I have a Lelit Mara. I love it. But I was lucky enough to find a 1995 La Pavoni for 600 bucks in perfect condition. It really makes an incredible difference. The coffee is noticeably better.
lol this thing always getting hate on here. I preordered mine as soon as I saw it mostly because of how great the Aiden has been for us.
My first espresso machine was a vintage dual switch La Pavoni Europiccola. Bought it on eBay in 2018. It’s the only espresso machine I’ve ever owned. I learned how to make espresso with it. I’ve always wanted a fancy newer machine to go next to it but it’s just always worked fine and I didn’t wanna spend the money. It should be noted my wife flat out refuses to use it lol.
I never had any kind of coffee machine. I just made pour overs, French press, siphon, etc. When the Aiden was first announced I did some research and I took a chance. I was really impressed watching the devs talk about how it actually worked. I read all the same garbage on Reddit about build quality or whatever from Fellow. Not only do I use it daily but my wife does too. We both love the thing. And we have never had a single problem w it after over a year now of daily use. I mean I’m not discounting the people who have problems but like, who goes on the internet and touts about how the product they bought works as expected? lol. Maybe I’m wrong for that.
I thought because of how much she also loves the Aiden, maybe my wife would use the espresso series 1 machine too so I figured it was time to add it to the mix. So I’ll just be enjoying my vintage lever machine until whenever the series 1 finally makes it here.
But I mean everyone’s situation is different. That’s just my story w the fellow machines. I haven’t used their grinders so I can’t speak for those either.
I always recommend used off marketplace. I’ve yet to purchase a lemon of any type of machine.
50% off new is such a great way purchase a machine that otherwise would be out of price range.
As far as coffee goes, I’ve picked up a 1996 La Pavoni and a Profitec Pro 500 with PID, all at great bargains.
I’ve also got a smart plug on my 500, but I’ve found I get a flavor I enjoy more out of the Pavoni than the 500. The steaming and the shot size are better though on the 500. So for me, straight shots are always on the Pavoni and my cappuccinos are on the 500
La Pavoni Europiccola. Currently it's in storage and broken due to a rust issue ( I have to replace the boiler at some point) , but it was a fun machine to learn on, the lever action really informed my understanding of pressure. Now my current machine has a PID and is much less susceptible to wild temperature swings, and as a result is more consistent at making better coffee.
PragmaticSchematic
