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  • Upgrade? Side-grade? Modify? Thoughts....

    Greetings Snobs!

    I haven't been on here for a few years 'coz my coffee universe has been pretty stable really.

    But....
    I think I need to make some wholesale changes and I need your wise advice.

    So current set up is:
    Silvia (V1) - stock standard, no mods
    Compak K3 touch.

    Makes epic coffee, because I am a fussy/neurotic barista that knows my machines' behaviour intimately. I have honed my consistency over a long time.

    So what's changed? What's the problem?

    - We now have one more coffee drinker in the house than before, and my wife drinks coffee more often than she used to.
    - My wife is not particularly confident with the grinder & silvia calibration....so when I am away working, for weeks at a time, she can't really dial-in a new bag of beans....or make small adjustments to current beans. She doesn't have time with two kids etc etc.
    - If I make 5-6 cups a day.....I am spending a lot of time standing at the silvia, temp surfing, flushing, pre-heating, re-filling etc etc - Especially when I make three in a row. As everyone knows, the silvia is great for one or two cups.....but it's a pain for smashing out multiple cups (btw - almost all coffees in our house are made with milk too). Lately I feel like I am losing hours of my time making coffees every day.

    So...
    Upgrade?
    I can throw some coin at the silvia?
    PID kit + gauge + OPV adjust/upgrade and then maybe I'll have a better/more efficient set-up....?
    Sure it's more precise....but I already like my coffee.
    Would the PID just intimidate my wife even more?
    How much faster would it be to make 3 coffees with milk?
    You can throw more tech at a silvia.....but it still has the smallest boiler in the city....and it can't do double-duty like a heat exchange or DB machine.
    I need a set-up that myself or my wife can just walk-up to and start brewing without mucking around with where the boiler temp cycle is.
    And I want to prep more milk, faster. I gotta need for speed!

    OR....
    Side-grade?
    I could buy a BES920....?
    You get PID? (I think....)....or at least no need to temp surf.
    You get espresso & milk prep at the same time.
    BUT.....you get plastic retail reliability. They just ain't built like a steel/brass/copper machine y'know?
    ....and they use those dinky little porta-filters....so I can't use a Pullman or VST basket (??)
    I guess they are VFM.....IF they don't fail after 12 months of use....

    OR....
    Buy used pro-sumer or small commercial on FleaBay / ScumTree / CoffeeSnobs.....?
    OK, so this option opens Pandoras Box.
    There is so many used machines out there!!
    What size? What year? What model? Was it a dud? Was it legendary in it's day?
    I do all my own maintenance on the silvia and I look after the Wega Atlas we have at work. I am a qualified engineer. I have a better-than-most workshop and a pretty comprehensive tool box.....so I don't mind fixing/servicing/upgrading a second hand machine. But which one??
    The other downside to this strategy is cost. Even a second hand DB or Heat exchange machine is going to be a couple of grand or more. I was hoping to keep the change-over price to 500 to 900 bucks....but might be dreaming?

    Would love your thoughts....particularly from anyone who has a PID silvia. I'd like to know how much time the upgrades might save me?

    Gracias

  • #2
    G'day BM...

    All the options you list still requires a level of finesse dialling in the grinder, as and when required.
    Maybe some one-on-one lessons with your better half could alleviate this?
    Or, maybe a grinder that is easier to use could be an option, such as a Eureka Atom perhaps...

    Mal.

    Comment


    • #3
      There’s a price drop on an Oscar in the for sale section.....

      Comment


      • #4
        Get her a aeropress and porlex (or other easier) grinder. Simple, quick, convenient. No grinder settings to mess with. Will make 2 long blacks at a time. Just the milk....
        Does she drink flat white or frothy things?

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by BrownMouth View Post
          Greetings Snobs!

          I haven't been on here for a few years 'coz my coffee universe has been pretty stable really.

          But....
          I think I need to make some wholesale changes and I need your wise advice.

          So current set up is:
          Silvia (V1) - stock standard, no mods
          Compak K3 touch.

          Makes epic coffee, because I am a fussy/neurotic barista that knows my machines' behaviour intimately. I have honed my consistency over a long time.

