Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advice

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • ozscott
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    ahh. thanks mate. Mine in steam mode leaks when I first take the portafilter off...it might be jammed also. Unfortunately mine is out of warranty. I will investigate.

    Cheers

    Leave a comment:


  • kaanage
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    Under the screen, there is a brass fitting with a hole in it that is also slotted. The spring loaded valve lives under this so you need to undo it with a large screwdriver - there is a hole in the base under the drip tray specifically to give you access to this. Once this fitting is undone, the spring and valve rubber should follow it out and you can check if this is the problem.

    Of course the brass fitting might be jammed like it was with my friends machine (he got it warrantied because it was leaking in steam mode).

    Greg

    Leave a comment:


  • ozscott
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    Thanks Greg - I have taken out and cleaned the screen. How do I clean (and with what) the group valve?


    Cheers

    Leave a comment:


  • kaanage
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    Have you tried cleaning the showerscreen and group valve of the Ristretto? There may be nothing wrong with it that a cleanout wouldnt fix.

    I agree with the Ristretto being ridiculously good value for money. Once you find the temp surf point, its at least as good as the cheaper SB thermoblocks IME (but then i havent tried tweaking up the temp setting for the thermoblocks Ive played with)

    Greg

    Leave a comment:


  • ozscott
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    Thanks mate - this is a good review

    www.bellabarista.co.uk/Expobar/Pulsar/Expobar%20Office%20Pulser%20closer%20look%20encryp ted%20v1.pdf

    Leave a comment:


  • TC
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    Scott- if you are doing a few milky coffees, the expobar is worth considering.

    Expobar do sometimes ship with relatively high pump pressure and sometimes high boiler pressure also. Most owners report having to use a grouphead flush...but this is good practice and is required in some form or another with any machine.

    We bench test all expobar machines (and everything else for that matter) to ensure that they ship within normal and acceptable specs..

    Have a look at some of the CG reviews for further information http://www.coffeegeek.com/reviews/co.../expobaroffice

    Expobar reports:
    Semi automatic 1 group espresso coffee machine. Ideal for office or small shop. Commercial group, steam and water tap. Inbuilt 4 litre water tank, no plumbing required.

    Chris

    Leave a comment:


  • ozscott
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    ..Bugger - you have me thinking now Chris.

    I just read the www.coffeegeek.com/proreviews/firstlook/expobarpulser/details

    review. I have read other reviews - looks like a good bit of kit. In that review they talk about the group getting too hot even after running water through it. The author took off the cover and dialed down the temp on the therm. Is that reccomended? Whats your experience with it.

    For home use - regular 2 person and sometimes 4 - 6 person would it outperform the other 2 machines that you mentioned?

    Cheers

    Leave a comment:


  • TC
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    Scott- theyre both great machines. RRP of the Botticelli is $1k and the Sylvia is $770. Attilio was expecting stock of the Sylvia last Friday if they arrived  :-? (there has been very little Australian stock for some time).

    The general consensus seems to be that the Botticelli is more temperature stable and the sexier of the two- but both are excellent machines in this category. As for the weight difference, I guess that its in the body as both have a brass group.

    Another option would be an entry level HX machine such as the expobar office (pulsar). You get simultaneous espresso and milk texturing- however you will be a tad on the other side of $1K...

    Your grinder will need a tweak and then most likely be barely adequate with either of the machines. Many owners pair either machine with the Rocky doserless....

    Chris

    Leave a comment:


  • ozscott
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    Sorry to be tiresome, but can anyone tell me which of these 2 machines is most reliabe?

    Leave a comment:


  • ozscott
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    Checked out the specs Chris - were does the Silvia get the extra 5 pounds in weight from? Am i right in saying that the Botticelli is normally a pricier machine that the Silvia? Which you you reccomend and why?

    Cheers

    Leave a comment:


  • ozscott
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    Thanks Chris - appreciate that.

    The price that I got for the Silvia was $719 inc GST from Cerebos (which I thought in the past was a salt company) and they seem to have Mocopan also. I was under the impression that they were the importer? Anyway, I am always prepared to pay for service, advice and backup and to support smaller operators. Would you be kind enough to post the price of both machines that you reccomended.

    Cheers

    Leave a comment:


  • TC
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    Scott- two possible options are:

    Rancilio Sylvia- http://www.rancilio.it/rancilio/prod...id_category=11
    ECM Botticelli - with some specs at http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1148433045

    Many coffeesnobs have the Sylvia and quite a few have the Botticelli- and Im sure that they will be able to outline the pros and cons as they see them.

    They are both excellent machines within your price range. Attlilo of Cosmorex sells the Sylvia and I sell the Botticelli and also the Sylvia on behalf of Attilio...Whatever you buy, be sure to compare apples with apples. Many of the cowboys who heavily discount machinery "disappear" when service is required or offer parts only warranties. Cosmorex and Talk Coffee both offer 12 months parts AND labour warranty along with great service...

    Chris

    Leave a comment:


  • ozscott
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    Thanks for the replies. There is a link on the /www.coffeeco.com.au/articles/september2002.html page - that site in itself is helpful in showing side by side photos of machines.

    I am happy to give the site Sponsors a try - but at the end of the day buying a machine is not like trying out a 300g bag of coffee - I am looking at spending between $700 - $1000. So.. would the sponsors be kind enough to set out the model(s) in this price category and set out the detail of the main parts in the machine - eg size of kettle; what the kettle is made of; whether it has a 3 way valve; whether it has a commercial size and weight group etc.

    The Silvia seems to have a very good line up of parts. Some people conclude that it is the best machine under about $2000.00. I am not treating the purchase as though if I am not completely happy I will just shelve it or sell it and get another one - it is an expensive purchase and i have other things to spend my dough one in the end.

    I am also keen to know what people are using, in terms of machines from the site sponsors and what they think of them (and whether than can, from first hand experience, compare them to the Silvia) - much appreciated.

    Cheers

    Leave a comment:


  • ajhclarke
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    Could you give me a lead to that British guys tweaking info for the Solis 166?
    Ive had that grinder for two years now, and find it a very fine performer for its price, and it certainly does the job well for my La Pavoni - but it may need a tweak to provide a good grind for my new machine, which Ill have in a month -- an ECM Botticelli, which is the newer, handsomer Silvia equivalent.

    Leave a comment:


  • Dimal
    replied
    Re: Sunbeam Ristretto - is it dying & Silvia advic

    Originally posted by ozscott link=1151111249/0#0 date=1151111248
    I think I have concinved myself to get a Rancilio Silva - they retail in Brisvegas for $719 from Cerebos (Mocopan).

    Thanks all :-?
    Gday ozscott,

    Welcome to CoffeeSnobs by the way [smiley=thumbsup.gif].
    Regarding your desire to purchase an up-market machine, try our Site Sponsors out first, they support this great community of ours so a bit of support back in their direction does not go astray. Give em a go 8-),

    Mal.

    Leave a comment:

Working...
X