Any thoughts on La Spatziale Vivaldi II?

[wattgn]

I was thinking of this one. Ugly but dual boiler and a lot of control.

Other one I was thinking of is the ECM Technika.

Want Rotary pump. I would prefer stainless steel frame if I can get it.

Still looking. I have Bezzera BZ40 at the moment, 20 years old and going well.

[AlMac]

La S: proprietary size portafilter. No thanks. Makes parts (seals, show screens, baskets) a hassel.

[wattgn]

Bought the Wega MiniNova Classic with rotary pump. Pick up on Monday.

The Vivaldi will give higher throughput with two boilers, more accurate and controlled temperatures and is a great machine.

It is however ugly and I'm sure I can make just as good coffee from my Mini Nova for $1200 less. It is a beautiful machine and I'm happy with a HX machine. Once you know how to use them, they work fine.

Interesting comment about the seals and portafilter size. I have a Reg Barber Copper/Rosewood Tamper and it would be tragic if I had to replace that.

[magnafunk]

I think you'll find with your 2 litre boiler the wega will eclipse the la spaz when it comes to steaming and tea making

[sprezzatura]

I have a Mini Nova EVD on the bench and aside from the protein shake reservoir and odd-shaped boiler (a box shape is not an ideal shape for an internal - or external - pressure vessel) it's a serious quality build.

[wattgn]

Yes it is square SS boiler. I thought it unusual as cylindrical is ideal in terms of a pressure vessel.

I thought then that really the pressure involved is tiny, not like say a diving cylinder at 3000psi. The square shape also makes it ideal for placing sensors and anything else as it is a flat surface.

I have to say I was immediately impressed at the internals. Impeccable build.

[ArtW]

I like the look of the La Spaz, it certainly stand out from the rest of the stainless box e61s at a similar price point.

[wattgn]

I got the Wega Mini Nova today. Plumbed in easily. Beautiful shots right from the word go. Plenty of steam, as you would expect. Impressed.

[TC]

Congrats on the new kit wattgn,

FWIW, the Vivaldi is also an excellent machine and beautifully built. The rotary pump version in particular packs a heap of steam grunt with a 2.5L steam boiler.

I can't recall the actual anatomy of the 2.5L boiler, but the smaller 1.2L version employed in the mini-vivaldi packs an integrated element which means that if it goes pop, you replace the entire boiler at $$$. Why they went for the integral design, I don't know. Whilst we sold plenty, two replacement boilers and disappointed clients made me reconsider and then cut the mini-vivaldi from range.

[coffee_machinist]

I am not a fan of those square boilers. The material is paper thin and many of the port threads are just tapped in to the sidewall. OK until you need to remove a scaled up 1/8th fitting and there is bugger all material to repair the thread. Ugh.

[wattgn]

The Vivaldi would have been a contender but wanted support and service here in Perth. I'm pretty ok with these machines but nice to have a shop handy. It was also $1200 more.

SS boilers are here to stay, evidently. EU regulations either now or will shortly require them. Maybe someone could research why.