Where to go after the Silvia

adrian522

So, I've had the Rancilio Silvia for quite a while now (5 years or so).

I was thinking of upgrading it. There is nothing particularly wrong with it but it does have its limitations.

For people who have upgraded from this type of machine:

What have you gone for?
Where did you research?
Did you go new or second hand?

etc.

I've been looking at the Nuova Simonelli Oscar II, Or Musica. Not sure really the Musica is worth the extra cash but its an option.

Also the La Spaziale Vivaldi s 1-ii mini was an option as well.

As far as budget is concerned, I'll stretch it a bit if the value is there but not spending money just for the sake of it.

Anything else I should consider?

Senecio

I haven't upgraded from Silvia (yet) but may be in a position to do so soon.

Some background:
I've had my Silva now for 8+ years paired with a Rocky grinder. I first got the upgrade bug about 2 yrs ago and after much research I decided to stay with my Silvia but installed a PID. Best thing I could have done and I was kicking myself why I didn't do it earlier.

Now my motivation for an upgrade has come from a different angle. I may be moving across the pond shortly for work so I will need to replace my equipment with 110V machines. I've no interest in running a 1200-1400W machine off an inverter.

I must admit I've done limited research because I've had my eye on a certain machine for a very long time. I was coveting it before I bought the Silvia but didn't have the means. My chosen machine, something from the Rocket Espresso range.

http://rocket-espresso.com/

My reasoning:
- If I'm making the jump from a PID' Silvia then it needs to be a jump
- Larger boiler and HX operation to allow brewing and steaming simultaneously was a must
- E61 group head for thermal stability
- They're gorgeous!!

I haven't decide which model yet, it will come down to how many funds I can convince the OH to release.I'd like the Evoluzione but could probably survive with the new Appartamento which would just about fall into the top of your budget.

Now to get the job in the US and to decide on which grinder to partner with it.

Enjoy your dilemma!

adrian522

I'd seen a lot of Rocket machines while doing my own searches but had never heard anything about them before so hadn't really considered them.

Senecio

They don't seem to be that popular here. I've come from Australia and they are much more popular there.

adrian522

Did you do the pid job yourself or get someone to do it for you? Not sure I'd know where to start with that!

donnacha

Finally another succumbs

Not sure I can add much that you won't find from searching around these parts. My upgrade thread which the late Gran H had started for me is worth a read (friend ) : http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2056932515/1

What I can add is that I have no regrets about my purchase and can see this machine lasting me forever, no gripes at all with it. I haven't yet been in Colins new shop but my understanding is there are a few machines on display. If I was back on the market visiting him to play with machines in person would be the first thing I'd be doing.

Good luck and keep us updated!

Senecio

adrian522 wrote: »

Did you do the pid job yourself or get someone to do it for you? Not sure I'd know where to start with that!

You're referring ton the PID? Yes, I installed that myself. It was pretty straight forward but I'd consider myself to be pretty handy. If you're already bit by the upgrade bug just skip the PID and dive straight in. It'll only delay the inevitable.

adrian522

donnacha wrote: »

Finally another succumbs

Not sure I can add much that you won't find from searching around these parts. My upgrade thread which the late Gran H had started for me is worth a read (friend ) : http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2056932515/1

What I can add is that I have no regrets about my purchase and can see this machine lasting me forever, no gripes at all with it. I haven't yet been in Colins new shop but my understanding is there are a few machines on display. If I was back on the market visiting him to play with machines in person would be the first thing I'd be doing.

Good luck and keep us updated!

Was just reading that thread the other night actually. Where did you go to purchase your machine? I presume it was online?

Yeah, I'll try and get in for a look at some point. Are you going to that coffee thing in the RDS?

donnacha

adrian522 wrote: »

Was just reading that thread the other night actually. Where did you go to purchase your machine? I presume it was online?

Yeah, I'll try and get in for a look at some point. Are you going to that coffee thing in the RDS?

Gonna hit the RDS thing on the Friday hopefully.

Bought the machine from Gio Espresso. They were the cheapest I could find at the time but the customer service was terrible and looks like they are no longer operating.

Mr Magnolia

When I was first infected with upgradeitous the condition wasn't too bad, I went for the Nouva simonelli oscar. Alas, as time went by the condition worsened. Eventually the Expobar Brewtus 2 stopped the condition in it's tracks. It's still sitting pride of place on the counter.

To be honest it doesn't get turned on all to often these days. Filter of one type or another is the preferred choice in recent years. Each purchase I went for was second hand. The sale of the previous iteration also helped with the cost of the new machine. Done deal and adverts is worth keeping an eye on.

adrian522

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

When I was first infected with upgradeitous the condition wasn't too bad, I went for the Nouva simonelli oscar. Alas, as time went by the condition worsened. Eventually the Expobar Brewtus 2 stopped the condition in it's tracks. It's still sitting pride of place on the counter.

