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  • newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

    I have been using a saeco incanto rapid steam for the past 7 or so years. I got if from my Dad who couldnt deal with all the sevice calls. It makes an ok morning coffee and is really convienient. However Im not sure that it is much longer for this world and I have come across a refurb kitchen aid for $799. Should I buy or wait till the current machine finally dies and spend my $$ on something else. Would cost around $2000 to replace current machine- pros really convienint cons- breakdowns, average coffee.

  • #2
    Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

    Wecome SarahB

    So how much do you want to spend
    You can get better new machines than the used Kitchen Aid

    However you can get a fully auto machine like the baby Jura from
    Cosmorex or Gilkatho from the sponsors area


    KK

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

      Originally posted by sarahb link=1221569261/0#0 date=1221569261
      I have come across a refurb kitchen aid for $799. Should I buy or wait till the current machine finally dies and spend my $$ on something else.
      Gday sarahb,

      Welcome to CoffeeSnobs..... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

      In a word - NO! Even at that price it is still way too much to pay for this machine. Much better to see if you can grab a Gaggia Classic or Baby machine for a lot less money for almost identical performance. The KitchenAid range of machines are manufactured by Gaggia for KitchenAid, after which you pay a premium for the privilege. Conversely, for that sort of money you could grab a more superior machine in the league of a Rancilio Silvia, etc....

      If you dont already have a good quality grinder, you will need to factor one of these into the equation too as a decent grinder is way more important than the type of machine or brew method you use. A basic grinder that is adequate for the job would be a Sunbeam EM0480/450 at less than $200 but since this is basically an appliance rather than a good quality specialist grinder, it will probably not have the performance or longevity of something in the class of a genuine quality grinder such as a Rancilio Rocky or better. Youre looking at roughly $450 and higher for this class of grinder though.

      Hope some of this has been helpful Sarah....

      Mal.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

        Hi,

        Thanks for that, it confirms what I thought after a quick browse of this site.

        Does the Silvia have a double boiler? What is the step up from a Silvia and what do you get to justify the increase in$$?

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

          Silvia has a 300ml single boiler, she is a great machine and built to last, VBM Levetta has a 700ml boiler and CS Levetta owners regard them highly.
          Then your looking at HX machines in multiple $k bracket.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

            Hi SarahB,

            Im a KitchenAid mixer owner and love the look of their products. However, after researching here on CS I found enough info to put me off buying one of their Espresso Machines. I ended up with a Vibiemme Domobar Levetta and havent looked back.

            Cheers,
            slowcoffee

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

              The other thought following on from Mals suggestion re grinders, is to look at the "Hardware for Sale" threads on site. There are almost always great deals including, at the moment, Rockys still under warranty for $350 and a commercial grade Cunil for $220. With the care that CSers usually give to their grinders, these make great buys.

              S

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

                Hi all,

                Excuse my possible ignorance on this subject but the KitchenAid is a dual boiler machine right?  I would have thought this price was reasonable for such a machine.  

                Ive never used one so maybe there are other issues that I am not aware of.

                Ben.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

                  Ben_C

                  They are basically 2 Gaggia classics in one case...... and secondhand classics go for about $250 - $300.....

                  The classic makes great espresso..... but its steaming ability is limited (and so it is on the KitchenAid).....

                  The reason why someone would buy the KitchenAid would be for looks..... a form over function decision! They are a domestic appliance.... a very expensive domestic appliance..... and whilst their mixes, blenders etc are excellent (and we have them!).... they are not a mainstream coffee machine manufacturer..... and at that sort of price.... thats the brands Id be looking at!

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                  • #10
                    Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

                    I didnt want to give the impression (above) that I thought the KitchenAid Artisan espresso machine was a poor performer. It is capable of producing excellent espresso and if you do the Gaggia/Silvia Wand upgrade, it can do a fairly good job of texturing milk too. Its just that they are way too expensive for what they are and as JB pointed out, you will be buying pretty well the exact, same machine (internals) by purchasing a Gaggia Classic, Baby or one of the new Gaggia dual-boiler jobs.

                    They do look the part though, a big pity about the huge mark-up....

                    Mal.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

                      Ill throw out a little info on the KA Pro Line because Ive owned one for about 1.5 years now.

                      It is made for KA by Gaggia and is basically a Gaggia Classic in a double form, meaning it has 2 boilers, two 3-way solenoids (1 for the brew boiler and 1 for the steam boiler), it has an adjustable OPV, etc. One boiler is optimized for brewing and the other is optimized for steaming and this system works really well, as there is no waiting to do either. Each boiler will recover as fast as you can crank out the shots or steaming.

                      The machine is very solid, being steel and mostly die cast aluminum. It has a 64 oz. water tank and a decent sized drip tray.

