Ms Silvia seems to hold its value really well. I've seen sellers demanding $500+ for ~20 year old v2 machines. Most listings are for v2, v3, and they go for at least $400-500. Newer v5+ tends to ask for $600+. Does it make sense to pay that much for such old machines? Wouldn't it make sense to buy a new one, if it means I can use it for 10 years, and turn around and sell it for $500, especially if I can get it on sale?

On the other hand, are older machines actually better constructed than the newer ones? What real improvement has Rancilio made to Silvia over the decades? I don't see much. So maybe there is no point in spending more for a new machine!

Lastly, a little bit about my use case: I'm the only coffee drinker in the house. I prefer brew coffess to espresso and only drinks capps and lattes (1-2 a day), but may on rare occations, steam milk for the spouse (hot choco and such. I want something that gets the job done and are easy to fix if something breaks. My research suggests the Silvia is a great candidate. Also looking at the Gaggia Classic but not sure it can steam 2 milk drinks simultaneously. My prior machine was a CC1 and that was a weak steamer.

For the Silvia, the main improvement is a replaceable stainless steel heating element. Except for very early machines, older versions used a copper element attached to the boiler. When people steamed milk without using the machine properly, or let the reservoir run dry, the element would be stressed and would eventually burn out, and then both the element and the boiler top would need to be replaced with the current setup. The current stainless steel element is more resistant to operator error.

As for pricing, there was a surge in used non-commercial espresso equipment pricing during the pandemic. New models were in short supply, and so used prices rose, just like what happened with used cars. Used car prices are dropping now.

Keep in mind that a Silvia's boiler is sized to steam milk for two Italian-sized cappuccinos. See first paragraph for what happens when one regularly steams more milk.

Regardless, I would recommend adding in the price of a PID kit in order to avoid frustration with both brewing and steaming.

https://www.espressocoffeeshop.com/en/s ... chine.html

Apprently Ms. Silvia goes for 500 euro in Europe, that's a full $300 cheaper than the going rate in USA. I will be in Italy this summer, guess I can buy one, use it for the summer, and ship it back?

Now, does a European model work in the US? They have different plug and their electric has higher voltage.

dkny3939 wrote:Now, does a European model work in the US? They have different plug and their electric has higher voltage.

You'd need a step-up transformer; see prior discussions for the tradeoffs. Personally, I wouldn't bring a 220V espresso machine back to the US unless I was planning to keep it forever, since its resale value would be terrible.

FWIW, the Silvia M sold in North America does not have any electronics. The Silvia sold in Europe has an electronics controller to support eco mode, a.k.a. Silvia E.

If you buy in Italy, keep in mind the paperwork needed for partial VAT(sales tax) refunds and also the refund restrictions (unless you don't want some of the VAT refunded). VAT in Italy is 22%.

baldheadracing wrote: Keep in mind that a Silvia's boiler is sized to steam milk for two Italian-sized cappuccinos. See first paragraph for what happens when one regularly steams more milk.

Having never used this type of machine, it didn't occure to me that it won't refill while steaming. How long can one steam before risking damaging the heating element? Would this time be shorter on a machine with a smaller boiler, eg, Gaggia Classic?

HB wrote:You'd need a step-up transformer; see prior discussions for the tradeoffs. Personally, I wouldn't bring a 220V espresso machine back to the US unless I was planning to keep it forever, since its resale value would be terrible.

Very good point, worth considering for sure.

baldheadracing wrote:FWIW, the Silvia M sold in North America does not have any electronics. The Silvia sold in Europe has an electronics controller to support eco mode, a.k.a. Silvia E.

If you buy in Italy, keep in mind the paperwork needed for partial VAT(sales tax) refunds and also the refund restrictions (unless you don't want some of the VAT refunded). VAT in Italy is 22%.

Thanks for this.

dkny3939 wrote:Having never used this type of machine, it didn't occure to me that it won't refill while steaming. How long can one steam before risking damaging the heating element? Would this time be shorter on a machine with a smaller boiler, eg, Gaggia Classic?

The Silvia was supposedly originally sent to Rancilio distributors as a gift. As such, it has almost no safeguards or nannies except that which is required for electrical certification, like a thermostat to kill power before the machine could start a fire. The Silvia expects you to know and account for everything else, just like commercial machines used to be. Think of a car with no seatbelts or airbags or warning lights or gauges ... or turn signals.

As for time, I'm just telling you what the machine was designed for. Unfortunately, your question is impossible for me to answer as it depends on how you set the machine up for steaming, and how you steam.

The Gaggia has an entirely different design with the element outside of its very small boiler and so is more difficult to burn out. OTOH, Aluminium can easily corrode with the wrong water.

I don't know if it makes any sense to buy it at all
For what is worth, I had a Silvia and honestly, I would not even pay a hundred bucks for it, were I to buy it again. Shoddy craftsmanship, held together by carpenter screws, very prone to channeling, had electrical terminals darken, had to replace led light, unless you get the model with PID, forget about temperature consistency. Oh, and the painted iron frame will rust eventually. The panels of the body were misaligned, not only on mine, but on a friend's machine too. I might be biased against Rancilio, but I fail to see any upsides to this (rather noisy) machine.

Derryisreal wrote:For what is worth, I had a Silvia and honestly, I would not even pay a hundred bucks for it, were I to buy it again. Shoddy craftsmanship, held together by carpenter screws, very prone to channeling, had electrical terminals darken, had to replace led light, unless you get the model with PID, forget about temperature consistency. Oh, and the painted iron frame will rust eventually. The panels of the body were misaligned, not only on mine, but on a friend's machine too. I might be biased against Rancilio, but I fail to see any upsides to this (rather noisy) machine.

For me the upside is this machine has been around for a long time, has a large following, and if something breaks I can expect to find replacement parts and fix it relatively easily. I understand it doesn't have the bells and whistles and creature comforts of newer machines, that's certainly unfortunate. On the other hand, when looking at a machine decked out with a full feature list, I always question what if something breaks. I don't want a machine to turn into a pile of junk as soon as the first component fails. Many machinese in this price range appear to be disposal in the sense that they are not intended to be user repairable. All of that being said, your comment is completely valid and highly appreciated, it's certainly something I should consider as I look at my options.