Profitec - DRIVE (CM500009-00, CM500009-01)

I have Profitec Drive and it’s about 1 year old. I use it daily and it’s reliable excellent machine

Profitec Drive and grinder from same - quite a beauty and quite a learning curve

I’ve owned the Profitec Drive. Small price premium over the Bianca where I live but worth it. There is a difference in build quality IMO. Everything felt a bit more solid and the attention to detail when it comes to the body panels, drip tray, overall machining was noticeable. Having said that, you will not make better coffee with it. It’s basically the same E61 DB with FC. Both will handle high volumes when hosting parties etc. My choice here would be based on aesthetic + build quality.

I’ve never owned the Bianca myself but it was on my short list. So far I’ve only tested floor models and used a friend’s machine. For me, things like the side panels, drip tray, cup warmer etc all felt higher quality on the Drive. They’re both stainless steel boxes but the Drive felt heavier and more substantial. The body panels also appeared thicker with smoother edges all around. ECM/Profitec/Rocket all excel in that regard. I’ve since replaced my Drive with a Linea Mini but I had other reasons for that. From a build quality and workmanship standpoint, the Drive was every bit as good as the La Marzocco.

I was thinking of the Bianca at first but the heat up time was a big negative for me. Plus it seems the build quality is little bit less than the profitec's. For me the drive is a little on the large size, and I was also thinking of the drive plus flow modification but the cost wasn't too big a difference and that leaves a lesser pump on the ride.

I have a Drive and chose it over the Bianca mainly because of the build quality and the larger boilers. Nothing wrong with the Bianca, however the panels felt a bit cheap in comparison to the Profitec and ECM machines. I also like the internal layout of the Profitec better. It pumps out drinks all day long with no issues.

The GO sucks. But the LM is overpriced. Get an R58 or Profitec Drive.

I'm very pleased with my Profitec, I've had it about a year after 8 years with a Quick Mill E61, which was also an excellent, reliable machine. I like E61 machines for their abundant availability on parts. I can even get them locally! So I would skip the Profitec Move myself, and also don't think the ECM is worth the price premium. So there you go, **Profitec Drive.**

I have a Profitec drive - it does everything you’re asking for and then some.

Why are focused on Diletta when there are so many other similar machines available? For a very similar machine sold by dealers on the East coast, consider Profitec Ride (Whole Latte Love) or Quick Mill QM67 (Chris Coffee). Both are priced similar to the Diletta and are available with flow control. For a moderate price increase over the Diletta (but much less than LMLM), you could get Lelit Bianca, Profitec Drive, Quick Mill Vetrano, ECM Synchronika II (my favorite), as well as many others, all of which come with flow control standard or optional. All of these have rotary pumps, which make the machines much quieter and more pleasant to use, as well as allowing them to be plumbed in. If you want flow control, then Linea Mini makes no sense since it is a flat 9 bar machine. But if you have your heart set on La Marzocco, the Micra makes more sense than the Mini for most home users. Please take a deep breath and do more research before you dive in.

Those temperature measurements you see on this sub were made by people who don't understand how to measure brew temperature. Brew temperature is measured between the top of the coffee puck and bottom of the shower screen when brewing under pressure. Doing this requires a Scace Thermofilter or similar instrument. Any other method is going to result in a low temperature reading. Ignore any temperature measurement you see online that wasn't done with a Scace. I started my home espresso journey with a Barista Express. When I got a good grinder to use with it, it was like getting a whole new and better setup. I happily used it for 3 more years before upgraditis finally took its toll on me. When I switched to a Profitec, I couldn't detect any difference in taste. Start your upgrade journey with the best grinder you can afford.

If you like the look of Apartamento but want a dual boiler, you have lots of choices. If you are OK with a vibe pump, Profitec Ride or Quick Mill QM67. If you want a rotary pump for quiet operation and ability to be plumbed in, then Lelit Bianca, Profitec Drive, or ECM Synchronika. If you like La Marzocco, then the Linea Micra is cheaper and makes much more sense than the Mini for most home users.

