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Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Venus

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  • #16
    Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

    Hi again Chris,

    I have no doubt that the VBM Domobar Levetta is a great machine, but I
    am not really looking for a lever machine, nor spending quite so much.

    Thanks so much for your input.

    Regards

    Trevor



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    • #17
      Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

      If thats the case Trevor, buy a Sunbeam 6910 and the best grinder you can afford.....I think that combo goes closest to meeting your needs....

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

        Trevor,

        I was just about to suggest what Chris suggested above..... :

        Unfortunately if budget is an issue then it is all about compromise.... and the more the budget is limited - the greater the compromise required.

        But before you consider the machine - you need to get a quality grinder - and that is where you CANT compromise..... poorly ground beans in the best machine will still produce mediocre to cr@p coffee.

        The Silvia will last longer, have better resale value and will have heaps of steaming power for a few milk based drinks.

        The Sunbeam is full of electronics therefore wont be as reliable.... produces reasonable steam - but can continue to do so jug after jug of milk.... and probably wont hold its resale like the Silvia either.

        There is no doubt in my mind if you seriously want to make several milk based drinks quickly - you need the steaming power of a HX machine (says he with a 17l boiler for home use :).. or at the very least a machine with a BOILER (not a thermoblock) much larger than that of the Silvia.....

        But if you are funds limited a good grinder and a EM6910 is probably a reasonable compromise - but it IS a compromise.

        If you can find your way clear to find a few more dollars - it will be really worth it...... you will get far more enjoyment out of entertaining -- I went from a small single boiler (what a PITA when entertaining) to my present machine which is a sheer joy to use when you have a group of people to make coffees for..... and the quality of coffee will also improve with dollar value.

        You also save in the long term by getting a good machine upfront..... otherwise you will be upgrading before long!

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        • #19
          Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

          Hi 2muchcoffeeman and Java B,

          Thanks for your suggestions.

          You may not have already read that I do own a reasonable grinder, a Nemox Lux, which can grind really very fine if needed. I selected it over an Iberital and the Sunbeam 480. I am accustomed to using commercial grinders and we have a Mini Mazzer at the cafe which I operate 2-3 days a week.

          My budget of $1200.00 is for a new espresso machine only.

          I have had a demonstration of a Sunbeam 6910, and admittedly it
          produced very good shots with thick crema layer with no practice.

          In my perception, the steaming performance of the Sunbeam did not seem excessive, even compared with my Saeco V/V. I guess it would at least be continuous steaming ability.

          My main requirement is for good milk coffees, a double or two in succession, and only occasionally, three in succession.

          Im beginning to think I probably wont go wrong with Silvia, Venus or
          Sunbeam 6910.

          Regards guys

          Trevor


          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

            Trevor- I am a tad :-/ re your lever phobia? You flick a switch or alternately lift a lever to do exactly the same things. Seems not too much difference to me??

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            • #21
              Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

              Chris/Trevor,

              I did wonder about that myself....

              Trevor

              The lever operates a microswitch.... just like the switch on any machine..... and often also provides a pre infusion function (not sure about this particular machine).

              To me it looks far more professional operating the lever than just "flicking a switch"..... and is no harder to use -- unlike the real lever machines (which Id love to have one of ) where pressure on the lever extracts the coffee - these still use the normal pump etc.

              Worth a serious look I would think!!

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              • #22
                Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

                Hi guys,

                I think Ive misunderstood this lever thing. I thought it was a manual lever you had to control, which I suspected could lead to variations during the the shot pulling process. By the way, I dont have a phobia about these lever machines, ...I just dont know enough about them.

                Hmm, Ill see if I can look at a Levetta in Adelaide...not sure if they are available over here. We have a limited range here I think, compared with
                the eastern states.

                Thanks

                Trevor

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

                  Trevor,

                  Ah, I thought that might be the case....

                  Yep, the manual lever machines are far harder to use (but Id still love one - Id welcome the challenge of making espresso "by hand").

                  What we are talking here is just a more interesting way of presenting the pump switch function than a boring old toggle or rocker switch....

