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How important is superficial aspects to your purchasing espresso related equipment?

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  • 338
    commented on 's reply
    Must say I like the uniqueness of it, though would probably prefer a different theme.

  • prh
    commented on 's reply
    I've seen a similarly themed Maserati in my area. "De gustibus non est disputandum"

  • amberale
    commented on 's reply
    Hi Ted.
    I understand where you are coming from but have fewer concerns.
    The silicon tubes on my 20yo Gaggia appear to be as good as new and it is easier to keep a meter of hose than a collection of copper parts.( I am on a farm out of town so I tend to buy spares in advance).
    I am actually considering buying a spare brain for the Bianca to put away for possible future use.
    Everything else seems to be generic parts.
    While a failure of the thermo-block in the DE would require replacement of the entire component the design itself has eliminated the whole boiler that the heating element was required for.
    WRT Decent I am continually gobsmacked by the level of customer support and information provided.
    I have an aviation background and have far greater concerns about plastic airliners controlled by fly-by-wire systems than espresso machine breakthroughs.

  • Wimbledon
    replied
    338 I'm in a city with one of the highest concentrations of fancy cars in the world. Lots of Ferarris, usually red or yellow. But the best car I have seen recently was this one, a couple months back.



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  • Ted2013
    commented on 's reply
    In spite of my dag attitude to asthetics I can see where you are coming from here. I really like the look of some of those fancier Italian SS machines and would probably pay a bit more for one over a plainer one provided the performance and reliability stacked up. Also I do like the tactile feel of a well balanced wood handled tamper.

  • Ted2013
    commented on 's reply
    I am a bit the other way. If a machine works well and reliably for me over time its possibly ugly looks start to look more attractive and I am more likely to grow fond of it.

  • Ted2013
    commented on 's reply
    amberale, I found your comment on the DE1 interesting. Its looks don't worry me much but its internals do. For example I like the copper pipes on the commercial and most prosumer machines much more than the silicone tubes on the DE1 (and most consumer machines) because they are much more durable. I also understand their thermoblocks may be more durable than on the Sunbeams for example but an element failure means the replacement of the whole specialized component whereas the replacement of a heating element in the commercial/ prosumer unit is much less problematical especially long down the track.

  • 338
    commented on 's reply
    Wimbledon, I take it you don't advise Ferrari on tasteful colours? Rosso Corsa is still the most popular colour by a long margin, though some could consider it tacky. I think it depends on context, a red grinder in a totally white kitchen just looks like a statement piece.

  • roosterben
    replied
    I am almost always function over form and with coffee it is bang for buck for me number one. But having said that I am a softie for the E61 grouphead and beautiful machines built around it. Having formed a decent bond with the Rocket Giotto at home with the sides which have no function I am finding it hard to move away from Rocket when pondering an upgrade, although their latest R58 is uglier than the earlier models (and prob lacks a few features found in the other dual boiler PID machines) there is something in the character of the Rocket machines I am drawn to.

    I think there have been a few other threads about tactile stuff as well, I have OCD tools and a Pullman tamper partly because I like how they look but more because I like how they feel. When you use them daily or a few times a week the tactile feel of the tools and a heavy group handle is part of the pleasure of making coffee.

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  • amberale
    replied
    When I mentioned this to the brains of my outfit her comment was “Obviously someone who has never worn stilettos”.

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  • wirecutter23
    commented on 's reply
    Well put. My coffee drinking is almost exclusively form over function!

  • Wimbledon
    replied
    There's some irony to the original question, this site is dedicated to aesthetics in taste, specially the taste of coffee. But an apprecial for visual aesthetics is superficial?

    Personally, my approach is a bit different to what was suggested- I won't pay the extra or go out of my way to buy something on looks, but if something is just dead set tacky or ugly, I won't consider it no matter how great the functionality is. Just bought a hand grinder, and one of the colour options was bright anodised red. Even if it was half price, I wouldn't have bought it.

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  • Barry O'Speedwagon
    commented on 's reply
    The bench is black stone, so I might struggle to see a black grinder We have stainless steel, blue and white appliances (and yeh the fry pans are black I guess).

  • amberale
    replied
    I swing both ways.
    I am waiting on a Bianca at the moment but the timber trim is its least attractive component for me.
    I love everything about the De1 except the fact that it looks like tupperware made by Ikea.
    I believe that beauty and functionality are both attainable and great designers can and do achieve this.
    The problem is designers make it beautiful, engineers make it work and accountants come in and screw the final product up.

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  • 338
    commented on 's reply
    Break the design rules Barry, 'the Niche Black would look ridiculous in my kitchen and, in particular, next to my Cremina which has white side panels' - I think that is why Paul McCartney wrote Ebony and Ivory, to get us all a little more comfortable with diversity in our kitchens
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