I have had trouble deciding between the R58 and the Pro 700. So much so that I emailed both sales @ Whole Latte Love and Seattle Coffee gear. Unsurprisingly I received two different answers. Seattle coffee gear said:

I can say I believe the Rocket machines are the best built machines and for this reason we offer them above others. Let me know if I can help you when choosing or with any questions you may have.

and Whole Latte Love said:

Sorry you are struggling, both good machines. I like the 70 better. It has better components, a better PID, stainless boilers, better steam valves and a better value, Please call me for best pricing and any other questions

This has left me confused and I am unsure what machine would be best for me. I do not especially care for the built in PID display and shot clock on the profitec, though it is a nice feature. The rocket has me captivated because of some of the internal choices like copper boilers for more consistent heating and sideways mounted heating elements to reduce the possibility of a burnout. In the end, I want to know which machine is the most durable, will last me the longest, and of course serve me the best coffee. I mostly make lattes and cappuccinos (so steam quality is important). (I am already set with grinders as I have a mazzer mini)

I purchased my Rocket R58 a few months ago and I had the opportunity to learn of the machine first-hand from my local roaster. I'm extremely pleased with my R58 But I never considered another e61 since I was able to see and experience the Rocket first hand prior to making a purchase. The aesthetics of the Rocket, quality of the espresso and overall build quality are what drove me to choose the Rocket R58. Good luck on your quest, from what I have read here on HB you probably can't go wrong with either.


Brandon

I think the lesson here is that you need to make up your own mind. While both vendors are reputable, as far as vendors go, they can hardly be considered impartial. You may never know for sure if there is a bias and if so, what the reasons may be. SCG don't even sell Profitec machines so OF COURSE they aren't going to recommend them over machines that they actually do sell. For that reason alone I would give WLL's advice more weight, but I think either machine would serve you well and will have similar performance and reliability. Go for whichever you like best and don't worry.

themeishere wrote:I have had trouble deciding between the R58 and the Pro 700. So much so that I emailed both sales @ Whole Latte Love and Seattle Coffee gear. Unsurprisingly I received two different answers. Seattle coffee gear said: and Whole Latte Love said: This has left me confused and I am unsure what machine would be best for me. I do not especially care for the built in PID display and shot clock on the profitec, though it is a nice feature. The rocket has me captivated because of some of the internal choices like copper boilers for more consistent heating and sideways mounted heating elements to reduce the possibility of a burnout. In the end, I want to know which machine is the most durable, will last me the longest, and of course serve me the best coffee. I mostly make lattes and cappuccinos (so steam quality is important). (I am already set with grinders as I have a mazzer mini)

Seattle Coffee Gear does not even carry the Pro 700 (nor any Profitec machines) in their lineup.
Whole Latte Love on the other hand has both and may be able to better compare the two machines.

I agree with Whole Latte Love, the Pro 700 does indeed use better components. It also has an easier to use PID with built-in shot timer (whether you want that is another matter though)! That doesn't mean the Rocket is bad though. It's certainly a viable machine. I think I read somewhere someone saying that with Rocket you're paying a slight premium for looks whereas with Profitec you're paying a slight premium for quality. Personally I think Profitec looks better as well so I would choose them any day over Rocket.

Now if you're throwing in the ECM Synchronika as well though, I would choose the ECM over Profitec due to gauge placement, joystick wands for steam & hot water and just the attention to details on portafilter, brew group and other little things.

Ultimately you'll need to decide yourself and 75% of the choice is just styling & which features you prefer.

I had the same problems deciding between the R58 and Pro 700. At the time in Canada the price difference was completely negligible; the Pro 700 was newer and thus there were few reviews. In the end I chose the Pro 700 mostly because of aesthetics and because I preferred the visible PID (along with the shot timer) to the hidden PID remote of the R58.

Vendors push what they want to sell. You'll likely be happy with anything in that class, be it the new ECM, the 700, the R58, Duetto III, or the Lucca M58. It's pretty hard to go wrong at that price point, however the QM V2B Evo is the real bargain in that category.

however the QM V2B Evo is the real bargain in that category

I found the very detailed Bella Barista review of the UK version ("Verona") of the QM V2B Evo enlightening:

https://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/Quic ... 2013v1.pdf

I'll post my experience after recently purchasing the Pro700. I looked at most all of the websites, online chats, emails, and phone calls regarding numerous brands. In comparing the the above models, I liked the idea of the built in/displayed PID in the 700 over the PID in the Rocket. I also liked the stainless boilers. Aesthetically, I really didn't like the branding on the knobs of the Rocket and prefer the subtlety of the Pro700.

Tanax wrote:Seattle Coffee Gear does not even carry the Pro 700 (nor any Profitec machines) in their lineup.
Whole Latte Love on the other hand has both and may be able to better compare the two machines.

Pretty shady that SCG wouldn't even disclose that they don't sell Profitec machines in their reply to you.

I think for a seller to say "I believe the <Brand X> machines are the best built machines and for this reason we offer them above others" is hardly shady - it's what I would expect anyone to who is in business and wants to stay in business would say.

BTW, I think the OP must have given up on coffee machines since he hasn't replied. He's probably now down at his local Mercedes dealer asking them what they think of BMW's. We can then expect him to be posting to the car forums about being confused by the answer he gets. "They said Mercedes are the best built cars... but the BMW dealer said that BMW are the best. I am soooo confused!".