          So what's changed? What's the problem?

          - We now have one more coffee drinker in the house than before, and my wife drinks coffee more often than she used to.
          - My wife is not particularly confident with the grinder & silvia calibration....so when I am away working, for weeks at a time, she can't really dial-in a new bag of beans....or make small adjustments to current beans. She doesn't have time with two kids etc etc.
          - If I make 5-6 cups a day.....I am spending a lot of time standing at the silvia, temp surfing, flushing, pre-heating, re-filling etc etc - Especially when I make three in a row. As everyone knows, the silvia is great for one or two cups.....but it's a pain for smashing out multiple cups (btw - almost all coffees in our house are made with milk too). Lately I feel like I am losing hours of my time making coffees every day.

          So...
          Upgrade?
          I can throw some coin at the silvia?
          PID kit + gauge + OPV adjust/upgrade and then maybe I'll have a better/more efficient set-up....?
          Sure it's more precise....but I already like my coffee.
          Would the PID just intimidate my wife even more?
          How much faster would it be to make 3 coffees with milk?
          You can throw more tech at a silvia.....but it still has the smallest boiler in the city....and it can't do double-duty like a heat exchange or DB machine.
          I need a set-up that myself or my wife can just walk-up to and start brewing without mucking around with where the boiler temp cycle is.
          And I want to prep more milk, faster. I gotta need for speed!

          OR....
          Side-grade?
          I could buy a BES920....?
          You get PID? (I think....)....or at least no need to temp surf.
          You get espresso & milk prep at the same time.
          BUT.....you get plastic retail reliability. They just ain't built like a steel/brass/copper machine y'know?
          ....and they use those dinky little porta-filters....so I can't use a Pullman or VST basket (??)
          I guess they are VFM.....IF they don't fail after 12 months of use....

          OR....
          Buy used pro-sumer or small commercial on FleaBay / ScumTree / CoffeeSnobs.....?
          OK, so this option opens Pandoras Box.
          There is so many used machines out there!!
          What size? What year? What model? Was it a dud? Was it legendary in it's day?
          I do all my own maintenance on the silvia and I look after the Wega Atlas we have at work. I am a qualified engineer. I have a better-than-most workshop and a pretty comprehensive tool box.....so I don't mind fixing/servicing/upgrading a second hand machine. But which one??
          The other downside to this strategy is cost. Even a second hand DB or Heat exchange machine is going to be a couple of grand or more. I was hoping to keep the change-over price to 500 to 900 bucks....but might be dreaming?

          Would love your thoughts....particularly from anyone who has a PID silvia. I'd like to know how much time the upgrades might save me?

          Gracias
          G'day BrownMouth

          As a guy who owned a Silvia for 9 troublefree years I feel your pain (plus a manual lever Electra, a couple of 2 group La Pavs and GS3s among too many others).

          When I first returned to Oz "rather broke" I faced the same dilemma and bought a 2008 Sunbeam 6910. Never looked back - it froths and shoots at the same time, is way more stable on temp and only needs a quick preflush after 90 seconds and it is ready to go with better coffee than 90% of Miss owners can obtain. BTW - I would put you in the other 10%, however I could always equal Miss S after a couple of weeks. Since then I have gone through a few other machines (and encountered a lot more to set up belonging to friends and cafe owners) and I still prefer the 6910 as a "no brainer / great coffee" machine until the pricing gets stratospheric (i.e. Strada or DE1+ are the only upgrades I have seriously contemplated, and the DE1+ tops the Strada on paper). My 2 group La Pavoni can equal the 6910 cuppa if I trick it into preinfusing the shot (but it needs 35 minutes at 18A to warm up!). My SB 7000 is quieter but inferior in every other way (domestic peace banned the La Pav, my Behmor roaster and the 6910 from the current kitchen). A friend's DB is equal but takes a lot longer to warm up and then clags out after the 4th or 5th shot "on the trot" as the boiler runs out of puff.

          FWIW, both the 6910 and the Breville DBs take "standard 55mm commercial baskets". I started with a naked portafilter (correctly sized Josco holesaw - the earlier 6910 p/fs are brass - about a 5 minute job for your level of skill) and two complete sets of VST baskets as the earlier SB baskets are, should we say, "challenged". The later ones are a lot better (about level with the EQ / HQ so called "precision" baskets).