To be honest it doesn't get turned on all to often these days. Filter of one type or another is the preferred choice in recent years. Each purchase I went for was second hand. The sale of the previous iteration also helped with the cost of the new machine. Done deal and adverts is worth keeping an eye on.

Thanks for that. Don't see that particular expobar for sale anywhere, though bella barista have a few different ones.

What was your issue with the oscar? That was one of the machines I was looking at. The new version looks a lot better than the old version in terms of aesthetics at least.

jive

Senecio wrote: »

You're referring ton the PID? Yes, I installed that myself. It was pretty straight forward but I'd consider myself to be pretty handy. If you're already bit by the upgrade bug just skip the PID and dive straight in. It'll only delay the inevitable.

Any resources on this? Would like to purchase an install the parts myself, can't really afford the ~€200 cost of a 'pre-made' PID kit that I have to install myself anyway!

edit: found this - http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Rancilio-Silvia-Espresso-Coffee-Machine-Brewing-Accesories-PID-Controller-SSR-/121083196371?hash=item1c311ef3d3:g:amYAAOxyoA1RUMuh for under €70 delivered it could be worth a go?

edit2: Will go for this PID https://mecoffee.nl/ €124 delivered.

alastair

jive wrote: »

Any resources on this? Would like to purchase an install the parts myself, can't really afford the ~€200 cost of a 'pre-made' PID kit that I have to install myself anyway!

edit: found this - http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Rancilio-Silvia-Espresso-Coffee-Machine-Brewing-Accesories-PID-Controller-SSR-/121083196371?hash=item1c311ef3d3:g:amYAAOxyoA1RUMuh for under €70 delivered it could be worth a go?

edit2: Will go for this PID https://mecoffee.nl/ €124 delivered.

I installed this one a few years back. The pre-infusion business seems to work well, but that may well be wishful thinking, as I've not had a regular PID to compare it to. This and the pressure modification changed the Silvia's capabilities a lot.

Senecio

jive wrote: »

Any resources on this? Would like to purchase an install the parts myself, can't really afford the ~€200 cost of a 'pre-made' PID kit that I have to install myself anyway!

edit: found this - http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Rancilio-Silvia-Espresso-Coffee-Machine-Brewing-Accesories-PID-Controller-SSR-/121083196371?hash=item1c311ef3d3:g:amYAAOxyoA1RUMuh for under €70 delivered it could be worth a go?

edit2: Will go for this PID https://mecoffee.nl/ €124 delivered.

Sorry, I can't remember where I got mine from. It came as a kit but still required quite a bit of installation. I think it cos me around €200 but that was because I opted for retailer with good feedback from another coffe forum and also got both brew and steam control.

Senecio

alastair wrote: »

This and the pressure modification changed the Silvia's capabilities a lot.

What is the pressure modification? I have the PID and a V3 steam arm on my machine now but I'm always looking for ways to tinker.

jive

Cheers for the replies. Going to hold off on the PID as my Silvia is shorting my electricity occasionally, based on some research it seems likely that my heating element will go kaput fairly soon (i am still getting particulates in the water after a descale and deep clean of group; likely bits coming of an overheated element!).

I will probably purchase the one I linked once they release an iOS compatible version.

adrian522

Senecio wrote: »

I haven't upgraded from Silvia (yet) but may be in a position to do so soon.

Some background:
I've had my Silva now for 8+ years paired with a Rocky grinder. I first got the upgrade bug about 2 yrs ago and after much research I decided to stay with my Silvia but installed a PID. Best thing I could have done and I was kicking myself why I didn't do it earlier.

Now my motivation for an upgrade has come from a different angle. I may be moving across the pond shortly for work so I will need to replace my equipment with 110V machines. I've no interest in running a 1200-1400W machine off an inverter.

I must admit I've done limited research because I've had my eye on a certain machine for a very long time. I was coveting it before I bought the Silvia but didn't have the means. My chosen machine, something from the Rocket Espresso range.

http://rocket-espresso.com/

My reasoning:
- If I'm making the jump from a PID' Silvia then it needs to be a jump
- Larger boiler and HX operation to allow brewing and steaming simultaneously was a must
- E61 group head for thermal stability
- They're gorgeous!!

I haven't decide which model yet, it will come down to how many funds I can convince the OH to release.I'd like the Evoluzione but could probably survive with the new Appartamento which would just about fall into the top of your budget.

Now to get the job in the US and to decide on which grinder to partner with it.

Enjoy your dilemma!

did you pick a rocket machine yet?

Seems to be a fair few with not much difference between them...

alastair

Senecio wrote: »

What is the pressure modification? I have the PID and a V3 steam arm on my machine now but I'm always looking for ways to tinker.

Apologies - just catching this now. Here's a video explaining the process:
http://youtu.be/Km6HO7xf0rI

adrian522

Any thoughts on a decent tamper (53mm)?

