HB wrote:You have my sympathy... you asked a simple question and you were told to look through a 90+ page thread spanning 5 years. No doubt it answers all your questions, if you're willing to sift through hundreds of posts unrelated to your query.

Megathreads are great fun for those who joined early. They're often unhelpful for late joiners. Sorry!

I'm surprised by your comment since you and others regularly refer people to existing threads. Is it really productive to rehash every topic when there's so much good information on the site? The thread I referenced is one of the best threads on the Mini. It certainly had a role in my purchasing a Mini.

I did purchase the LMLM a few weeks ago. It is everything I expected and lives up to the hype. My only issue is that my skill level on foaming plant based milk needs some work as the Mini steam performance is so advanced. Other than that I can say that after agonizing for months over the various options, I have never looked back and have no regrets.

One thing that I don't believe has been mentioned is the value of having LM stand behind the machine in terms of advice and maintenance. And, along with that is the fact that you will NEVER have to ship your Mini anywhere unless it is completely broken and under warranty and LM wants to replace it. Other than that, during warranty, and after, you will have a technician, one skilled in commercial machine support, come to your home. This was a major selling point for me. I looked into a Profitec 700, Lelit Bianca, ECM Synchronika, etc. All would require shipping back to the vendor for repair. I didn't like this at all. These machines are heavy and bulky and expensive to ship. Vendors say you can return the machines within 30 days for a refund if you don't like them. But, you have to pay not only to ship them back, but also for the original shipping cost the vendor incurred for "Free Shipping" the original shipment.

In closing, for me, I don't care for the look of the E61 grouphead. The Mini grouphead makes more sense to me.

Oh, btw, as to grinders, I agree that pairing the Mini with a grinder not up to it's specs is a mistake. But, for me, since the Monolith is so hard to come by, I purchased a Niche in the interim. It is around $700 and when I can get a "better" espresso grinder I can use the Niche for pour over and not have to go back and forth on grind setting for pour over and espresso on the same grinder. Also, it seems as though more and more grinder vendors are realizing that a lot of home espresso people don't want hoppers and prefer single dose. So, I think the options there are going to grow. If you have the funds go for the Mini and the Niche in the interim, then upgrade to a better espresso grinder in the future. You won't regret the Mini. It is fabulous.

Best of luck to you and I hope that whatever you do turns out to be a good decision, and that you have a lot of great coffee in your future.

BoulderMike wrote:I don't care for the look of the E61 grouphead. The Mini grouphead makes more sense to me

I agree completely with this and debated long and hard over ECM vs LMLM. I fell in love with LMLM the first time I saw it, when the LM roadshow brought it to Philly. I got to play with it there and twice at the Seattle LM cafe - and I absolutely loved it, both mechanically and for the drinks I made with it. But despite decades of espresso making, I'd never owned an e61. So I decided to buy the ECM to experience and learn about this style of machine, knowing I can always sell it and buy an LMLM if and when I've had my fill of the e61 (which, as you suggest but politely avoid saying, is not the best looking peach on the tree).

Long story short, after 16 months I've come to love Sofia (my ECM) despite her ancient plumbing. It took the better part of a year, and I still have a jones for a Mini. But my espresso is so good now and my foam so rich and smooth that I'm hard pressed to believe an LMLM could make it any better. Truth be told, it also reminds me more than a little of SU carbs (for which I still have a fondness - and a huge pile of parts - despite the incorporation of fuel injection in my life).

BoulderMike wrote:One thing that I don't believe has been mentioned is the value of having LM stand behind the machine in terms of advice and maintenance. And, along with that is the fact that you will NEVER have to ship your Mini anywhere unless it is completely broken and under warranty and LM wants to replace it. Other than that, during warranty, and after, you will have a technician, one skilled in commercial machine support, come to your home.

Again, this is sound thinking and worth consideration by anyone buying a high end machine. I live 90 minutes by car from my dealer, and the ECM is sufficiently "portable" for me to take it there in the event I can't handle a problem myself. I've gotten some specious advice from ECM dealers, so the LM experience seems to me to be well worth the price of admission. I may yet become an LMLM owner.

Enjoy!!

I'm aware of the search function on this site, and others like it, but in the 30+ pages I've read so far on the LMLM megathread, nowhere did I find mention of LM sending a tech for repairs; perhaps it's not unusual, but that kind of customer service and support might very well justify the expense. Thanks for the feedback.

Your welcome! LM told me that really don't want an owner to ever ship the machine. And, if you are anywhere near civilization LM has relationships with technicians who service their commercial machines at businesses. I actually spoke with them here prior to buying to find out about home servicing and was very happy with the service they promise.

I've owned my LMLM since September of 2016 and pulled around 4,000+ shots on it.

I initially ran it off the reservoir for 10 months and then we bought a home and I plumbed it in immediately and a year after that I plumbed the drain line. Over the course of ownership it has been a fun, rewarding, and a source of mechanical evolution. The first month or so was fraught with much frustration learning to use a very different machine coming from the gentle nature of an E61 with a gentle preinfusion, but eventually I found the right distribution methods and everything was once again right with the world.

We've enjoyed phenomal espresso during our ownership, most times exceeding that of what I got out of my E61, but not always. But I'm also realistic and I don't think every purchase in this hobby has to be to try to achieve a higher peak "godshot" than you could before. I think investing in things that offer repeatability, build quality, good looks, and better access to service is completely acceptable and makes the overall experience more enjoyable...I won't lie, I also like the idea of having my own La Marzocco machine on the counter, it's just cool.

I've done quite a few things with my machine, all of which I still enjoy..in chronological order.

* .6mm flow restrictor= This reduced channeling instances dramatically.
* Slayer #0 Steam tip=My wife drinks some lattes, but the only milk drinks I do on occasion are 5oz capps, I found the stock tip overkill for 4oz of milk, I could use the stock tip and just lower the steam pressure but I'd rather have the power and capacity of keeping it at 2bar for parties.
* 1" rise machined legs= Looks good and lessened the angle between my eyes and the cup during an extraction
* Alcorn Engineering DotShot= Because shot timers are incredibly nice to have and it looks OEM after install
* Modified brew path to add La Spazial Pre-infusion chamber= Increased dwell time from 5 to ~7.5seconds, no real gain on medium or darker roasts, incredible difference on light roast.
*Removed the rotary pump and put it in the cabinetry under the machine=Because...it's amazing, and the machine is so quiet now that the loudest sound is the espresso dripping into the cup, zero vibration anywhere, just zenlike.

As far as reliability over 4,000 shots, I had local La Marzocco tech replace 3 check valves at year 1, and that's it aside from the normal portafilter gasket changes every 6-12 months. Aesthetically the machine still looks brand new, so the finishes are also holding up very nicely. (stick to good microfiber for cleaning)

Stanford55 wrote:I'm aware of the search function on this site, and others like it, but in the 30+ pages I've read so far on the LMLM megathread, nowhere did I find mention of LM sending a tech for repairs; perhaps it's not unusual, but that kind of customer service and support might very well justify the expense. Thanks for the feedback.

I live in Northern Indiana, about an hour from Chicago. If I could be assured of that level of service, that would be a game changer for me when it comes time to replace my Vivaldi.

It is a fact. You might call LM Home and talk to them to confirm to set your mind at ease though. It never hurts to confirm this prior to buying.