explore espresso as a hobby. Even with a cheap or fancy frother or steamer, you're at a comparable or lower price than a Silvia-class machine. The quality of espresso you get with likely be both better and less variable.

The Breville Bambino is another option if you're looking for a solid espresso or cap, but don't expect to be diving deeply into the hobby.
Ah, these Robot or Flair level espresso makers are fascinating, they are great options for someone exploring espresso as a hobby like you said. That's not really my goal tho. I've already done my exploration and to be honest, I don't really care for espresso shots, especially stressing over brew ratio, tiger stripes, blonding, WDT, tamp pressure, pump pressure, brew temp etc etc. to get the perfect shot. Learning these stuff was fun, and I'm glad to have done it, but even more glad to have outgrown such obsession. Now I just want to steam a nice cup of silky smooth milk and flavor it with decent espresso, and get on with my day. For non-milk drinks, I'd rather go for a nice cup of joe brewed with the $5 Melitta than an espresso shot.

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baldheadracing
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#20: Post by baldheadracing »

dkny3939 wrote:... Now I just want to steam a nice cup of silky smooth milk ...
It is starting to sound like you might want to consider a machine with a bigger boiler, say, 1.8l or higher in a lever or steam boiler, or 2l+ in an HX (assuming around 1.2 bar boiler pressure in all cases).
-"Good quality brings happiness as you use it" - Nobuho Miya, Kamasada