Mr Magnolia

Its much of a muchness really but reg barber tampers are really good.

adrian522

Well I've sourced a tamper, and just about pulled the trigger on the machine. I was seriously tempted by the rocket Evo, but I feel I'd have to plumb it in, which I wouldn't mind doing but its additional work.

What really made my decision for me was looking at videos of HX machines with messing around with cooling flush to get the optimum temperature and the associated difficulty with repeatable shots.

In the end the price difference to the vivaldi mini was pretty small so it was an easy decision but took mea few days to pull the trigger.

Now to play the waiting game!

Planet X

So.....what'd you buy? :-)

adrian522

Well so far just a tamper but once invoice etc gets sorted it will be a La Spaziale mini vivaldi like this:

http://www.beanheroes.co.uk/28-p-la-spaziale-s1-mini-vivaldi-coffee-machine

It's quite frustrating trying to get prices out of companies. The one above quoted me over £1500 when I emailed, £300 over what is on the website.

Planet X

Nice one!
Looks compact alright

dillonmr

I had a Silvia V3 and Rocky since late 2010. It was a cracking machine which I modified with a Auber PID and Manometer along with insulating the boiler so it served me well (Have it for sale now on adverts and done deal btw - cheeky plug). I upgraded to a Rocket R60V and Compak e10 Conic Grinder. I also have a Feldgrind that I use in work with a Aeropress. I always wanted a e61 grouphead machine and loved the looks of the R60V with the black casings and high quality build. Another reason I went with Rocket is that they have a distributer in Ireland (010 in Trim), the guys there have been great to deal with from the get go. All in I must say delighted with the upgrades. I would suggest for anyone upgrading to upgrade their grinder first, this is what I did and allowed me to learn the degree of improvements the grinder bring to the cup. I had the e10 for about two months while I waited for the R60V to get delivered.

dillonmr

adrian522 wrote: »

Any thoughts on a decent tamper (53mm)?

Have a lot of tampers and its very much personal taste. I was using a RegBarber for a long time with a C-Flat base and recently changed to a Pullman BigStep that I bought from Mark at Pullman at WoC Dublin last month. Love the feel of the Pullman and can't see myself using anything else for a while

adrian522

Well the mini vivaldi 2 arrived today, tidy piece of kit. It looks well and so far it works well though I've had a bit of an espresso overdose at this stage so I've turned it off for the evening.

Not sure if it is meant to be left on turned to standby when not in use but I'll need some more beans to continue experimenting.

The temperature control is very cool and easy to adjust. Haven't tried the steamer yet but it seems good too.

Overall happy with the purchase. Glad my tamper arrived in time, I'd be going up the walls if the machine was sitting there and no way of tamping!

Planet X

I just got my Rocky grinder yesterday and was going to (funding......her indoors) get a Silvia in the near future.

Now, I'm looking into it a bit too deeply and beginning to learn about it compliments of SCG etc etc.

Looking at HX E61 machines. Notably the Rocket Appartamento and Quick Mill (build quality) Anita/ Andreja models.

Double price over a Silvia but by the time I got a PID fitted etc....hey.......hold out a bit longer and take a bigger plunge.

adrian522

Yeah I took a long look at the Rockets before upselling myself further!

Planet X

Just saw an overview/ demo of your machine on YouTube. So quiet.
How is it going? Happy?

adrian522

Yeah very happy with it. No complaints at all.

adrian522

This is it in action if you are interested.

https://goo.gl/photos/Z5jZS6oZSUGqgyyAA

This was the old Silvia

https://goo.gl/photos/gj3DgXyyDJ18CVVb9

Planet X

Both nice looking shots.

babybuilder

Planet X wrote: »

I just got my Rocky grinder yesterday and was going to (funding......her indoors) get a Silvia in the near future.

Now, I'm looking into it a bit too deeply and beginning to learn about it compliments of SCG etc etc.

Looking at HX E61 machines. Notably the Rocket Appartamento and Quick Mill (build quality) Anita/ Andreja models.

Double price over a Silvia but by the time I got a PID fitted etc....hey.......hold out a bit longer and take a bigger plunge.

Hi
I have the Rocky for 6 and 7 years and find it a great machine. Although it is a stepped grinder it is very robust and will last alot longer than many grinders twice the price. I have changed the burrs once in this time and I'm grinding between 400 and 500 g beans/week. Grind retention is a pain although i shift most of them using a plastic bag. I give it a good cleaning every couple of months and have to recalibrate every time(find zero point and mark it). I have Gaggia Classic delux and a cheap De Longhi also. However, like yourself I'm itching to upgrade to a Silva and have looked at the Quickmill Silvano which has the PID(Double the cost of the Silva:mad:).

J_E

adrian522 wrote: »

This is it in action if you are interested.

https://goo.gl/photos/Z5jZS6oZSUGqgyyAA

This was the old Silvia

https://goo.gl/photos/gj3DgXyyDJ18CVVb9

I am now a proud owner of this Silvia, and it is still pulling some superb shots!!!