Hi folks. I'm a total newb that's been a long time lurker on these forums. I own a Sunbeam EM6910 and have been pondering upgrading for the last year or so. I have long coveted the Giotto machines. I've been pondering buying a secondhand one and have seen a few sell on ebay for reasonable prices.
I've spent countless hours reading posts here including a bunch of posts about repairs and maintenance to these machines. I'm trying to approach buying a machine with my eyes wide open. I'm wondering a few things:
1. Is buying secondhand for a complete novice at these machines a wise idea? What is the likelihood I'm buying myself a bunch of maintenance headaches? Are there things I should be looking out for?
2. I read a lot about technique around these machines as well as the amount of time to pull the first coffee. I make one coffee each morning weekdays and 2-3 each day on weekends. Is it even worth my bother with this type of machine for that amount of coffee time? People talk of how great these machines are at making a lot of consecutive coffees. That's not me. That happens once every 3 months when we have some visitors that might like a coffee. Do these things take a lot of prep and cleanup after each coffee making session? It sounds like they might.
3. I read about the vibration/rotary pumps. What difference does it make?
4. I've seen a few of the older ECM Giotto machines sell fairly cheaply. Aside from age, are the newer machines much better?
Overall, I'm trying to justify to myself that I'll get the most out of owning a machine like this given the fact that I only make a coffee or two a day.
I love the idea of having one of these on my counter at home but I can't bring myself to do it for that reason alone.
Any help/guidance would be appreciated.
I've spent countless hours reading posts here including a bunch of posts about repairs and maintenance to these machines. I'm trying to approach buying a machine with my eyes wide open. I'm wondering a few things:
1. Is buying secondhand for a complete novice at these machines a wise idea? What is the likelihood I'm buying myself a bunch of maintenance headaches? Are there things I should be looking out for?
2. I read a lot about technique around these machines as well as the amount of time to pull the first coffee. I make one coffee each morning weekdays and 2-3 each day on weekends. Is it even worth my bother with this type of machine for that amount of coffee time? People talk of how great these machines are at making a lot of consecutive coffees. That's not me. That happens once every 3 months when we have some visitors that might like a coffee. Do these things take a lot of prep and cleanup after each coffee making session? It sounds like they might.
3. I read about the vibration/rotary pumps. What difference does it make?
4. I've seen a few of the older ECM Giotto machines sell fairly cheaply. Aside from age, are the newer machines much better?
Overall, I'm trying to justify to myself that I'll get the most out of owning a machine like this given the fact that I only make a coffee or two a day.
I love the idea of having one of these on my counter at home but I can't bring myself to do it for that reason alone.
Any help/guidance would be appreciated.


I do flush hot water through the group head to speed up the process a little if Im in a rush... nothing specific... just guestimation when it is ready
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