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OK, what's hot at the moment? Somewhat over my BES920 setup.

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  • OK, what's hot at the moment? Somewhat over my BES920 setup.

    I'm on to my second BES920 (first one died and I got a free replacement), but am increasingly seeing these as throwaway units. The pile of broken ones on a shelf at my repairer only reinforced this.

    My repairer pushed the Isomac Tea Due as a like for like machine, and demonstrated it producing a shot while also producing steam, despite it having a single boiler. He mentioned a three minute warmup time. Commercial link removed as per Site Posting Policy

    At this point, if tells me that the Breville is not worth repairing then I'd be looking for a machine that I can love forever (or at the very least get serviced and sell should I feel the need to upgrade) and I'd most likely be tempted to pickup the Isomac from him the same day. Assuming that he can come close to matching the $2150 price that I found. Commercial link removed as per Site Posting Policy

    Any reason not to? Any other machines that I should be looking at? Budget up to $3k for the machine, I have no idea on the gridner, another $750 maybe? In both regards I'm looking for the sweet spot where the law of diminishing returns only just starts to kick in.

    I expect to also be needing a quality grinder to put under the Christmas tree, so suggestions in that department also welcome. I'm currently using the unit that came with the BES920 which seems decent, but I'm sure that it would be holding back a 'real' machines potential.

    Oh, and for both the machines and the grinder, the aesthetic of the machine is very important to me. The Isomac scores only average point in that department, though of course that's subjective. My ideal would be a 1950's version of a futuristic looking machine, and would probably squeeze another $500 out of the budget for aesthetics alone.

    Thanks in advance snobs! I'd not normally lean on you for advice like this, but time seems to be in very short supply at the moment...
    Last edited by Javaphile; 11 November 2020, 03:56 AM.

  • #2
    I believe the Isomac is a Heat Exchanger machine which is why it can steam and pull shots at the same time.

    I've posted this on a few threads now, so I'm starting to sound like a broken record - but my pick in the ~$2-2.5k range at the moment is the Lelit Elizabeth:
    • 58mm group head
    • Dual boiler
    • Programmable PID
    • Timed shots
    • Programmable pre-infusion
    • Programmable standby function

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    • #3
      Originally posted by dbun View Post
      I believe the Isomac is a Heat Exchanger machine which is why it can steam and pull shots at the same time.

      I've posted this on a few threads now, so I'm starting to sound like a broken record - but my pick in the ~$2-2.5k range at the moment is the Lelit Elizabeth:
      • 58mm group head
      • Dual boiler
      • Programmable PID
      • Timed shots
      • Programmable pre-infusion
      • Programmable standby function
      Thank you for your input, that certainly does tick a lot of boxes and I can see why you'd suggest it. The aesthetic makes it hard for me to seriously consider it. Also, I had it in my head that an E61 group head should be expected at this price point. I'd be keen to hear your thoughts on that?

      Comment


      • prh
        prh commented
        Editing a comment
        The La Marzocco Linea Mini - around $6700.00 - does not have a E61 group head. Neither does the La Marzocco GS3 (over $8k). An E61 group does not, in and of itself, make an espresso machine superior. But the aesthetic quality can't be denied.

    • #4
      3 minute warmup doesn't exist in E61 machines you have been sold a bit of a lie there, E61 groups take a while to warm up as there is a thermo syphon loop which slowly circulates water from the boiler through the group head. That Isomac Tea Due will take 30-45 minutes for the group to reach full temperature. You can speed things up a bit if you do a few backflushes. While is has a single boiler it is a heat exchanger machine which means it can produce steam and water to the group (this is cooled via the heat exchanger to around 93 degrees) at the same time.

      If quick warmup is super important you could look at a Bezzera BZ10 which has a different group design (but looks pretty similar) with a faster warmup time.

      There are a boatload of options up to 3k, you could have a look at the Lelit Mara X, the Rocket Giotto and Apartmento machines are very sharp looking machines. I am a bit biased as I own a Rocket Giotto, there are also ECM and Izzo HX E61 machines.

      Build quality on the Isomac machines is not in the same class as ECM, Rocket, Profitec, Izzo and Lelit, that is partly why they are cheaper, just my opinion but I have worked on a few Isomac machines.

      Comment


      • #5
        Originally posted by roosterben View Post
        3 minute warmup doesn't exist in E61 machines you have been sold a bit of a lie there, E61 groups take a while to warm up as there is a thermo syphon loop which slowly circulates water from the boiler through the group head. That Isomac Tea Due will take 30-45 minutes for the group to reach full temperature. You can speed things up a bit if you do a few backflushes. While is has a single boiler it is a heat exchanger machine which means it can produce steam and water to the group (this is cooled via the heat exchanger to around 93 degrees) at the same time.

        If quick warmup is super important you could look at a Bezzera BZ10 which has a different group design (but looks pretty similar) with a faster warmup time.

        There are a boatload of options up to 3k, you could have a look at the Lelit Mara X, the Rocket Giotto and Apartmento machines are very sharp looking machines. I am a bit biased as I own a Rocket Giotto, there are also ECM and Izzo HX E61 machines.

