so,, what machine would u buy if u had £400ish to spend? :0)

[guest]

well its finaly become to much of a struggle to resist, its time to get a coffee machine worthy of keeping me fed with quality espresso`s / latte`s, cappa`s ive come to love... so in a nutshell , which would u go wiyj in this price bracket?
i allways just assumed id be more than happy with a miss silvia, but the more i look the more other machines draw me (....
So if i had to narrow it down atm it would be probably iether the silvia, or maybe a step up to the NS oscar, or if i could be convinced its worth it possibly even the zaffiro,
Thing thats begun to worry me a bit is the more ive read the more the price seems to go up :/,, biggest worry is seeing that vibration pump machines are only expected to last 4-5 years???.. although im not sure if replacement pumps are cheap and readily available, as opposed to replacing the whole machine... but then that leaves the only option of a rotary pump machine,, and thats just to far out my price bracket ;0(

Main uses are personal.. i dont really entertain dinner parties.... so the machine will be feeding just me and occasionaly my wife (although i expect her consumption to go up considerably once the revalation of what a truly good espresso machine/grinder can produce... lol )
I do like milk based drinks but im not hugely botherd about a small wait for the steam to build on the single boiler machines...... im happy to get either boiler or HX machine purely based on whats the better built/better coffe/better value..

so please let me know what u would go with for the monry ive got to spend.. and please feel free to throw in any other choices not on my short list

thnx in advance for any help....

[Joris]

biggest worry is seeing that vibration pump machines are only expected to last 4-5 years???.. although im not sure if replacement pumps are cheap and readily available, as opposed to replacing the whole machine...

A vibrationpump can be replaced if it dies on you. They shouldn't be that expensive, I've seen them on internetshops for around $50 / $60.

With your budget I'd go for a secondhand machine. For instance an E61 machine like Vibiemme Domobar or something simular. Assuming the 400GBP is meant for the machine only, not for grinder and machine.

And... why not sign up for a TMC account at the same time ?

[Guest]

yup 400 is for the machine alone.... but have u tried finding a Vibiemme Domobar second hand in the UK??? lol.. good luck
I did manage to locate somewhere in germany that was selling a Vibiemme Domobar Nero for around 500,,, and that was for qa new machine i beleive... cant find much info on it though... are all Vibiemme Domobar machines created equal ?

[Guest]

also... how does the domobar compare to the isomac zaffiro? as i can get ietherfor similer price... thnx

[Joris]

The Domobar Nero has black side planes and backplane, the inox version is shiny all around.
Then there is Domobar Super which has a HX boiler whereas the normal Domobar has a single boiler without heatexchange. The Domobar Super is a lot deerer and I fear even secondhand it will not fit your budget. The Domobar Nero should...

Here in the Lowlands a secondhand domo can be found for around 350 / 450 eur depending how old and in what state it is.

A new Domo usually is around 700 as far as I know, where the Domo Super is more around 1000Eur.

You might want to read Raf's review of the Domobar

[Joris]

I have no experience with the Zaffiro, I'll leave that question to other TMC-ers

[Guest]

so,,, anyone on the forums selling anything good around the £300-£400 mark? a nice Izzo alex maybe? (lol i wish) zaffiro? and i must admit them Vibiemme Domobar look lovely... but i fear my only chance of aquiring such a machine would be for someone to find 1 localy to them and ship it to me in the UK which is alot to expect from anyone even under the best of circumstances..
But i shall be patient,,,, sooner or later something will come up..... untill then i shall have to endure my 15 bar thermobloc excuse for a espresso machine :0(.. oh the shame of it......... ;D

[Bertie_Doe]

Guest wrote

so,,, anyone on the forums selling anything good around the £300-£400 mark? a nice Izzo alex maybe? (lol i wish) zaffiro? and i must admit them Vibiemme Domobar look lovely...

I can only speak for the Zaffiro and yes, it does make great espresso and it is dosen't require a top range grinder. What grinder have you got BTW?
Unfortunately, visitors like coffee milk-shakes and although the Zaff will produce decent foam, there's a 2 minute wait untill the boiler gets up to steam temp.
The Silvia might be a good choice, with it's slightly smaller boiler, it should come up to steam in about 30 seconds.
George W is going thru' upgraditus pangs and he'll probably sell you his Silvia, practically brand new ...... hardly used.
Quentin

[Guest]

yeah,, i just missed somneone just up the road from me who sold his silvia last week for 200 quid,,, was gutted i missed it... ;/ dont spose george W is in the UK by any chance?..

[Guest]

oh and i posted just beside this post about my grinder was me got the Compak K5 for 60 quuid

[simonp]

yeah,, i just missed somneone just up the road from me who sold his silvia last week for 200 quid,,, was gutted i missed it... ;/ dont spose george W is in the UK by any chance?..

From Glasgow I believe.

[wallisj]

yeah,, i just missed somneone just up the road from me who sold his silvia last week for 200 quid,,, was gutted i missed it... ;/ dont spose george W is in the UK by any chance?..

