Buying a new machine.........

Cuir_Beluga

Hi all.

Yes, this is one of "those" threads 😛.

In the next few weeks I am looking at purchasing either an Isomac Tea or an Isomac Millenium, I am 95% settled on the Millenium but am having problems finding out the difference between the two so if anyone could fill me in on the differences, aesthetics aside, that would help me out infinitely.

Also can anyone help with stockists, in Adelaide, of Vibiemme and/or Diadema?
As I said above I think I am pretty well settled on one of the Isomacs above but just want to check out all of my options first.

TIA, Sue 🙂.

Lacehim

The tea and millennium are exactly the same internally. I think the tea is more square looking and has an extra gauge. The millennium has more curvy looks. It's a HX machine and they have many happy owners. Anti burn wands are great. I'm not sure if there are any stockist locally for the vibiemme etc but if hands on before puchase is important I would buy local, and know full well that you'll get the support later on if needed.

Cuir_Beluga

Thanks Lacehim 🙂, everything I could find about the Tea and Millenium pointed to the only difference being pretty much aesthetics so you have confirmed that for me. Buying local is important, like you say, I want to go and have a play and get a feel for things and flying interstate to play with a machine is not an option right now 😃. An Expobar is not out of the question though. Any thoughts on those? Thanks again.

Lacehim

Really IMO it comes down to what you want out of the machine. I don't go looking for a machine by brand when I'm looking for a new machine, I have a list of wants, and needs, and go from there. Local support is important if you can't repair the machine yourself. Where i live I have to travel 100kms to Brisbane to try machines. There are a few cafes with machines on display, but they aren't set up to try, so IMO I might as well order off the internet. I would find out what retailers there are locally and tell them your wants/need, see what they say, take some time to research each machine and ask questions from existing owners. If you buy on the internet you can get some great service and support, but you need to be really sure that machine is right before you buy. I've bought a few machines like that, and to be honest they didn't turn out that great in the long run. They had reliability issues and noise issues, and it was down to me to fix them. 🙁 I've restored a machine which was a great experience but an expensive one, and currently have a third hand modded NS Oscar which I love to bits. i think a few here think I'm mad downgrading from a $2.5k lever to a $500 HX, but it makes coffee, it's red and just works! :coffee2:

Brett_H

Hi Sue, both machines are excellent and the only way you could decide between them is to see them in the flesh! Be sure to get a deal when you purchase on these add-ons: Blind filter Group head brush Back flush powder (only to be used every couple of months) Water filtration... That may be a separate retail adventure but if your machine seller is serious they know what you need for local conditions. What grinder do you have?? Good luck and keep us posted!

Lacehim

Yep, your grinder is more important than the coffee machines some say. Having a decent quality one helps, and can make all the difference in your experience. Personally I love my nakid group handles too and I usually go looking for one pretty quick with a new machine. It just makes the coffee process so much fun! There is nothing better than seeing your coffee ooze out of the basket into your cup! :coffee2:

Dry_bean

Morning Sue, Sorry I didn't get back to you yesterday, things got a little hectic. Isomac machines are available from COFFEE CRAFT 678 South Road Glandore SA 5037 Australia http://www.coffeecraft.com.au/shop/index.php?option=com_rokecwid&view=ecwid&Itemid=100#!/Domestic-Machines/c/1360599/offset=0&sort=normal They certainly know what they are talking about. I bought my machine from them a few years ago, ok to deal with, don't expect a lot in after sales service, have not heard from them since the purchase, on the up side I have not needed any assistance, its been a very reliable machine. Rio Coffee also stock Isomac. They are in the Norwood area http://www.riocoffee.com.au/contact/contact-2/ Suggest you call them to be sure they have what you want before driving all the way in there, don't expect much in the way of customer service/product knowledge, its an Italian supermarket type store, they do get very busy. Complete Cafe Services also handle Isomac. 525 Portrush Rd, Glenunga, SA 5064. 08 8338 0600 They are only a small place, once again would call them before driving in there, have not dealt with the company, they do seem to be very knowledgeable and helpful. http://www.cafeservices.com.au/home/?sort=featured&page=2 Re Expobar machines, I did the research and Expobar came up wanting in a number of areas, exterior build quality was the main problem, simply not up to the quality of most of the Italian made machines. As others have remarked, the grinder is a very important link in the chain, I have a Mazzer Mini, does a good job, however if I were looking to replace it would probably go for either a Macap or Compak, both have good reviews. Hope some of this helps. 🙂

Cuir_Beluga

Hi guys, thank you both, heaps. As far as I can tell most of the machines that I have in mind are probably pretty much of a muchness......I think ^-^. I was originally I was going to go for a Silvia but I know in my heart of hearts it will only be a matter of time before I am on the look out for the "next thing". The budget has gone from $1000 to $1500 to $2000 to " oh whats another couple of hundred", I'm sure you know how it goes ;D. A red Oscar Lacehim, how delicious. Tell me, do they come in purple 😉? I looked at the Simonelli Musica, just so hubby could put purple leds in it, I used to dream of waking up to that in the morning 😃. When the time comes I will try and wangle some extras out of the sales folk, fingers crossed they are obliging. A naked portafilter is on the list, definitely. Grinder wise I have a Breville Smart Grinder Pro- I will probably upgrade that later but I am hoping it will do the job, at least for a while. Dry Bean, not a problem, as much fun as these groups are I know people have real life things they need to attend to :thumb:. Coffee Craft and Complete Cafe are the two places I have been looking at, Coffee Craft we drive past on a semi regular basis and I only know of Complete Cafe Services as hubby drives past it on his way to work. It probably wasn't a smart move, on his part, telling me about it. I'll put Rio on the list. Sadly we don't seem to have much choice here :-[. Thanks again guys 🙂.