        Build quality on the Isomac machines is not in the same class as ECM, Rocket, Profitec, Izzo and Lelit, that is partly why they are cheaper, just my opinion but I have worked on a few Isomac machines.
        Thank you! I have been having a peek between tasks and the Rocket Apartmento Black/Copper does have me very interested and the grinder even looks good, although a little more than I'd have planned to spend. I'm surprised to find that having a matching grinder appeals to me. Weird, I probably should fight that urge. The Giotto also looks great, both definitely have great aesthetic appeal to my eye. Do you think that I need to choose one pump type over the other with the Giotto?

        The suggestion of the Bezzera does seem on point, although I probably should just get a timer for the power outlet (it's hidden under the coffee cart so no reason not to) to get around the longer warmup times if I find an appealing machine that needs a proper warmup.

        If the Breville is repairable then I reckon I might get the Rocket Faustino anyway.

        Thanks again!

        Comment


        • #6
          Originally posted by Galan View Post
          Thank you for your input, that certainly does tick a lot of boxes and I can see why you'd suggest it. The aesthetic makes it hard for me to seriously consider it. Also, I had it in my head that an E61 group head should be expected at this price point. I'd be keen to hear your thoughts on that?
          Just a matter of preference, really.

          With the budget you have, I would be trying to visit a store that carries all the major brands and getting some hands-on time with a few models to see what you really like.

          If you are keen on the e61 group something like the Rocket Appartamento or Profitec Pro 500 (although a touch over your budget with the PID model) would fit the bill.
          The Bezzera Mitica or Magica have the e61 group (if you are set on them) as other options and would come in cheaper than the Rocket or Profitec.

          Comment


          • #7
            I've pretty much settled on the Rocket Appartamento Nero with white inserts and copper is not available. The matching grinder is very appealing, although I probably should be sensible and get the Mazzer Mini. I hope that damned Breville is dead. I'm happy to go without having the option of plumbing it in.

            Thank you all!

            Comment


            • #8
              Thank you all, again, for your assistance. I picked it up yesterday and am well pleased. I’ve plans to customise the finish, to a degree, so you may see me sharing somewhere in here in the coming weeks. Copper was out of stock so I’ll source my own copper inserts and hopefully also wrap the grinder to match.

              Comment


              • Caffeinator
                Caffeinator commented
                Editing a comment
                Nice pickup. They're a lovely machine and worth every cent over the Isomac. Not so on the copper though. They're out there if you look in the right places.

              • Galan
                Galan commented
                Editing a comment
                Caffeinator, you are of course right in saying that the Nero copper is available, just not within a short drive from my office. This was very imporant as a weekend without the machine seemed like a disaster at that point. My retailer of choice had also mentioned that the copper finish can be scratched off if to reveal a silver base and with my kids current age that seemed inevitable. So choosing Nero/white option wasn't much of a compromise at all as I'd planned to replace the insert anyway. Hopefully it really is as straightforward as described.

            • #9
              Looking very nice there!
              Do the circles on the side panels light up?

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              • #10
                Nice! I have been considering one too. Please let us know how you go. I see a grinder upgrade in your future.

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                • #11
                  Thanks, it's such a huge step up from anything that I've had previously it currently feels a lot like expresso endgame for me. Time will tell though!

                  Originally posted by Jackster View Post
                  Looking very nice there!
                  Do the circles on the side panels light up?
                  No, but this did occur to me over the weekend. It would certainly impress my kids!

                  Originally posted by Mooza View Post
                  Nice! I have been considering one too. Please let us know how you go. I see a grinder upgrade in your future.
                  I've only 500g of beans here while I wait for an order from Geelong way, so I'm focussed on getting usable shots for the important purpose of keeping us functionally caffeinated. So I've not really explored the machines as much as I'd have liked to but so far they feel like beautifully made machines with a refined, solid feel (to me at least).

                  I did find myself randomly staring at this in Bunnings today, plotting a colourful gradient design! I soon snapped out of it.

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                  • #12
                    Originally posted by Jackster View Post
                    Do the circles on the side panels light up?
                    Nope- but they can! Here's one I prepared earlier.

                    Click image for larger version

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ID:	848835Click image for larger version

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ID:	848836

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                    • #13
                      How good is that!

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                      • #14
                        Originally posted by Caffeinator View Post

                        Nope- but they can! Here's one I prepared earlier.

                        Click image for larger version  Name:	Appartamento-3-300x300.jpg Views:	97 Size:	6.2 ** ID:	848835Click image for larger version  Name:	Appartamento-2-300x300.jpg Views:	77 Size:	5.1 ** ID:	848836
                        uhoh. It looks like there's quite a bit of space back there so now I find myself on aliexpress hunting for LED rings that are sized just right. Somebody please stop me!

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                        • #15
                          Now that the purpose of this post has been fulfilled, I've started another for my tinkering: https://coffeesnobs.com.au/forum/equ...ino-tinkerings

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