What HX machine to buy with a $1000 - $1500 budget?

[danknowles]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum, but have been reading various posts on brewing equipment for a little while now.

I'm looking to replace my Via Venezia which has packed up after many years of service, and wanting to upgrade to a HX machine.
Considering HX (or dual boiler) as we typically drink 4 milk coffees a day plus, I would appreciate the extra steam capacity when entertaining and making 4-6 coffees in a session. Volumetric function would be handy too.

The budget is $1000-$1500 and I'm happy to buy "pre-loved" machines to save a few $$$
Im allowing another $500 for a grinder

Looking at the list of Hx machines on a sponsor website, I notice most of them have the 'traditional Italian' styling (eg Bezzera Galatea) which Im not a great fan of.
I was hoping for a more modern looking machine hence I was interested in the Nuova Simonelli Musica. However I havent heard a lot about this machines performance, so I'd be interested in any user feedback.

Having said that at the end of the day performance is more important than looks, so I'm keen to hear what other members would recommend for the above budget (considering Im happy to buy 2nd hand)?

Any advice would be much appreciated
Thanks
Dan

[Steve82]

Sounds like you are going to be making lots of milk drinks and will consider dual boiler?
If you could try and stretch your budget a bit? have you seen this http://coffeesnobs.com.au/coffee-har...5-grinder.html

[danknowles]

Thanks for the suggestion Steve82, but a bit too much over my budget.
I'm thinking about a second hand ECM Giotto Premium, as there's a couple going on ebay at the moment - I'm a little unclear as to the difference between this and a "Rocket Giotto" - is it just an older model of the same unit?

[TC]

Difference is age. Rocket took over from ECM in 2008 if my memory serves me...

[danknowles]

Thanks for clarifying that. So how would the ECM Giotto compare to say the Expobar Minore III, and also the NS Musica (a couple of the others I'm considering)?

[Macropin]

Thanks for the suggestion Steve82, but a bit too much over my budget.
I'm thinking about a second hand ECM Giotto Premium, as there's a couple going on ebay at the moment -

I was in the running for those, but then I snagged a better one off gumtree for $800. I got the machine with original box (!!!??) and manual, also came with the original acrylic cup rail. The machine had been fully serviced, including replacement of the troublesome control unit two years ago. So I should get a few trouble free years out of it. It's a 2006 model, and has the cool touch steam wand (and semi circle boiler gauge).

I gave it a thorough clean. Descale and Cafetto clean, and after two litres of 'long black' coffee came out, and a minor boiler pressure adjustment she pulls a damn fine espresso.

Suffice to say, I'm pretty darn happy. It's a huge step up from a Silvia. I'm particularly thrilled with the short warm up time, and the group design which provides a much better seal than the Rancillio.

[danknowles]

What a bargain, well done picking that one up.!
I've had a bit of a look on gumtree as well, but unfortunatley in Adelaide where I live theres not a lot on the market, they seem to come up more often in Sydney/ Melbourne.
Anyway I'll keep looking out for them - I'd be interested in any of the good brands really, the Giotto, Expobar minore, ECM or Diadema etc.

Thanks for the feedback in anycase, its good to know there are still some good deals out there!

[Macropin]

Yeah it was a good buy. The key here is to find one that has been fully service in the last few years, otherwise you might be out of pocket for as much as you paid for the machine to get it working nicely. Mine had a $500 service in 2013.

The ECM Giotto listed on Ebay in Pymble would also have been a good buy. It went for under $900 with a full $637 service recently done. eBay link removed per site posting policy So these machines are out there. In your case you might need to take a chance and arrange shipping to Adelaide unseen.

I snagged a similar bargain a few years ago with my Silvia. I think I got it cheap because the owner didn't think it made good coffee. (I found 4mm of coffee caked under the shower screen. ) But in the case of a Silvia there isn't much to go wrong so I was lucky that the lack of maintenance didn't hurt it and it cleaned up nicely and eventually made awesome coffee.

I suspect that a lot of second hand machines are sold off cheaply because the owners didn't clean them and can't get a good coffee out of them. So try to buy one that won't cost too much to get working.

[Dimal]

In your case you might need to take a chance and arrange shipping to Adelaide unseen.

I'd only do this if you can afford to write-off the entire purchase price, otherwise, stick to machines that you can test drive yourself or by someone you trust...

Mal.

[danknowles]

Thanks for the tips. I'll keep an eye out for something locally. I might post a 'want to buy' line in the hardware for sale section of this website too.

[danknowles]

Thought I should finish this thread with a picture of the rig I ended up getting through Jet Black - a reconditioned ECM Giotto with a Compak K3 grinder. Getting some great shots, and now I've changed the steam tip to a Profitec component with smaller holes, great milk too!
Actually I couldnt work out how to create an album, so I just uploaded it as my profile picture.

[Dimal]

Excellent Dan....

That's a beaut setup mate and will last you many years of terrific coffee brewing....

Mal.

[gavtron]

Thought I should finish this thread with a picture of the rig I ended up getting through Jet Black - a reconditioned ECM Giotto with a Compak K3 grinder. Getting some great shots, and now I've changed the steam tip to a Profitec component with smaller holes, great milk too!
Actually I couldnt work out how to create an album, so I just uploaded it as my profile picture.

Glad you like your new setup.. looks great

I bought a 2nd hand Izzo machine from Jet Black earlier this year, but after a month or so the pump started loosing pressure randomly.

Jet Black were very good in contacting a Melbourne based service agent for me (The Coffee Machinist) , so I didn't have to ship it back to NSW, and even though the tech couldn't replicate the issue I was having (it was only every now and then) they still replaced the pump which they suspected to be faulty free of charge under the warranty.

Great service all round and the machine hasn't skipped a beat since it was returned.

Cheers,

gav.