Lacehim

Cuir Beluga wrote:

A red Oscar Lacehim, how delicious. Tell me, do they come in purple 😉? I looked at the Simonelli Musica, just so hubby could put purple leds in it, I used to dream of waking up to that in the morning 😃.

The musica is a nice machine. It's basically an Oscar with antivac, opv, and hot water tap. If you like the bling the lights are cool too. All HX machines works the same, different brands have different build quality, or features like a hot water tap, and the steam arm might be on the right or the left. The look of the machine is probably the one most people get stuck on. Lets face it the internals are usually unseen, and as long as coffee gets made and steam comes out to steam milk, it's easy to use, and you like the look, you'll be happy! 🙂

Cuir_Beluga

I know what a hot water tap is, as for the other 2 you will have to fill this noob in :laugh:. As shallow as it may be looks to play a part for me. It's my money and I'll be shallow if I want to ^-^. I can just imagine the Musica blinged out with purple lights on my counter top. I might have to look a bit further in to it. Thanks for giving me something to think about 🙂.

Lacehim

I think I remember seeing some mods for the LEDs somewhere. Maybe you might be able to find a second hand one to help with the budget. 😉 My oscar is a very basic model, and has been modified. The OPV regulates pressure from the pump, and the antivac means I can turn on the machines, and come back and use it. Without one you would end up with false pressure which you need to let out, and then it heats again to come up to pressure (which is an inconvenience). Basically the Musica has all that and more so you don't need to worry about it. I think it has the same group and boiler and the Oscar, and it's a nice size. Looks play a massive part, so does usage of the machine. Using your machine needs to feel right, and it's great that you are looking to try out a few places before you buy. 🙂

Cuir_Beluga

If I went with a Musica the lights would be an easy enough job for hubby to change. I have thought of second hand but don't feel as though I know enough to trust myself. I might have a bit more of a look into the Oscars. Looks do play a part, I agree. I know a machine that makes great coffee is the priority but it has to look good doing it 😛. Thanks for the explanations on opvs and antivacs 🙂.

Cuir_Beluga

Dry bean, if the after sales service is pretty much non existent here, then do you think buying interstate would be such a bad move? Don't mind me, I am getting frustrated and I am just thinking out loud :tearhair:.

Dry_bean

Cuir Beluga wrote:

Dry bean, if the after sales service is pretty much non existent here, then do you think buying interstate would be such a bad move?

Not at all Sue, there are some excellent retailers in Melbourne, of course not all retailers handle all makes. When you narrow the selection down a bit let me know, will see what I can do. 🙂

Cuir_Beluga

Thanks Dry bean, will do. It seems all the good retailers are in Melbourne or Sydney and that is what is frustrating for me. Come to think of it, it is pretty much the story of my life ;D.

Brett_H

I have great retailers here in Brisbane but chose my machine from Cosmorex in Canberra. Their prices were the best, their service outstanding and their after-sales help fixing a minor issue was extraordinarily above and beyond! That plus I got my dream machine. I love it so much that when my wife recently asked me 'so, you've had this machine for a bit.... What's your next midlife crisis?? A levery thingy?' I actually replied, nope... This one's great! Buy once, buy well!

Dry_bean

Cosmorex certainly have an excellent reputation. Attilio is one of natures gentlemen. :thumb:

Lacehim

I haven't seen him on here for a bit, and I don't know what's going on with his website! It diverts to this http://www.beanroasters.com.au/ beanroasters by Cosmorex! Our website coming soon (if you haven't got a website why remove the old one?). Your going to have a hard time checking out machines on that website. Jetblack espresso have a fair few machines, I think they are NSW based, but really it's difficult to check out different machines, from different manufactures without driving around for days on end here. Seems Adelaide is the same which is a shame, and probably the reason people race out and buy a Sunbeam or Breville. 🙁

Cuir_Beluga

Hi guys, I checked out the Cosmorex site and as mentioned it is just a coming soon page. Jetblack is one of the interstate places I have been looking at, they sure have some nice machines. I do worry about after sales service but it if is almost non existent here I guess I don't have a whole lot to worry about 😛. Master 16 cast his eyes on a Gaggia Classic last night and is trying to add that to the mix now :laugh:.

Lacehim

Gaggia classics are single boiler. With the budget you are talking about, I would stick with a HX. There are a lot of internet espresso machine sellers out there. I would contact a few ask them questions about after sales service and see what they say. Sending a faulty machine back will be very expensive, and could cause further damage due to transportation. I would imagine that most places would deal with a local service agent for this very reason. Hopefully nothing goes wrong with it at all, but we don't live in a perfect world. There are only a few places near me that have machines on display. What I mean by that is they are sitting on a shelf for people to look at, not on a bench ready to try and these places aren't the places I would go to buy a machine. There are a few in Brisbane that do have machines on a bench that I know of, I think Di Bella did last time, and Bezzera have a small showroom. Maybe Adelaide has something but it's just not well advertised. Seems there is a drought (or a market opportunity) in Adelaide. 🙂 There's the usual suspects in Melbourne, and Sydney like Talk Coffee, Coffee works express, Jetblack Espresso, Di Bartoli, Coffee Parts that have websites for info. Never bought a machine off them, but maybe others will have some experience. Ask questions and don't be afraid to ask about after sale service and warranty.