Ms. Silvia vs Gaggia Classic

[Tex]

Typical machines I'd be looking at on eBay;
Nuova Simonelli plumbed in.
Rancilio Epocha plumbed in

and a definite caveat emptor machine:
Brasial Milano plumbed in

[mp]

Hey Robert ... what is the caveat on the Brasilia?

 

[Tex]

Hey Robert ... what is the caveat on the Brasilia?

 

2-groups
age
voltage
basically, all the unknowns.

But, that said - I'd pay up to $300 plus S&H

[mp]

That's not bad ... it sounds like it could work well.

 

[George Coury]

Not sure I've got space or easy hookup for a plumbed machine. I was really thinking more of a pourover model which is not ginormus ( Big). Any on your short list for that Tex or do you think the plumbed way is the only way to go?

[Tex]

The problem with pour overs (portables) is their smaller boiler sizes; they give up too much in the way of inter-shot/intra-shot temp stability. They also usually have vibe pumps (noisier & less reliable than rotary pumps).

Any machine is capable of making quality espresso if one can control group temp & pressure. Where smaller machines have problems is in making one quality shot after another. If one is drinking a handful of shots per day then a Gaggia or Silvia will make an excellent cup of coffee - IF IT'S MODDED & TUNED TO MANAGE PRESSURE/TEMP VARIABLES!

[mp]

The 1.4 liter boiler in the Isomac certainly is small compared to a commercial machine's 5 plus liters however you may be surprised at the temperature stability the 1400 watt heating element provides.

 

[shakin_jake]

Not sure I've got space or easy hookup for a plumbed machine. I was really thinking more of a pourover model which is not ginormus ( Big). Any on your short list for that Tex or do you think the plumbed way is the only way to go?

Here's a pic of the pourover hx machine I'm currently using.  IMO there's pros and cons for every type of espresso machine but I disagree about a vibe pump machine being noisy from the stand point the only time the pump is on is when you are pulling a shot (30 seconds), or in the case of an hx machine like this Salvatore One Black, the pump runs anytime the boielr is low but the amount of run time is not significant nor is the amount of noise that emanates from the vibe pump

The only argument I've heard that has any validity for me about a vibe pump machine being too nosiy was from the fellow that didn't want to wake his wife in the morning while he was pulling shots

What you need to think about with a pourover if you go with an hx is how you will deal with treating water that goes into the machine.  Even with a single boiler machine that you are also considering, you don't want to use just any untreated water so either you buy store bought water or you come up with a way to filter your own


Jake
Reddick Fla.
Our faults irritate us most when we see them in others.
-- Dutch Proverb

[mp]

Nice looking machine Jake.  Welcome to the HX club.

 

[shakin_jake]

Nice looking machine Jake.  Welcome to the HX club.

 

~~~I came into possesion of this new Salvatore machine April 6th of this year so I have been pulling shots with it daily going on 10 weeks.  I'm getting pretty comfortable with it.  Prior to this machine I used a PID'd Gaggia Classic to pull shots with for close to a year, so I have some experience with one of the single boiler machines the OP is also considering

The nice thing about pour overs, they're ready to go right from the get go, just plug em in, fill with water, wait til it's hot and you're pulling a shot.  A plumb in machine requires you to provide a way to get water to your machine, but that exercise need not be fraught with roadblocks, and once you have the water taken care of, it's not an issue any longer

If the OP wants to get into the home espresso machine scene on a tight budget, he ought to consider going with the used Bunn ES-1A route like Robert suggested.  There are bargain Bunn hx machines for sale out there.  He would have to put a little work into it first but the pay off is huge and quite possibly less cash outlay than what he would spend for a new single boiler set up with all the right mods

That's part of the fun with espresso for me, all the possibilities in how to make it.  I had a lot of fun with my Gaggia Classic, and I'm having fun with the Salvatore One Black now.  I'm also rebuilding a commercial hx machine and I know I'll have fun with that one as well, once I get it shot worthy



Jake
Reddick Fla.
Stop apathy.  Or don't.

[mp]

Did you have to put any work into the Salvatore and if so how much did it end up costing you? 

What brand of commercial machine are you restoring now?  Is this one just a matter of a good descale or is there more to it than that?

 

[shakin_jake]

I purchased the One Black new from Salvatore so it was a runner right out of the box.  Only work needed was to plug it in and pour water into the reservour=:-)

The commercial machine I'm rebuilding is a one group hx Futurmat Rimini.  it was a new machine first put into service in Y2K.  I bought it from the original owner.  He used it in a retail bakery to sell drinks to customers coming in for donuts.  He operated this bakery somewhere in Colorado for several years then closed it to retire to another state

When I was looking at the machine via a craighslist ad he placed (Mountain Home Arkansas) he told me at the height of useage he was making 15-20 drinks with it a day.  He used a water softener which was delivered to me along with the machine, one of those 8 litre metal can types with the resins inside you add salt to soften the water before entering the boiler

I took it completey apart primarily to clean the flour dust from it which was in virtually every nook and cranny but the frame had some rust so that was dealt with using a bead blaster then powdercoated.  The pump showed signs of prior leakage so I sent it out to be rebuilt.  The boiler and all copper lines were soaked in an acid bath I made up using citric acid and hot water to clean them inside and out

The shipper managed to dent both side panels so I found an auto bodyshop to bump and paint.  Fortuantely that was the only damage.  I have cleaned every piece and if it needed refinishing I saw to that.  The front stainless steel trim panels were sent to a hydro-dipper in Idaho and I had him re-coat in a carbon fibre scheme.  I've ordered new o-rings and gaskets and am currently waiting for a few of those parts to ship to me otherwise it's ready to be re-assembled

Before I tore it apart I put it up on my work bench and used a siphon hose to get water to it and plugged it in.  The boiler got hot and water moved through the group but it was apparent from sitting unused (was in storage) the past 5 + years it needed a thorough internal cleaning as evidenced by the detritus that came out of the hot water tap   



Jake 
Reddick Fla.
"I find that a duck's opinion of me is very much influenced on whether or not I have bread." -Mitch Hedberg 

[mp]

Wow ... good work Jake ... it should be pretty much brand new by the time you're finished with it.

If you don't mind me asking how much did it set you back?

 

[mattquist]

mp,

Jake has also done an extensive post on his rebuild on SM's forum.  Also has some great in-depth pics on the BUG website.

[shakin_jake]

Wow ... good work Jake ... it should be pretty much brand new by the time you're finished with it.

If you don't mind me asking how much did it set you back?

 

~~~I paid $400 for the Rimini to the original owner.  I think the shipping from AK to my home in Fla. was priced out at around $160 but the shipper credited that amount back to me after the damage to the side panels.  The shipper also paid for the repair of the side panels

I haven't figured it out to the penny but I probably have close to $900 or better in it.  The fee for the hydro dipping has been the single biggest investment in this process at $300 + shipping both ways, about $70 to rebuild the water pump w/shipping both ways, $30 for the paintwork on the rear panel, $38? so far for various parts to put it back together like the o-rings, gaskets, two pilot lights and shipping.  The fee for bead blasting and powdercoating the frame w/tax was $37

I could have saved some money by painting the three front stainless panels but I liked the thought of doing them up in a carbon fibre motif so I went for it.  I like polished stainless steel but there was too much of it in the front of the machine.  I don't know, the more I looked at it, it reminded me of a commercial dishwasher I used to load when I was a dishwasher at a 24 hour restaurant in another life (15 year old kid, my first real job)

Here's a pic of the other two panels that were re-done with the carbon fibre scheme


Jake
Reddick Fla.