          The SB warms up so much faster than almost any other machine... and if you really need to pump them out I think you need to go way beyond any small boiler machine (including the DB) - the 6910 can do 72 "shots and froths" an hour for the length of a (long) XMas party as long as you have a young serf (or equivalent) to keep refilling the water container every few minutes (2.2 litres is really just too small for that use). FYI, that was a "Hobson's choice trial" when I had a choice - use 2 6910s (as it happened the second one was never turned on) or pay for 20 amp wiring and then plumb the La Pav in with no water or drain handy at a one off site. I really did not expect the 6910 to come anywhere near that workload with aplomb.

          So, I would suggest you find a reasonable secondhand 6910 (they go for around $200) and expect to do an A to Z clean (most users at that level have no idea about maintenance) and hopefully not need any new parts (9 out of 10 are fine, just have years of accumulated crud).

          Notes for the first stripdown:
          1) if the collar is not totally worn out a "cut to fit" paper card spacer is a pretty good long term "temporary fix". Mine is 4 years old now. Most seals clean up, however some have been ground away / torn to shreds because coffee grounds have got between the collar and the seal over the long term.
          2) Use a PH2 and separate the showerscreens for cleaning. Most of them will be caked solid with old mouldy coffee in between the two screens, which is why the shot tastes like the deposit of gunk you are looking at...
          3) If it is not a naked, make it into one - and be prepared to see another pile of gunk if it still has the plastic insert.

          Hope this helps


          TampIt

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by TampIt View Post
            FWIW, both the 6910 and the Breville DBs take "standard 55mm commercial baskets". I started with a naked portafilter (correctly sized Josco holesaw - the earlier 6910 p/fs are brass - about a 5 minute job for your level of skill) and two complete sets of VST baskets as the earlier SB baskets are, should we say, "challenged". The later ones are a lot better (about level with the EQ / HQ so called "precision" baskets).

            TampIt
            BM and Tampit, you may want to chech that Tampit hasn't mistyped before you get any accessories based on this advice. Pretty sure this is a mistype and the Sunbeam and Breville take the same 58mm baskets as your Sylvia.

            Comment


            • #7
              I had an early Silvia for about twelve years. Your time problem will not be touched by a PID; it is the single boiler without HX which needs addressing. I think you will be able to pick up a good second-hand HX or DB machine at a price much better than a couple of thousand, especially given you are equipped. It will also produce coffees for your partner more quickly and reliably, leaving only the grinder adjustment problem. I agree with the earlier comment that training is a good solution to that side of things. You (or rather, she) will otherwise always have the dialling-in problem. Alternatively, use particular beans and work out settings between which to switch to suit each of your preferences.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Dimal View Post
                G'day BM...

                All the options you list still requires a level of finesse dialling in the grinder, as and when required.
                Maybe some one-on-one lessons with your better half could alleviate this?
                Or, maybe a grinder that is easier to use could be an option, such as a Eureka Atom perhaps...

                Mal.
                Thanks Dimal.
                Just watched a video on the Atom.....very nice product! Would be a good choice for wifey (and MUCH quieter than my noisy Compak)

                I should have mentioned in my OP.....my wife can make a fairly good latte with the current set-up. I have trained her in the complex jedi school of un-modified Silvia brewing.
                ....but she's not confident to adjust anything if the shot quality changes over a week or two.
                But really, it's as much about how much time I am spending at the machine....because I am Chief Barista in the house. I wanna be able to knock up three (or four) milk drinks quickly, regardless of aforementioned wife-compatability...

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Jackster View Post
                  Get her a aeropress and porlex (or other easier) grinder. Simple, quick, convenient. No grinder settings to mess with. Will make 2 long blacks at a time. Just the milk....
                  Does she drink flat white or frothy things?
                  Funny you mention that Jackster....I've been looking at Aeropress lately.....but was thinking more about coffee when I'm camping / mtn biking etc.
                  I'll ask her if she wants to use one at home..... (but I suspect she will see it as a down-grade from the epic latte's we currently enjoy!)

