Upgraditis is nagging me once again...

I started my espresso adventure with the Silvia like so many others. When I wanted something more reliable, I went for the Profitec 300, which I have been enjoying for the past 3 years or so. My only real gripe with this machine is the steaming capabilities, which from day one actually felt like a small downgrade from the Silvia. Otherwise I have been real happy with it.

My daily use consists of 2 milk based drinks on weekdays and probably twice that on weekends. Every now and then, when we have friends and family over, I crank out a few more, but very rarely - if ever - more than 4-5 at a time.

Whatever I decide to buy will be paired with my trusty Niche Zero grinder.

I have looked at a few machines lately, namely the Synchronika and Profitec 700, which seem very similar in performance. I really dig the design and joysticks on the ECM, which could be the deciding factor, if I had to chose between the two. Flow control isn't a game changer (at least I don't believe it will be) for me, but it would be neat to have, considering this machine should probably keep my satisfied for the next 10 years or so. Both of those machines have me covered in that area, just in case. Besides, as mentioned earlier, I really wasn't satisfied with the steaming on the Profitec 300, and from what I have been reading, both the Synchronika and the Profitec 700 should blow it out of the water there.

So yeah, that's about it. All in all I am looking for a fantastic machine that will last me for years to come. My budget is in the 3000 euros range, so the Synchronika is probably in the upper range of my capabilities.

Any advice on machines in that range would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I can't do a comparison for you but I can say that I have been happily pulling 5-6 espressos a day and some lattes on my profitec 700 for almost two years now. My path here also went through Silvia and then an expobar brewtus IV. The profitec is a much better machine than either of those, in my opinion.

Sounds good! Are you happy with the steaming on the 700?

I have never developed a tremendous skill in steaming (I mostly do milk drinks on the weekends). I appreciate the PID on both boilers on the profitec. I can bring the milk up to temperature in pretty much the time it takes to pull the shot, which seems reasonable to me, and certainly better than the expobar. But I will let others with broader experience rank it relative to other machines.

It sounds like you're happy with the 300 except for steaming, have you looked at trying to improve its capability? Easiest would be to adjust the pressurestat to get higher pressure, or swapping steam wand tips. You'll still be limited in how long you can keep steam going with a smaller boiler, but you may be able to make it more powerful/effective.

I can offer you my impressions of my Synchronika. I make 3-4 cappuccinos daily. Steam boiler is very powerful and I lowered the temperature because it will froth a 5oz serving of milk too quickly for me. Having the joystick is great. I much prefer it to knobs. I wasn't sure if I needed flow control, but almost from the beginning, I started using it for every shot. Once you have it, you will probably wonder how you ever pulled a shot without it. Is this my end game machine? Perhaps. I do covet the LM Leva X1, but it won't fit in my space and costs 4x as much. With the Synch, I'm able to pull shots currently from three or four different roasts that both myself and my wife really like. It has been a good investment and given us a lot of satisfaction.

NicoNYC wrote:It sounds like you're happy with the 300 except for steaming, have you looked at trying to improve its capability? Easiest would be to adjust the pressurestat to get higher pressure, or swapping steam wand tips. You'll still be limited in how long you can keep steam going with a smaller boiler, but you may be able to make it more powerful/effective.

Honestly, the biggest problem with my current steaming capability is that is runs out of steam too fast. I can barely make it through what amounts to two cortado/flat white. I'm not sure upping the steam pressure would sort out that problem.

Anyhow, I'm far enough into my research on a shiny new espresso machine that I can't possibly just turn back now!

Thanks for the tip nonetheless.

JB90068 wrote:I can offer you my impressions of my Synchronika. I make 3-4 cappuccinos daily. Steam boiler is very powerful and I lowered the temperature because it will froth a 5oz serving of milk too quickly for me. Having the joystick is great. I much prefer it to knobs. I wasn't sure if I needed flow control, but almost from the beginning, I started using it for every shot. Once you have it, you will probably wonder how you ever pulled a shot without it. Is this my end game machine? Perhaps. I do covet the LM Leva X1, but it won't fit in my space and costs 4x as much. With the Synch, I'm able to pull shots currently from three or four different roasts that both myself and my wife really like. It has been a good investment and given us a lot of satisfaction.

I appreciate the insight. Thanks!

Was the flow control pre-installed or did you do it yourself? If the latter is the case, was it difficult to do?

Trickykid wrote:Was the flow control pre-installed or did you do it yourself? If the latter is the case, was it difficult to do?

I got mine pre-installed as I figured it would add a little more value to the machine if I didn't like it and chose to sell it. There is a good thread on how to DIY installation if you haven't seen it.

ECM flow control installation

Neat, thanks!