                  The machine still does it all for you - and does it extremely well I might add. You wouldnt be disappointed and it is a CONSIDERABLE step up from the Silvia (which is still an excellent machine - but not ideal for your needs like the VBM Domobar Levetta would be - in my opinion anyway)

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                  • #24
                    Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

                    ive only compared mine to the Sunbeam cafe series machine. The steaming is much faster and stronger. You need to warm up the machine a little before, but that takes 3-4 minutes max. No problems with stretching at all

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

                      Hi amberosw,

                      Thanks for your comments...I take it that you own a Silvia.

                      May I ask whether you have found the machine to be a bit "finicky" as some have tended to report...I mean, in the sense of bitter shot, sour shot etc., caused by temperature variations.

                      Just another thing. Are you able to utilise a 1 litre frothing jug at a time
                      or is that just too large.

                      Regards

                      Trevor

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

                        Given the requirements you have stated re successive milk based drinks, I agree with others that you need a heat exchanger machine. Can I suggest you take a look at the Nuova Simonelli Oscar. One of the site sponsors Veneziano sells then (list price $1300) and this might suit your needs. I think this is still the cheapest Hx on the market in Australia- not the same bling factor as most others (you dont pay for it either), but an excellent machine on the inside. Id suggest a better option than a sunbeam given available budget.

                        If an Oscar does interest you I might be able to help reduce the cost so it makes budget - I need another portafilter handle. I think they ship with 2 handles. You can sell me one (Ill pay you whatever they sell for at coffeeparts.com.au) - and get closer to your $1200 limit!

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

                          Hi Tim

                          Thanks for your comments.

                          In reality, I am not considering the Sunbeam now, even though I did pull some beautiful shots with it last week during a brief fiddle around with it. I was not impressed with the steaming power of the Sunbeam.

                          Ive heard good things about the Oscar on the forum, but it is really getting too large for our already small kitchen!

                          I really can only stretch to accommodate something the size of a Silvia or a Venus, and, because of the favourable comments I have received on each of them, they are still my primary contenders. I am now
                          leaning more towards the Venus due to the larger boiler and huge
                          drip-tray.

                          Regards

                          Trevor

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

                            Hi Trevorbeans,
                            At the risk of repeating what others have said, if you want to do 8 coffees at a time you need a HX machine. The silvia will take all day. I think the domobar levetta was a good suggestion.

                            IMHO if you cant stretch your budget to the HX you should stick with the equipment that you have for another 3-6 months and then upgrade to the HX level. I believe anything less than a HX machine will not meet your requirements.

                            good luck!
                            andy

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

                              Hi Andy,

                              Thanks for your comments.

                              Two things, though:-

                              I never do more than three doubles at a time...and then, only once per week, when my family come over, (refer my earlier post).

                              Other than that, I do two doubles per day, 1in morning, 1 in afternoon for my wife and myself.

                              I reiterate that my kitchen is reasonably small, so much so that I cannot fit any more than an Isomac Venus or ECM Botticelli - still available in SA, or Silvia on the available benchtop.

                              Although it would be great to have a hx machine, I am not aware of
                              a very compact model of these proportions.

                              Thanks to you and all of the others who have responded to my thread.

                              Regards

                              Trevor

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Please help me...Rancilio Silvia or Isomac Ven

                                Hi Trevor...

                                we have a Botticelli, and we chose it for the small footprint, being motorhomers.
                                however, we could not have anticipated how good this unit is, truly!

                                i will admit that i have PIDed ours, as i was wasting time and water by temp surfing for a good shot: not good when you are on batteries/gen set and your water tanks.

                                now she sits quietly "on temp" and can pull 4-6 double shots (so 12 espressos or 6 doppios) at a time, followed by steaming a litre jug of milk, in no more time than it takes to load the PFs, pull the shots, after the last shot hit the steam button, fill jug, line up cups, empty knock box (temp has by now ramped up to well over 135C and can go as high as 154C) and start steaming.
                                i have textured 2 one-litre jugs in succession without the steam temp dropping below 134C....

                                if the Bott is still available, grab one!
                                even without a PID, in a normal suburban environment she will come out top of the heap, on a very small footprint.!!

                                L


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