Hey all,

I've recently (yesterday) become quite intrigued with the Profitec Pro 300, but there is a distinct lack of information on it out in the wild.



After some exhaustive online searching, there is not a single youtube video showing it in action, and I could only evidence of three people who actually own one - someone in the UK and two guys in Germany - none of which gave much information. It's only been mentioned in a few posts here and I don't know of anyone here who owns one. I'm not sure it's being sold in the US just yet, but Clive Coffee and WLL will be selling it soon, however they've been on sale since at least early 2014 in Europe.

Here's a link to the manufacturer's page:
http://www.profitec-espresso.com/en/pro ... o-300.html

The Good

• It's a dual boiler (albeit with smaller boilers that are very similarly sized to the BDB)
• It's small and light (a similar size and weight to the BDB)
• It uses a standard 58mm portafilter
• It is ready to pull a shot in 5-10 mins! (with steam boiler off)
• It has an integrated shot timer/PID display
• No burn steam wand

The Bad

• No preinfusion
• No PID on the steam boiler
• No plumb in option (seems silly to plumb such a small machine)

The Ugly

• I've seen better looking machines, but I've certainly seen worse too.

I guess I can understand that's it's easy to ignore this machine when it's big brother the Pro 700 has everything and more...but that comes with a price! I couldn't actually find a quoted price on the 300 (although I expect I'll have an answer on that later today), but I saw someone mention in some forum somewhere that it's in the Oscar price range (around $1200).

So why hasn't this machine captured the hearts and minds just yet? Maybe because no one is actively selling them in the US yet? What are its main competitors? The BDB is probably about the same price, has a more advanced computer/display system, but is mass produced and not really user serviceable. Then there's the Lelit Diana and Mara - The Diana certainly looks similar, but I don't know much about either one.

So does anyone know anything else? I'm not necessarily looking for advice, just information and opinions.

I saw one of these at I Drink Coffee a couple of months ago, they had it on the bench for testing.

If memory serves, the fellow mentioned that both heating elements drew too much and would have to be changed in order to get it certified for sale. He also said they were several months (6+) away from being able to sell it.

The Pro 300 does look quite comparable to the Lelit Diana PL60PLUST carried by 1st Line ($1200) except that there is some ambiguity about the latter machine's boiler capacity. The 1st Line web site claims 1.4 liters while the Lelit web site claims 400ml. Profitec's specs say that the Pro 300's steam boiler is .75l. The Lelit's control layout--with all controls on the face plate above the grouphead, rather than under the group head--seems much preferable. These machines appear to provide a nice alternative to the BDB for those who want a double boiler in that price range but prefer more traditional construction and looks. I considered the Lelit, but am about to pull the trigger on a BDB because of its superior features and (probably) temperature stability and because it is a critical 0.5 inches shorter, which allows it to fit under my abnormally low kitchen cabinets.

baldheadracing wrote:MSRP is $1700CA, where a Pro 500 MSRP is $2000CA. IIRC (big if), it is a 20A machine (dual 1200w elements).

Interesting, so likely $1200-$1400 down in the US I would guess. I would love if someone could confirm the 20A, I haven't read that anywhere, so hopefully you aren't remembering correctly!

Crispy wrote:The Pro 300 does look quite comparable to the Lelit Diana PL60PLUST carried by 1st Line ($1200) except that there is some ambiguity about the latter machine's boiler capacity. The 1st Line web site claims 1.4 liters while the Lelit web site claims 400ml. Profitec's specs say that the Pro 300's steam boiler is .75l.

I believe 1st line is saying the steam boiler is 1.4 liters (compared to .75 for the Profitec) and the brew boilers are the same .325 liters. Don't know if that's right. The Lelit does not have insulated boilers like the Profitec...probably how they managed to fit the larger steam boiler.

Crispy wrote:The Lelit's control layout--with all controls on the face plate above the grouphead, rather than under the group head--seems much preferable.

