Figured I would chime in. I am selling my Pro 300 because of the steam.

Do not get me wrong, it is great steam when you compare to other machines but it is definitely not in the same class as commercial-grade machines like LMs & Slayer nor do I think it should be considering the great price point of the 300.

thecoffeefield wrote:I agree with you. I for one believe that I produce excellent and comparable shots to many roasters and cafes I sampled from in the NY coffee festival, and I just have a PID Silvia! I ask about the steam because I noticed that the dryer the steam the more texture the lattes and capouccinos have and they really taste different that way. I can never reproduce the exact latte I have at my local cafe even when I used their parameters and that's because my milk is usually diluted with water as it is not as dry as the commercial machine they're using at the cafe. Steam dryness is the biggest reason I want to upgrade and so I'm trying to find the machine with the most dry steam I can get. No rush here just exploring options and listening to people with much more experience than myself.

Glad to hear that !
Sounds like your doing fine crafting a good drink & that is what its all about right?
Have Fun

Hey folks,

New owner here, and I just wanted to share my first couple days' thoughts on the machine! First prosumer-level machine I've ever owned; I used to work on a Synesso Cyncra and a Kees Spirit, but I only had a Breville Infuser at home (suffice to say, I've experienced both ends of espresso machine performance).

Living in Canada, I only have access to the 1600W version. The brew boiler gets to ~199F fairly quickly (within a couple of minutes), but then I'd say probably another 5 minutes for it to stabilize at 202F (my set temp). Dispensing water for any longer than 3s (e.g. flushing the grouphead) causes the temp to drop ~4 degrees, and then it's probably a 30s to 1 min recovery time. I haven't timed the warm-up time for both brew and steam boilers simultaneously, but I reckon it's less than 20 minutes (based on me turning it on remotely, then checking it after a while).

I was surprised at how quiet the vibe pump is, compared to my old Breville. It's no rotary, for sure, but I'm really quite happy with the sound dampening!

I was also stoked on being able to use a chopped portafilter again (bought separately); I've only gone through maybe 1/4lb of beans on an equally-new Sette 270, so there's still some tweaking with dialing everything in. But half of the shots (i.e. 3) I've pulled so far have both looked (and tasted) pretty great.

I read a few posts in this thread about users' disappointments with steam performance - again, this is me coming from a $400 thermocoil machine, steam on the Profitec is miles better! It's dryer and I can steam milk for a 6oz cappuccino in about half the time (20s vs. 40+). And the steam is instantaneous, compared to having to wait for pressure to ramp up over 10s on the Breville. I was never expecting commercial-level steam performance; this machine is lessone tenth the cost of a Synesso or Kees (or anything else in that category)! I tend to drink 50/50 espresso/milk-based drinks anyhow (and I live alone in a rural community) so I'm pretty satisfied as it is.

One thing I am curious about is - how do you clean the inside of the steam wand? Having never used a cool-touch wand before, I was surprised when I unscrewed the tip and found it attached to a rubber hose. I've been used to the inside being completely hollow and scrubbing it out with a brush (e.g. a Steamy Wanda). Do I now just have to soak it in one of those Rinza solutions?

Current Breville Infuser owner here. Overall I've been pleased especially given its price, but I knew an upgrade was coming.

I just bought a Profitec Pro 500 (waiting for it to arrive) after considering the Pro 300. The main reason I didn't by the Pro 300 was because if its looks. I also thought it may be prone to need more repairs down the road given it's a slightly more complex setup as a dual boiler with PID. Now that I read your post I'm having second thoughts
Given I make 2 cappuccinos a day, the 300 may be be a better fit.

I'm wondering if you considered the Pro 500 since it's essentially the same price? And if you did, why you choose the Pro 300 instead?

Thanks.

allemania wrote: I'm wondering if you considered the Pro 500 since it's essentially the same price? And if you did, why you choose the Pro 300 instead?

Thanks.

I was considering the pro 500 before I bought the pro 300.
In the end it was the quicker heatup time (i.e. 10min vs 30min), slightly smaller footprint (i.e. narrower), and PID temp control that made me decide 300.

Thanks for your response.

Ironically, this morning I had made up my mind to change my order based essentially on the reasons you posted. I called WWL to make the change but they told me the Pro 500 had already shipped!

Looks like I'll have a chance to get know the finer details of an HX

I've heard great things about the 500, everyone who owns one can't say enough good things about it. I'm sure you will love it =)

Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Funnily enough I went through the exact same thought process. Ordered a Pro 500 from WLL then changed my mind to a Pro 300 the day after it shipped. They were very accommodating and actually have an option to return shipments already in transit for a small fee, see the "Stopping Orders in Transit" section here - https://www.wholelattelove.com/terms#refunds_and_credit. Anyway it delayed things a few days but I've had my Pro 300 for about 6 months now and no regrets. Love the small footprint, fast warmup and consistent results I get from it. I also actually like the utilitarian design, makes me feel I spent the money on good quality internals rather than a flashy exterior. I'm sure you'll be happy with either machine.

If anyone was interested in changing out the stock 2 hole steam tip for a single hole, this one made for Expobar machines fits.

https://www.wholelattelove.com/steam-ti ... ale-thread

I ordered from a local wholesaler (in Australia) but I realise a lot of the owners here are from the US. Mark from WLL posted the link in one of his YT videos on the Pro300.
Hope it helps someone.