Profitec Pro 300 vs Rancilio Silvia Pro/Pro X - Page 2

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
dfuller (original poster)
Posts: 70
Joined: 2 years ago

#11: Post by dfuller (original poster) »

baldheadracing wrote:I thought that you wanted faster warm-up?
Than a MaraX? Yeah, the MaraX even with the (quite clever) boiler overheat is close to half an hour from cold because the group is such a large lump of brass. My understanding is the Silvia Pro is more like half that. Is that incorrect?

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baldheadracing
Team HB
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Joined: 9 years ago

#12: Post by baldheadracing replying to dfuller »

There are warm-up times that marketing and influencers and retailers use; there are times that people who have never measured actual temperature use, and there are times that people who actually measure brew temperatures of multiple shots.

The Silvia Pro has no thermosyphon nor does it use the steam boiler to help heat the brew boiler. It is not a saturated group, despite claims from vendors who should know better. The group is heated by conduction from the brew boiler, which is going to be slower than a thermosyphon, albeit with less mass than an E-61 (still lots of brass, though). Also keep in mind that 220v/230v reviews that you may have read are not constrained like 120v machines, which can't heat both boilers at full power simultaneously. A trusted vendor, 1st-line, says "although the Silvia Pro can warm up from 20-30 minutes, the best warm-up period is from 45-60 minutes because there is a lot of mass and metal to warm up." This is inline with a PID Silvia, which is typically 35 minutes (uninsulated), with another 20 or so minutes needed for repeatability.

Note that's about what a Mara X warm-up is - warm-up in 25 minutes, with another 30 minutes for repeatability - according to the Mara X thread.

There are many factors that affect actual warm-up times, but a Silvia Pro cannot have half the warm-up time of a Mara X, given that both are in a comfortable draft-free household environment.
-"Good quality brings happiness as you use it" - Nobuho Miya, Kamasada

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JohanR
Posts: 81
Joined: 3 years ago

#13: Post by JohanR »

On the pro 300 the group head is bolted directly below the brew boiler which should give a shorter heat up time.
https://www.avola-coffeesystems.de/imag ... 500-85.jpg
In my experience it takes about 20 minutes to heat the pro 300 completely - meaning that the portafilter is too hot to touch where it connects to the handle.
Johan

BodieZoffa
Posts: 424
Joined: 3 years ago

#14: Post by BodieZoffa replying to JohanR »

Same here with the Silvia Pro as 20 mins from a cold start has it fully up to temp and ready to knock out back-back extractions. I actually judge temp by the portafilter handle heat level. Never have had any need to let it go longer before the 1st extraction and sometimes earlier by doing a bit of blank flushing.

I will say that letting the steam boiler come up to temp from a cold start takes a bit of time, but I never use it... just have it available in case I ever want steam.

I briefly considered the PP300, but after having a V1 Silvia for some time I opted to go with the Pro for the build quality, predictability and overall performance with the brand. Honestly think either machine will do just fine against any other.

dfuller (original poster)
Posts: 70
Joined: 2 years ago

#15: Post by dfuller (original poster) »

Ended up getting a good deal on an open box Silvia Pro, way below new. Pretty stoked on it.

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