I'll give you that, however the integrated shot timer on the Profitec more than makes up for it IMO. The Lelit also doesn't seem to have the no burn wand, but that's just a preference thing.

Crispy wrote:These machines appear to provide a nice alternative to the BDB for those who want a double boiler in that price range but prefer more traditional construction and looks. I considered the Lelit, but am about to pull the trigger on a BDB because of its superior features and (probably) temperature stability and because it is a critical 0.5 inches shorter, which allows it to fit under my abnormally low kitchen cabinets.

The Profitec seems to be 1 cm shorter than the Lelit, I'm not sure that will work for you. I haven't seen any pictures of the interior of the Profitec, but if the Pro 700 is anything to go by, it will be well laid out and easy to repair. The Lelit looks like a bit of rats nest. It also uses rubber tubing (like the BDB), definitively interested to see if Profitec uses some sort of metal (I bet they do!). I am also really interested in the BDB. It definitely wins out on the spec sheet, but for the right price, I could be convinced to go for an overbuilt Profitec that looks more beautiful by the minute!

I believe 1st line is saying the steam boiler is 1.4 liters (compared to .75 for the Profitec) and the brew boilers are the same .325 liters. Don't know if that's right. The Lelit does not have insulated boilers like the Profitec...probably how they managed to fit the larger steam boiler.

My post wasn't clear, but I was talking about the listed steam boiler capacity on the 1st line and Lelit web sites; it's not the same. 1.4l seems large, 0.4l seems small. I wonder which is correct.

The Lelit also doesn't seem to have the no burn wand, but that's just a preference thing.

I did notice that difference. I'm curious why the Profitec is shown with a rubber insulator on the no-burn wand. Seems belt and suspenders.

The Profitec seems to be 1 cm shorter than the Lelit, I'm not sure that will work for you. I haven't seen any pictures of the interior of the Profitec, but if the Pro 700 is anything to go by, it will be well laid out and easy to repair. The Lelit looks like a bit of rats nest. It also uses rubber tubing (like the BDB), definititely interested to see if Profitec uses some sort of metal (I bet they do!). I am also really interested in the BDB. It definitely wins out on the spec sheet, but for the right price, I could be convinced to go for an overbuilt Profitec that looks more beautiful by the minute!

The unavailability of the Profitec in the US and the 20A make it a non-option for me in any event. I am also skeptical that a machine selling at more or less the same price as the Lelit is going to be overbuilt in comparison, but I guess we will know only if someone opens one up and shows us.

Crispy wrote:I did notice that difference. I'm curious why the Profitec is shown with a rubber insulator on the no-burn wand. Seems belt and suspenders.

Love the analogy - From what I've heard no burn wands still get hot, just not super hot. Also maybe it's just an extra handle...it's probably removable.

Crispy wrote:The unavailability of the Profitec in the US and the 20A make it a non-option for me in any event. I am also skeptical that a machine selling at more or less the same price as the Lelit is going to be overbuilt in comparison, but I guess we will know only if someone opens one up and shows us.

I'm not going to let you count it out that quickly (not sure why I care, I'm not selling them). The Profitec should be for sale extremely soon through Clive Coffee - I was just talking to them about it yesterday (I wish I had asked more questions). It'll probably be available through WLL too. As for the 20A - I really doubt it. On Clive's website the Pro 700 is listed as default 15A with an optional 20A, so I doubt the smaller machine would default to 20A.

I've sent an email to Clive and should have some more pricing info soon.

Clive Coffee had one on display yesterday when we were there. Mark pointed it out to me. Did you not see it? It was in the back room near the sink.

Of course I saw it, that's what piqued my interest! Unfortunately you had me a little distracted back there with the HG One! Mark was trying to talk to me about it, but I wasn't paying enough attention. I was under the false impression that the Pro 300 was a single boiler/hx machine...not sure why. I looked it up when I got back home and realized how unique it was. There is shockingly little info about it out there though, and I'm not sure I want to be the guinea pig.