Upgrading Advice

Prisoner6409

I am upgrading my espresso machine from an entry level Gaggia and need some advice. It is for home use and I would make about 4/5 Cappas each day with maybe a few more over the weekend. I am looking for something above the Silvia but not more than approx €750. I've considered the NS Oscar and the Fracino Cherub. While researching both these I discovered they both use the HX heating system. A lot of ppl have written that HX machines are not suitable for home use but I'm not sure why this is so. I am not after a machine that needs to be pid'ed, fiddled with inside or otherwise modifdied I do not think I would be up to that sort of thing and I suspect I'd make a mess of it in any case. What do you guys think would be a good buy(new) or the better of the 2 above.

PPC

Can't really comment on wether to buy a HX machine or not, but i saw the NS Oscar on ebay brand new for E595 delivered from here http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160284917738

Worth a look if your interested

RE*AC*TOR

Don't get the Oscar, because there is no way to adjust the brew pressure without some serious internal plumbing (I had an Oscar - did this).

HX machines are fine for home use, but bear in mind that they do require cooling flushes to brew at proper temperatures, and if it's a manual fill machine (ie not plumbed in) then you may end up having to fill it up very frequently.

Prisoner6409

Cheers, thanks for the link, looks like a v.good price but would need to check out the seller. With regrad to the Oscar and brew pressure surely this would be true of most machines in this catagory. I've had a Gaggia Baby Class for the last 2 and a half years and never tampered with brew pressure and while it has served me well I was sorry I did not spend the extra at the time and get the Silvia, I hope not to repeat that mistake. Other than the Oscar being a HX machine I've heard only good things about it. Obviously I'd love a Giotto but just can't afford one so I need to get the best for the money I have to spend. User information on the franco cherub seems to be very scarse but one thing I liked about it, a hot water wand, seems to be redundant. On the franco website it shows the cherub and the more expensive heavenly both with hot water wands but states only the Heavenly's Hot Water outlet can be used for tea(http://www.fracino.com/machines/hand-fill-coffee-machines/heavenly-and-cherub.html), wonder why.

RE*AC*TOR

Trust me on the brew pressure thing. It does make a huge difference. If you are pushing yourself into this price bracket, you obviously care about shot quality, in which case, brewing at 13 bar is extremely detrimental. This is the pressure Oscars push out.

The Expobar Office Pulsar is generally the next cheapest HX machine.

Prisoner6409

Is there a steep learning curve or mechanical skills required to actually adjust the brew pressure on machines that allow it and how exactly does one measure it. BTW I appericate the advice as this purchase will probably be my last for several years. I don't suppose there is a retail outlet in Dublin that carries the Expobar so I could get a look at it.

RE*AC*TOR

A lot of them will have pressure gauges. Otherwise you can screw a pressure gauge onto a portafilter thread. Straightforward enough. They really just need to have an OPV (over pressure valve) - that you can adjust - which is usually straightforward.

On my Brewtus III (which is for sale btw... ahem) for example, the OPV is conveniently accessible behind the drip tray - and adjusted with a simple turn of a screw driver.

No retail outlets really in Dublin for this kinda stuff.