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by TampIt View Post
                    G'day BrownMouth

                    As a guy who owned a Silvia for 9 troublefree years I feel your pain (plus a manual lever Electra, a couple of 2 group La Pavs and GS3s among too many others).

                    When I first returned to Oz "rather broke" I faced the same dilemma and bought a 2008 Sunbeam 6910. Never looked back - it froths and shoots at the same time, is way more stable on temp and only needs a quick preflush after 90 seconds and it is ready to go with better coffee than 90% of Miss owners can obtain. BTW - I would put you in the other 10%, however I could always equal Miss S after a couple of weeks. Since then I have gone through a few other machines (and encountered a lot more to set up belonging to friends and cafe owners) and I still prefer the 6910 as a "no brainer / great coffee" machine until the pricing gets stratospheric (i.e. Strada or DE1+ are the only upgrades I have seriously contemplated, and the DE1+ tops the Strada on paper). My 2 group La Pavoni can equal the 6910 cuppa if I trick it into preinfusing the shot (but it needs 35 minutes at 18A to warm up!). My SB 7000 is quieter but inferior in every other way (domestic peace banned the La Pav, my Behmor roaster and the 6910 from the current kitchen). A friend's DB is equal but takes a lot longer to warm up and then clags out after the 4th or 5th shot "on the trot" as the boiler runs out of puff.

                    FWIW, both the 6910 and the Breville DBs take "standard 55mm commercial baskets". I started with a naked portafilter (correctly sized Josco holesaw - the earlier 6910 p/fs are brass - about a 5 minute job for your level of skill) and two complete sets of VST baskets as the earlier SB baskets are, should we say, "challenged". The later ones are a lot better (about level with the EQ / HQ so called "precision" baskets).

                    The SB warms up so much faster than almost any other machine... and if you really need to pump them out I think you need to go way beyond any small boiler machine (including the DB) - the 6910 can do 72 "shots and froths" an hour for the length of a (long) XMas party as long as you have a young serf (or equivalent) to keep refilling the water container every few minutes (2.2 litres is really just too small for that use). FYI, that was a "Hobson's choice trial" when I had a choice - use 2 6910s (as it happened the second one was never turned on) or pay for 20 amp wiring and then plumb the La Pav in with no water or drain handy at a one off site. I really did not expect the 6910 to come anywhere near that workload with aplomb.

                    So, I would suggest you find a reasonable secondhand 6910 (they go for around $200) and expect to do an A to Z clean (most users at that level have no idea about maintenance) and hopefully not need any new parts (9 out of 10 are fine, just have years of accumulated crud).

                    Notes for the first stripdown:
                    1) if the collar is not totally worn out a "cut to fit" paper card spacer is a pretty good long term "temporary fix". Mine is 4 years old now. Most seals clean up, however some have been ground away / torn to shreds because coffee grounds have got between the collar and the seal over the long term.
                    2) Use a PH2 and separate the showerscreens for cleaning. Most of them will be caked solid with old mouldy coffee in between the two screens, which is why the shot tastes like the deposit of gunk you are looking at...
                    3) If it is not a naked, make it into one - and be prepared to see another pile of gunk if it still has the plastic insert.

                    Hope this helps


                    TampIt
                    Great reply TampIt....mucho appreciate.

                    I'll be honest, I woudn't have considered a "BunSeam" machine in a million years. (This is still CoffeeSNOBS, yeah? )
                    I always thought they were under-done junk.
                    But now you've got me curious. What is it about the 6910 that makes it a quiet achiever? Does it have electronic temp control?
                    Is it a boiler or thermo-block or Hx....or something else?
                    What's so good about the features / design?
                    It would definitely fit the budget, that's for sure.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      https://dibartoli.com.au/di-bartoli-lumina-exclusive/

                      This seems like a pretty good deal?
                      There's no reason to think this machine wouldn't make excellent milk espressos....?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by TampIt View Post
                        G'day BrownMouth

                        As a guy who owned a Silvia for 9 troublefree years I feel your pain (plus a manual lever Electra, a couple of 2 group La Pavs and GS3s among too many others).

