Mechanika MAX

I'm biased, but the ECM Mechanika Max is built like it's ready to survive the next world war. IF you go HX, its the only one to get, it gets about as close to mimicking a DB without being one and crossing into that 3k+ range. That said, there are some great BD options out there in your price range, they just might not be as...overbuilt.

I love my ECM Mechanika Max. The rotary pump is quiet (and I have mine plumbed in) and the brew temp control is awesome for an HX (you can specify brew temp instead of boiler temp, great for espressos). I’m in Ontario and bought last year from home coffee solutions where I got a good deal on it.

Yes that’s what it does. Adjusts the boiler temp based on a different probe. This is not the default behavior for the machine (by default it just uses regular HX mode which works fine for all types of drinks).

Yes I did read you program for the brew temp, not the boiler temp with the Mechanika Max. Though, as I understand it, you are still just adjusting the steam boiler temp an the machine is doing the math to convert it

Bei mir waren es beim letzten zählen 8 mokka Kannen, Flair 58+2, 9barista mk2 pro und demnächst kommt noch eine ecm mechanika max dazu für morgends wenn ich arbeiten muss. Eine elektrische und 2 handmühlen, gefolgt von zahlreichen Zubehör wie 4 Waagen , 5 tamper, nivellierer, wdt toll etc.

thanks for doing this! do you sell/service the ecm mechanika max? i’ve had one for a couple years and it’s been rock solid, but i’m wondering if there are any failure points i should look out for. also, the shot lever is super stiff and i’d love some advice on how to loosen and lube it 🤠

As someone who had an incredibly good workhorse machine for 15 years, and no real justification - upgrading my Diademan Junior Plus to an ECM Mechanica Max, it has been brilliant. I got the Diadema as my second hand Oscar died and would cost more than it was worth to repair. I had been saving for a Rocket, but the Diadema did everything I needed and justification was hard. I mean it made a great coffee. The journey with the Mechanica Max has been a fun one - relearning how to get the perfect extraction for my tastes has taken a few months, but I love it, and it is more powerful, more feature rich, and I finally have a machine with a cool touch steam wand, which I always wanted, never really needed, and makes next to no difference, but... I have it :)

Unless you already have one, I'd suggest investing a good chunk of money into a grinder before saving for a machine. If you do a lot of milk drinks, I'd suggest a dual boiler or heat exchanger machine. You have options like La Marzocco Linea Micra or the Profitec Move for a simple dual boiler with programmable timed shots with pre-infusion, probably closest you'll get to a commercial style machine at home. Honestly, it's all you really need. Another option would be something E61 based, like the ECM Mechanica Max, or the Profitec Drive, Diletta Bello/Alto, etc... The issue with these machines is temperature stability and having to flush some water to stabilize things, but once you do the machine has tons of power and allows for things like flow control so you can really take control and dial in everything. They also have that beautiful mirror polish and old-school looks. And then you have machines like the Decent DE-1, Sanremo You, Wendougee Data... The machines are really more of a computer than an espresso machine and allows you to control every variable from the touchscreen so you can go all Mad Scientist with your espresso with flow and pressure curves, temperature curves, custom profiles. It's a really cool cutting edge tech!