Always the case ... that would have been mine ... so many offers i received in the days after i sell it and don't think the person who bought it really appreciated what he was buying too

[Davec]

biggest worry is seeing that vibration pump machines are only expected to last 4-5 years???.. although im not sure if replacement pumps are cheap and readily available, as opposed to replacing the whole machine...

A vibrationpump can be replaced if it dies on you. They shouldn't be that expensive, I've seen them on internetshops for around $50 / $60.

With your budget I'd go for a secondhand machine. For instance an E61 machine like Vibiemme Domobar or something simular. Assuming the 400GBP is meant for the machine only, not for grinder and machine.

And... why not sign up for a TMC account at the same time ?

Yes, don't worry about the Vibe pumps at all, they might only have a 4 to 5 year lifespan, but they cost 24.95 and if your a competent DIYer, only take 40 mins or so to replace. typically machines like the Zaffiro et al will have extremely long service lives in the domestic enviorment, indeed they will last a "lifetime" if well looked after.

If the full spectrum of hot drinks are your interest, plus hot water a Heat Exchanger (HX) machine is ideal. If the emphasis is on Espresso with the occasional cappa etc..you might be better off with a single boiler non-HX machine like the Zaffiro or the Silvia.

There is a disease called upgraditis , we all get it once or twice in our lives....the problem is each time you get it it's usually much more expensive. If you want to avoid catching upgraditis too soon or possibly ever again , make sure you buy what you really want/need. If you can't quite afford it now.....wait until you can.

[Guest]

lol.. unfortunaly im one of them people who actualy as ive got older has come to see that 2 u get what u pay for" is indeed entirely true in far more cases than i believed when i was a young whipper-snapper.. .... and this poses huge problems when buying ANYTHING!!!.. i just cant bring myself to buy cheap tat.. so usuly end up spending far more than i can afford.. al the while trying desperatly to convince myself that "it will pay for its self in the long run" ..lol ...
the problem is that my wife doesent quite share my view..lol ( ie: whats wrong with the coffe machine u got atm??? its only 6 months old!! and cost 50 quid!! it looks almost the same as that *silvia* u keep talking about.... im begining to think shes not a coffe machine at all!! etc. etc. etc. lol)

So yup,, i do tend to wait till i can afford what i truly want (or buy what i truly want anyway and worry about the affording bit after), but reckon im gonna have to draw a line somewhere, as as much as i want to buy a Izzo Alex , i just cant justify it.. even though i know how good it is
So its down to either a Silvia , or if i can be convinced to stretch i may just spring for a zaffiro, though i do think id prefer the VBM domobar if i could just work out how to get 1 in the UK at a good price

ahh.. ho hum.... decisions....

[Davec]

lol.. unfortunaly im one of them people who actualy as ive got older has come to see that 2 u get what u pay for" is indeed entirely true in far more cases than i believed when i was a young whipper-snapper.. .... and this poses huge problems when buying ANYTHING!!!.. i just cant bring myself to buy cheap tat.. so usuly end up spending far more than i can afford.. al the while trying desperatly to convince myself that "it will pay for its self in the long run" ..lol ...
the problem is that my wife doesent quite share my view..lol ( ie: whats wrong with the coffe machine u got atm??? its only 6 months old!! and cost 50 quid!! it looks almost the same as that *silvia* u keep talking about.... im begining to think shes not a coffe machine at all!! etc. etc. etc. lol)

So yup,, i do tend to wait till i can afford what i truly want (or buy what i truly want anyway and worry about the affording bit after), but reckon im gonna have to draw a line somewhere, as as much as i want to buy a Izzo Alex , i just cant justify it.. even though i know how good it is
So its down to either a Silvia , or if i can be convinced to stretch i may just spring for a zaffiro, though i do think id prefer the VBM domobar if i could just work out how to get 1 in the UK at a good price

ahh.. ho hum.... decisions....

This might be a way to go?

1. join TMC!

2. An Izzo Alex although great, is an indulgence, you don't NEED one, no one does. It's a treat I decided and a few others have decided we just had to have. Unfortunately my Alex often sits there doing nothing whilst I have some other machine to test.

3. £400 is the middle ground for a coffee machine, it sounds like you would almost certainly want to upgrade from there at some point in the future, whether it be 1 or 3 years from now.

4. Second hand buys of good machines don't come up so often....because people don't sell good machines often.

5. A new Zaff set's you back around £550 new Izzo Vivi (good value for money HX machine) sets you back around £???, better than the published price if your a TMC member!

Advice, push the boat out, spend a bit more and get an Izzo Vivi. other TMC'ers have the machine, ask them what they think of it. It is probably the cheapest brand new HX machine on the market, but the quality is good, especially the internals!. From the sound of your drink preferences a Zaffiro might frustrate you in time (and they're a little harder to use than an HX machine), they do give absolutely excellent espresso shots though!

Otherwise get a Silvia, upgrade in a few years, realise the money you lost could have been put towards an HX machine that you could have been enjoying for those few years!