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Espresso in General

Higher end > 400 dollars

Dom1183
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Rancilio Combo or Superautomatic - 2007/01/04 11:43 Hello everyone, can you please give me some advise on whether I should purchase the Rancilio combo or a superautomatic machine like a Saeco Incanto? After taxes and everything else it's almost the same price. I don't want to bitch about the Rancilio prices in CDN compared to the US but they are a bit off. So that's my question....Should I buy superautomatic or Rancilio combo and why. Thanks

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Zazenmaster
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Re:Rancilio Combo or Superautomatic - 2007/01/04 13:03 I think it depends on where you want to make your effort/quality tradeoff. The Rancilio demands more effort but rewards practice with a great shot. The Saeco demands less effort but gives you only a decent shot.

In terms of reliability bear in mind that the Rancilio is built almost entirely of metal and really has only one moving part (the steam valve) whereas the Saeco has a lot of little gizmos, mostly made of plastic.

Robb

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Dom1183
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Re:Rancilio Combo or Superautomatic - 2007/01/04 13:22 That's what I thought. The Silvia will make a better shot and probably last a lot longer without repairs than a superautomatic plastic machine. I tried a shot off a Capressa at Williams & Sonoma and I thought it was terrible. The machine was 2 grand and the shot was worse than my Mokka machine makes. My mother's Gaggia Carezza made a great shot and that cost only $300. Should I save my money and go for a Gaggia Carezza instead of a pricey Rancilio? Is it worth it ? $1200 for the Rancilio combo.

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colin

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Re:Rancilio Combo or Superautomatic - 2007/01/04 22:05 You guys are right on the money:

The cheapest Gaggia pump machine (Topazio or Carezza) will whoop the ass of any 1200$+ Plastic super-auto.

I have used the most expensive S/a's that money can buy ($12,000 and up) and I will admit, if you have three-to-five to spend, you can get a killer all-in-one add-beans&water and push button unit.

The Mall-machines you see for 1200-1500 dollars are a joke... and there is a line-up to buy them.

They look cool. But they do NOT make espresso.
It is swiss-brew.
And the shots are generally luke-warm.

The best s/a's for under 2000$ are the Solis units.
Solis invented the brew groups and internals so
it is no surprise that they get the most out of this category and price-range.

Cheers! Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website

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Boardwalk :: Forum List Espresso in General Higher end > 400 dollars

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Subject: Re:Saeco Incanto RS displeasure... - by: colin
Your blog - is an awesome read and I suggest everyone have a good look before they drop a 1000 bones on one of these lumps of plastic....
Subject: Re:Saeco Incanto RS displeasure... - by: meshie
Saeco Incanto, in general, is garbage. We've had ongoing problems with ours (that you can see at the web link in my profile). Have you had the machine serviced at all? Or just a call to ask if the...
Subject: Newco OCS-8 versus OCS-12 - by: HRR
Based on all the discussion and reviews, I am looking to buy either the 8 cup or the 12 cup model. Since the physical size of the units (other than the pot, of course) seems to be exactly the same, i...
Subject: Re:Help: Cafe Roma vs. Starbucks Sirena - by: Bobby
Since you've posted in the $400 I'd say return the Breville and get a single boiler machine. In this price range you can easily get an entry level Saeco or Gaggia, or a lesser known name like Moki...
Subject: Re:Help: Cafe Roma vs. Starbucks Sirena - by: colin
Before saying too much... remember our motto: Coffee is a journey, not a destination... I started out with a Multichef Aluminum boiler steam toy - I learned a lot on that little unit. You ...
Subject: Help: Cafe Roma vs. Starbucks Sirena - by: jono80
I enjoy espresso and latte and decided (admittedly on a whim) to purchase an entry level machine. I went out and bought a Breville Cafe Roma last night. THEN I did some reading and now I am question...
Subject: Espressotec - by: germanicus
I just want to recommend dealing with Espressotec. First of all, order early enough during the day and you'll receive your purchase the next. I got my Silvia from them. Later I ordered some espresso ...
Subject: Re:perfect grind - by: Bert
For Watchfull; I gave you the wrong URL yesterday. Here is the one for calibrating the Maestro. - Cheers, Bert...
Subject: Re:perfect grind - by: Bert
Hi there; I used this page to calibrate my son's Virtuoso for a finer grind. After the adjustment it would grind so fine that he was able to plug his Saeco Aroma. Be patient though when doing...
Subject: perfect grind - by: watchfull
Hi , I just joined this interesting site. I received my new Baratza Maestro grinder last week. Even on the lowest setting (#2) my Gaggia produces a strong flow of espresso, not concentrated enough....