LeCayla wrote:Hope there are lots of people ready to give me advice out there!!! Having an absolutely rubbish Dualit Machine at home we have decided to invest some hard earned cash!!Trying to do research on the web has given me too many mixed views and a headache!Do we go for a fully automatic like Jura or Isomac or Izzo Vivi?Ultimately we want a twin boiler and a realyy good steamer,my husband has a thing about microfoam!! I also like the odd americano but only with good crema.The ideal budget would be no more than £500 but we may be willing to push the boat out a bit further for a really good machine.At the minute I'm swaying towards the Isomac so any help is greatly appreciated.
Well putting aside the fully auto Jura, which leaves the other 2 machines, neither of which is twin boiler. It sounds like you want a heat exchanger (HX) machine, assuming you want to be able to make cappas, americanos or espresso all without mucking about switching the machine into steam mode. In other words steam and hot water always on tap.
So, if its a HX machine, the Vivi you mention is a good machine and the Isomac Millennium or Tea are also nice machines. If your thinking about the Isomac Zaffiro.....it's cheaper because it's not a heat exchanger machine (has to be switched into steam mode, with a wait of a minute or two to steam), after steaming you have to perform a boiler refil procedure and can't pull any shots for a while until it cools down (about 5-10 minutes).
Of the two machines:
Isomac Millennium - Good steamer, very nicely built, looks great and very well finished, but a premium price. Internally nice quality. Spares more than the Vivi
Izzo Vivi - Good Steamer, very well built, looks very good, pretty well finished, not quite as shiny as the Isomac. Internally nice quality, wiring much superior to Isomac and most prosumer machines. Spares are amongst the cheapest of any machine (e.g. boiler heater element only £17).
Oh if you get a Vivi, try and purchase an Expobar single hole steam tip with it at the same time, fits perfectly, works great for smaller milk quanities and only costs a few pounds.
If money is no object, go with what you like the look of Vivi or Millennium. If your budget conscious, the Vivi is an excellent machine representing very good value for money.
I have only really talked about the 3 machines/brands you have mentioned. There are lots of other machines out there, but I have had personal experience of both the Vivi and the Millennium. The Jura I have played around with....but really your better of getting one of the other machines. Machines like the Jura I am sure are extremely good....but I don't believe will give you the same coffee experience of the Isomac or Vivi and you probably wont be happy with it.