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  • Risks buying Silvia second hand?

    Hi,

    After any thoughts, advise, or tips on what I need to consider/factor in here.

    I currently have a Breville Ikon, and not a lot of spare cash, but am open to an upgrade if a good deal comes my way.  The Silvia is probably the logical next step, and I have my eye on one on that sight that I dare not name

    What Im wondering is:
    - Whether the Silvia is a substantial upgrade from the Ikon?  I assume so, but my experience is extremely limited, so confirmation from anyone familiar with both would be fantastic!
    - Are there inherent risks in buying an older Silvia?  Trying to confirm exact age, but prob around 10 yrs?  I get the impression theyre built to last, but buying s/h you have to take the sellers word re: the care and maintenance its received over its life (and seller may not necessarily be 100% upfront on this).
    -  What could be potential health issues with the machine, and are any terminal?

    Any other input/advice/other welcomed!

    Damien

  • #2
    Re: Risks buying an older second hand Silvia?

    Jump over to Coffeeco Alan Frews site and read through some of his old newsletters. There is a good one there on trouble shooting so you can hit the ground running. Good luck, they are a robust beastie but remember to run water through the group after steaming to refill the boiler.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Risks buying Silvia second hand?

      Originally posted by 6E7E6978783E3F3C343B3F0C0 link=1309353436/1#1 date=1309353877
      Good luck, they are a robust beastie but remember to run water through the group after steaming to refill the boiler.
      Thanks Brett.  Am I correct in saying that the boiler can be damaged if its not refilled?  If so, is replacement potentially required, and is this difficult and/or expensive to fix?

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Risks buying Silvia second hand?

        Youll potentially blow your element if you let the boiler run dry by not refilling after steaming. My red thermal cut-out switch had to be reset once so I suppose I was lucky. Replacing the boiler/element in a machine of that age will be expensive (in the hundreds) and a right royal pain. You merely need to set a proceedure of flushing water though your group to clean (portafilter wiggle) afte,r steaming our milk.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Risks buying Silvia second hand?

          Thanks again Brett.

          So, provided the machine is currently in working condition, heating water and steaming etc, is it safe to assume that there is not currently any damage sustained to the boiler/element?  If it has been abused and poorly maintained will this be immediately obvious? 

          I will try to check the machine out before committing to buy, but being from a regional area (not near the machine), this is not overly practical.  Obviously I intend to take good care of her if she does happen to come my way, but I cant undo anything thats been done to the machine in the past! 

          I guess Im just nervous about forking out the $ for a dud, or finding out it needs expensive repairs/maintenance that I cant finance.  And curious as to whether pre-existing issues will be immediately obvious. 

          I did find the article on coffeeco that I believe you were referring to, so IF I get a chance to view the machine before bidding, Ill certainly have some ideas on what tests can be run.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Risks buying Silvia second hand?

            Hi Damienh7,
            One thing to look out for is rust. The worst part is behind the drip tray.
            There is a horizontal join between the "back bone" and the base, check this spot for bubbled & "crunchy" paint.
            I dissasembled my 1yo baby last night and found some on mine.
            Anyhow, its a top machine.
            Good luck.
            Dan.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Risks buying Silvia second hand?

              risks from a 2nd hand single boiler:
              1) the previous owner hasnt run the water through correctly and damaged the element.
              2) you may want to descale/backflush it
              3) as with all used machines the grouphead seal may be worn.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Risks buying Silvia second hand?

                Originally posted by 7C7B687B6C7F797B757770791E0 link=1309353436/6#6 date=1309396605
                risks from a 2nd hand single boiler:
                1) the previous owner hasnt run the water through correctly and damaged the element.
                2) you may want to descale/backflush it
                3) as with all used machines the grouphead seal may be worn.
                Thanks Beverageking... I assume #1 would be the most serious and costly issue of the three to address.  Any quick simple means of confirming a damaged element?

                And thanks to Dan for your input too... apppreciate it!

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Risks buying Silvia second hand?

                  Geez fellas,

                  so much discussion over such a simple issue.

                  Damien, in terms of risks:
                  a) if the machine is intangible and therefore cant be demonstrated to you in person, dont go there unless you are a just a very trusting soul.

                  b) if the machine can be demonstrated to be working as it should, in front of you, then there is only the issue of a mutually acceptable price.

                  c) Stuff like possible scale or whether someone might not have reprimed the boiler after steam use some time in the past is effectively irrelevant, the machine either works or it doesnt

                  d) yes you will be able to see the rust if it is there, or you will be able to see that someone has treated it but otherwise same as C) irrelevant...go directly to i) does it work and ii) the price?

                  Fin

                  Attilio
                  very first CS site sponsor.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Risks buying Silvia second hand?

                    Thanks Attilio... a nice, clear explanation for me.  I am by nature quite trusting, but Im trying to tee up an inspection of the machine.  Provided it is functioning as it should, I will assume no terminal issues "under the hood", and determine my pricing limit, and take it from there.

                    Thanks also to everyone elses input too!

                    Now that weve cleared that up, to direct conversation back to the other aspect of my query: being that I have a boiler machine currently, should I expect a significant step up in performance from another single boiler machine?  Or is the difference more down to build quality and life expenctancy?  Im expecting both, but just want to be sure Im not expecting more than I should....

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Risks buying Silvia second hand?

                      The ikon is not a bad machine you might expend a lot of effort just for an improved looking appliance

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                      • #12
                        Re: Risks buying Silvia second hand?

                        Originally posted by 5E48145B1450144A5359515F4853545D3A0 link=1309353436/10#10 date=1309405660
                        The ikon is not a bad machine you might expend a lot of effort just for an improved looking appliance
                        Ok... not necessarily the answer I was expecting, but it is what Im wanting to confirm, I suppose!

                        P.S. what if I quite like the look of the Ikon?  :-?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Risks buying Silvia second hand?

                          I think the Silvia would be a fair upgrade from the Ikon. The group and 58mm pf on the Silvia are far better quality and I dont think the Ikon has a 3 way valve. There are a few obvious advantages the Silvia has. A really shallow drip tray may not be one.

                          You should get better coffee from the Silvia then the Ikon, though you might be better spending the extra $ on a grinder if you are using the em0480.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Risks buying Silvia second hand?

                            Originally posted by 4D70747460190 link=1309353436/12#12 date=1309413130
                            The group and 58mm pf on the Silvia are far better quality and I dont think the Ikon has a 3 way valve.
                            Two good points...  My search for a new machine started primarily because I decided I really want a machine that has a "proper" 58mm pf.  Is that a silly thing to say? 

                            Originally posted by 4D70747460190 link=1309353436/12#12 date=1309413130
                            You should get better coffee from the Silvia then the Ikon, though you might be better spending the extra $ on a grinder if you are using the em0480.
                            I had already been contemplating upgrading to the Smart grinder.  The Silvia may benefit moreso than the Ikon from an ever bigger step up (i.e. go for a better grinder than the Smart Grinder), but I just dont have the money to play with at this point for that to be an option.  From what Ive read, you have to spend quite a lot more to get a significantly better grinder than the Breville, anyway.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Risks buying Silvia second hand?

                              I think you may be surprised how much of an improvement the smart grinder is over the em0480, why dont you do it stepwise up grade the grinder first see how much better the coffee is and if still looking for more improvment (which by the way you will as you now have upgradeitis) and then look around at the machine options.

                              The silva will need a better grinder than em0480 to improve on the ikons performance anyway

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