                        When I first returned to Oz "rather broke" I faced the same dilemma and bought a 2008 Sunbeam 6910. Never looked back - it froths and shoots at the same time, is way more stable on temp and only needs a quick preflush after 90 seconds and it is ready to go with better coffee than 90% of Miss owners can obtain. BTW - I would put you in the other 10%, however I could always equal Miss S after a couple of weeks. Since then I have gone through a few other machines (and encountered a lot more to set up belonging to friends and cafe owners) and I still prefer the 6910 as a "no brainer / great coffee" machine until the pricing gets stratospheric (i.e. Strada or DE1+ are the only upgrades I have seriously contemplated, and the DE1+ tops the Strada on paper). My 2 group La Pavoni can equal the 6910 cuppa if I trick it into preinfusing the shot (but it needs 35 minutes at 18A to warm up!). My SB 7000 is quieter but inferior in every other way (domestic peace banned the La Pav, my Behmor roaster and the 6910 from the current kitchen). A friend's DB is equal but takes a lot longer to warm up and then clags out after the 4th or 5th shot "on the trot" as the boiler runs out of puff.

                        FWIW, both the 6910 and the Breville DBs take "standard 55mm commercial baskets". I started with a naked portafilter (correctly sized Josco holesaw - the earlier 6910 p/fs are brass - about a 5 minute job for your level of skill) and two complete sets of VST baskets as the earlier SB baskets are, should we say, "challenged". The later ones are a lot better (about level with the EQ / HQ so called "precision" baskets).

                        The SB warms up so much faster than almost any other machine... and if you really need to pump them out I think you need to go way beyond any small boiler machine (including the DB) - the 6910 can do 72 "shots and froths" an hour for the length of a (long) XMas party as long as you have a young serf (or equivalent) to keep refilling the water container every few minutes (2.2 litres is really just too small for that use). FYI, that was a "Hobson's choice trial" when I had a choice - use 2 6910s (as it happened the second one was never turned on) or pay for 20 amp wiring and then plumb the La Pav in with no water or drain handy at a one off site. I really did not expect the 6910 to come anywhere near that workload with aplomb.

                        So, I would suggest you find a reasonable secondhand 6910 (they go for around $200) and expect to do an A to Z clean (most users at that level have no idea about maintenance) and hopefully not need any new parts (9 out of 10 are fine, just have years of accumulated crud).

                        Notes for the first stripdown:
                        1) if the collar is not totally worn out a "cut to fit" paper card spacer is a pretty good long term "temporary fix". Mine is 4 years old now. Most seals clean up, however some have been ground away / torn to shreds because coffee grounds have got between the collar and the seal over the long term.
                        2) Use a PH2 and separate the showerscreens for cleaning. Most of them will be caked solid with old mouldy coffee in between the two screens, which is why the shot tastes like the deposit of gunk you are looking at...
                        3) If it is not a naked, make it into one - and be prepared to see another pile of gunk if it still has the plastic insert.

                        Hope this helps


                        TampIt
                        Umm.....also....
                        What / why is the 6910 better than the 7000?
                        I've just been looking on the SB web page. I must admit the features are impressive - and the thermoblocks sound like the answer to my "need for speed".

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          ebay link removed - per the few rules we have

                          Maybe something like this?
                          It's got a big boiler. Foot-print is not ridiculous. I think it's an E61 from the photos ??
                          I wonder what the temp control accuracy is like....?

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by BrownMouth View Post

                            Maybe something like this?
                            It's got a big boiler. Foot-print is not ridiculous. I think it's an E61 from the photos ??
                            I wonder what the temp control accuracy is like....?
                            The expobar office machines have a smaller footprint and probably better designed for home use. They are Hx E61 type.

                            I picked up a 4 year old one at a great price (ie same as that eBay ad). Once I got it set up my wife just has to press a button.

                            To be honest once the grinder is dialled in with a bean, minor variations with the same bean as it ages over a couple of weeks are not going to be noticed by her. Or me come to think of it. I've seen demo models at really good prices.
                            Attached Files

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              4 million google tabs open......plans for the day are slipping away.....HELP!.....the rabbit hole is sucking me doooooowwwwwwn.........

                              Comment

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