                      Even though it utilizes Gaggia boilers, thermostats, etc. the boiler temps. are really stable. From the time the brew boiler thermostat kicks on around 194 degrees to the time it kicks off around 203 shots can be pulled at either end of the spectrum. I wait to hear the thermostat click off, wait around 10 seconds and the water is perfect at around 201.

                      I know there are complaints about the Gaggia steaming power, but I have no problem at all. I always prime the steam boiler when the machine is first turned on, then bleed off any water in the wand before steaming. I can easily steam 12 oz. of whole milk in a chilled 20 oz. pitcher in maybe 1.5 minutes. Sure its not lightning quick, but not bad either. I dont normally use much milk, but it can be done rather easily. The steam wand on the Pro Line is very nice, being stainless steel and it can swivel in any direction. I dont use the stupid frothing attachment that came with it either. I use the bare wand and never submerge the tip more than 1/2" into the surface of the milk and all is well.


                      For the original full price (in the US the original price was between $800-1000) Id look at something else. But I bought a refurb machine for $400 and had a tiny problem with it. KitchenAid sent me a brand new machine for my troubles at no additional cost. So I have that $800-1000 machine for $400. Not bad, heh?

                      They have discontinued this fine machine and probably wont carry them anymore. Ive seen refurbs going as low as $200 in the US. You wont find a better deal than that. Later!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

                        HELL NO!!!!
                        I have one of these, it makes great espresso but steam is useless. I am on my 4th machine now and they wont give me my money back so Im left with a big paper weight.

                        I also work for a place where we sell these machines and its hard for even me (a stockist) to get any assistance from kitchen Aid to fix my machine when it craps itself.

                        Bought a Sunbeam 6910 and soooooooooo much better.

                        Peter McInnes (the importer) of kitchen Aid in Australia are hopeless and I wouldnt hold my breath for any results if you have problems.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

                          Originally posted by ausman600 link=1221569261/0#11 date=1225938462
                          HELL NO!!!!
                          I have one of these, it makes great espresso but steam is useless. I am on my 4th machine now and they wont give me my money back so Im left with a big paper weight.

                          I also work for a place where we sell these machines and its hard for even me (a stockist) to get any assistance from kitchen Aid to fix my machine when it craps itself.

                          Bought a Sunbeam 6910 and soooooooooo much better.

                          Peter McInnes (the importer) of kitchen Aid in Australia are hopeless and I wouldnt hold my breath for any results if you have problems.

                          Maybe the steam issue is user error. I have NO problems with the machine whatsoever. Most of the time issues are because of the way equipment is used and maintained.

                          mod edit- inappropriate comments removed.....Thanks, but we really dont need that type of rubbish here. If thats the best you can manage, take it elsewhere thanks >.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

                            Originally posted by shadow745 link=1221569261/0#12 date=1225975072
                            Originally posted by ausman600 link=1221569261/0#11 date=1225938462
                            HELL NO!!!!
                            I have one of these, it makes great espresso but steam is useless. I am on my 4th machine now and they wont give me my money back so Im left with a big paper weight.

                            I also work for a place where we sell these machines and its hard for even me (a stockist) to get any assistance from kitchen Aid to fix my machine when it craps itself.

                            Bought a Sunbeam 6910 and soooooooooo much better.

                            Peter McInnes (the importer) of kitchen Aid in Australia are hopeless and I wouldnt hold my breath for any results if you have problems.

                            Maybe the steam issue is user error. I have NO problems with the machine whatsoever. Most of the time issues are because of the way equipment is used and maintained.

                            mod edit- inappropriate comments removed.....Thanks, but we really dont need that type of rubbish here. If thats the best you can manage, take it elsewhere thanks  >.
                            Thanks for your reply.
                            Let me first point out that my troubles have not been due to user error. I have done everything to the manufacturers requests (purge before use ect) I look after my machines and considering I am a re-seller of this product I have had to take this up with top management at Peter McInnes and they agreed that it was a Machine fault which was fixed 3 times then the machine was replaced and still no where near as good as my cheaper EM6910.
                            I am sure there are units out there that work very well however there are an enormous amount of disgruntelled customers world wide who have trouble with faults and poor back up service, these results can be found on many internet forums. Sorry if I have offended you but I thought that in open forums we are allowed to voice our opinions, concerns and experiences (maybe I have mis understood something)

                            Basically from my own experience and from information I have found, there are more reliable machines available for less money.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: newbie- should I buy a refurb kitchenaid

                              This is how I look at it..... anything mechanical can and will break at some time. I do happen to believe that this pretty much depends on how something is used and cared for.

                              There will always be those that will have problems, but since you mentioned the Sunbeam 69...... whatever.... I cant believe how many threads there are on this forum alone with those having problems with the line of machine (s). I think Sunbeam shouldve worked on this paperweight a little longer before it hit the market. Later!

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