Besides the Crossland, the Lelit Glenda: https://www.1st-line.com/buy/lelit-pl41 ... o-machine/

Both the Crossland and the Glenda offer PID control which the Silvia lacks. The Crossland also offers a separate thermoblock for steaming; the Lelit offers the look of shiny stainless steel and Italian construction.

I'd certainly get either over a new Silvia if you are stuck paying the MAP (minimum advertised price) of $715 for the Silvia.

iamnew1990 wrote:Thanks! It looks like the Lelit Glenda PL41PLUS-T is pretty sweet! There's not really too much online about it though (obviously, the internet is flooded with Silvia stuff). Is that something to be worried about? I found a brand new one for $674, which is even cheaper than the Silvia, so I'm now leaning towards the Glenda.

Any other thoughts, suggestions, things to worry about before I pull the trigger?

Thanks!

In the past, Lelit has made multiple versions of the same "name" with differing details in different markets, different vendors, etc. Compare carefully. If I were in the USA, then I would buy the Lelit from 1-st Line just because of their reputation and long history distributing Lelit. FYI, Lelit has a showroom Glenda for $699.

The Glenda uses the smaller Anna chassis to reduce costs. (Smaller compared to, for example, the Lelit Victoria or the Silvia.) The smaller chassis will probably be noisier. The vibrations from the pump will probably be enough that you will have to hold your cup in place at least at the start of the extraction.

The obvious next question is what will you use for a grinder. There is no use getting a better machine without addressing the grinder (and you will get a better price if the grinder and machine are bought together).

iamnew1990 wrote:As far as a grinder, I have the Capresso conical burr grinder. I know that's not close to the best out there, and I could do better if I pay more... but it's been VERY good for me so far. Super consistent grind, quite a few grinder settings, etc. I'm sure I'll upgrade the grinder in the future, but looking to stick with it for now.

I apologize in advance if what I have written below is harsh, but I can't think of any nice way of saying this.

This is your future:

You get up in the morning.
You turn on the machine.
You do whatever for 30-40 minutes until the machine has warmed up.
You weigh out your beans, RDT, grind them, WDT until the grounds are as flat as a practice putting green in the basket, tamp perfectly level, and pull a shot. Your prep and technique are as good as a World Barista Champion's.
Perfect.
You want a second shot.
You weigh out your beans, RDT, grind them, WDT ..., tamp perfectly level, and pull a shot.
Everything done exactly the same as the first shot. Prep and technique as good as a World Barista Champion's.
The coffee comes flying out of the portafilter spouts. You almost puke at how sour the shot is, and pour it down the sink.
You try again.
You weigh out your beans ...
Everything the same as the first shot.
This time, nothing comes out of the spouts; the machine has choked.
... and it is time to clean up and go to work.

Next morning, you try again, but nothing works.

The next morning, one good shot ... but two sink shots.

Repeat until you are so frustrated that either the Lelit goes on Craigslist or you spend $200-$300 on a hand espresso grinder like a Lido E or E-T or a Pharos, or twice that on a powered one like a Niche Zero or Baratza Vario. (There are lots of others, these are just examples.)

The first point that a decent espresso grinder offers is consistency between shots. The Capresso (or Breville SGP or Bodum Bistro, etc.) is more than adequate at producing a grind that can make an enjoyable espresso ... but will it do it consistently? Well, every time you try to make an espresso, "... you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?'"

Good luck