Almico wrote:But, Houston, we have a problem. Seems the new girl took a bump:

That is a bummer. Still looks wonderful tho.
One of these days, I will need to take a road trip down for a shot or three

wow- nice machine. Is that thing for home use? How many coffees do you drink a day?

Spoken like a true Aussie! Nice! No, it's for my bar.

Beautiful! And thankfully should be straightforward to fix, yes?

When I ordered this machine it was the only one in the states. My old machine was acting up and I was feeling pressure to replace her. I can't afford to have the machine down for a day, let alone a couple of weeks.

After the damage, Nuovo Simonelli asked if I would take it to a welding shop, have it repaired and they would foot the bill. This didn't seem like a good solution since the SS face plate was damaged and the drip tray was bowed. That, plus the fact that the weld is on the inside and the boiler would likely have to be removed for access. I don't want a weld shop doing that job and I certainly don't want to do it. I have been in and out of the old one 2 dozen times in the past few months. I was hoping not to have to disassemble a brand new one on the first night! I don't think I should have to deal with all that on a brand new machine, and honestly, I lost a little confidence in the build quality of the new Athenas. I was all set to return it and messaged the powers that be accordingly.

This evening I got a message that a few more machines have just hit the states and they asked if I want a replacement.

My old machine is working better after taking one heating element out of the circuit. She is really making some nice espresso now that the group seals are all new. The sense of urgency is gone. I feel I can wait for a Bosco to be built.

But that brings me back to my original dilemma. The Athena works great and makes wonderful espresso. I love the HX design and that I can control the pre infusion pressure with a pressure regulator on the mains line. It gives steady and consistent pre infusion and I can change it with a twist if a knob. No pumps or lever gyrations involved and the brew water is always fresh from the RO system.

The downside of the Athena is a very narrow cup warmer. I'm tired of stacking cups 3 high to keep enough warm.

The Bosco, being a dipper, has limited control of pre infusion but the build might be superior, the extra seal in the group is a plus and I love the fact that I can customize it. I only wish I could raise the group or lower the drip tray 5mm to accommodate my togo latte cups! I asked Roberta and they can't.

Maybe it's not a coincidence that this happened at the same time a "Construction of a Bosco Sorrento" thread goes up!

So I don't know what to do. The Bosco wins my heart, but my head is saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I would go with the replacement Athena, as long as you don't get stuck with the return freight.

I'd be a little annoyed if they asked me to bring my brand new and pricey machine to a welding shop for repair; however, they did seem to recover from that misstep with the offer of another machine though. I'd be tempted to stick with the Athena since you're already so familiar with it.

I took the easy road and accepted a replacement of the Athena. The Bosco is 10cm longer and every inch is critical in my little booth.

I think that is the right choice...love that machine!

Almico wrote:I took the easy road and accepted a replacement of the Athena. The Bosco is 10cm longer and every inch is critical in my little booth.

Curious, do you have a fully welded seam on your unit on the bar? It would be a great relief to think someone just made a random mistake versus finding out that they're taking shortcuts. I'll be curious to hear what your new replacement one looks like in that regard as well.