Micra is a great example of a classic flat 9 bar espresso machine. It does that very well. But a flat 9 bar extraction often isn't the best way to brew light roasts. Of your two choices, the Cremina (or other lever machine), or a semi-auto with more control, would be preferred. If it were me, I'd get the ECM Synchronika II with the optional flow control device. It's less expensive than either of your choices, and gives you more control over brewing. Decent DE1Pro would be another machine worth considering. If you are OK with with a vibe pump, and want to save money, then also consider Profitec Ride with flow control.

> is the main difference between these two machines (1) the rotary pump on the Drive and (2) the Drive having a slightly larger capacity / footprint? This is correct. Most people don't need the larger boilers of the Drive, but it can't hurt if you are going to use it at a party. The quietness of the rotary pump is a nice quality of life improvement. If you have the cash and counter space for the Drive, go for it! If you are budget-constrained, the Ride is also a great machine.

I just went straight to Profitec Drive and Niche Zero Around 12 weeks in and about getting a handle on things. Tackling the flow control will be the next thing to get onto All good fun

Is it not true that what you REALLY want is a espresso maker AND espresso grinder? Note: the grinder is the most important piece of equipment - not the espresso maker. The taste and texture profile of your espresso is mostly determined by the grinder (beans, water, grinder, preparation, espresso maker - is the order of importance). One of the best prosumer DB machines out there is the Lelit Bianca. It has \*everything\*. It can be argued that ECM Synchronika II and Profitec DRIVE have better "build" but this won't affect the quality of coffee you can make and it's arguable just what difference it makes in any sense. However that will more than eat up your budget. Grinders come in two flavours: hopper and single dosing. Serious hobbyists (who keep their beans in air tight storage so they don't age quickly) prefer single dosing, but this requires One measure out their beans for each shot. You have to know which kind of grinder you want. For a single dosing choice, check out the Lelit Elizabeth maker + (Turin CF64V or Varia VS6 grinder). For a hopper style: find a Grind-By-Weight grinder.

You've chosen the Z1 grinder. As I understand, the Z1 is the champion for ease of changing burrs. (Of course, it's also go a small, good looking, sleek body). It also has an excellent auger/pre-breaker system, and it looks like there may be some more/new options there in the future. Thus, this (most excellent) grinder is for the espresso explorer. You may want to buy two or three sets of burrs and change them on occasion. Thus it may be prudent to make sure you buy a machine with the tightest/best performance characteristics (like temperature management) in order to maximize the benefits of your Z1. So the obvious recommendation is to skip the Single Boiler and the HX offerings and go straight to the Dual Boiler (so RIDE or DRIVE). Profitec has a reputation for quality in the business. I believe there's nothing better than Stainless Steel parts in an espresso maker. The bane of such machines is the calcium build up over time (most often called "scale") and it appears (to me) that scale builds up faster on other metals compared to Stainless Steel. The top bit of the protruding E61 holds the "mushroom". There are other companies that offer a Stainless Steel boiler, but Profitec also gives a Stainless Steel mushroom. "Descaling" is the practise of running caustic chemicals thru the machine (during maintenance) that strips the scale plaque-like build up out of the tubes and boilers in the machine. This process is very hard on the machine. I bought my Profitec in 2021 and run Reverse Osmosis water with a packet of ThirdWaveWater crystals (per gallon or 4 liters) and have never descaled my machine. I pulled the mushroom out to inspect it and there is no hint of scale. I've seen 3 year old machines with a devastating amount of scale in them. All this to say that while there is some plastic tubing (still) in the machine, it truly is well built with easy-to-source parts throughout. You get what you pay for. You'll have to decide what a Rotary Pump means to you, over a Vibratory Pump. It's quieter, for sure. It also is the only choice if you plumb-in your water line rather than filling the water reservoir in the back on a weekly basis. I think of it as a "luxury" option, but you'll want to ask someone who actually has one what they think. The big difference between an E61 brewer and an alternate like a saturated head is that the saturated head has superior temperature control but only the E61 can offer a Flow Control feature. Please do a deep dive into FC. IMO its THE feature that offers the most flexibility in espresso brewing. For example, find out what the "Lever Shot" is (traditionally, only a Lever Type machine can offer this; however a FC machine can emulate this). Today there are lots of machines that offer a lot of "pre-infusion" options - which is important for Light Roast coffees (which are all the rage). FC can do any of this for you (although in the machines considered here, there is only Manual FC. For automated FC you'd look at a Decent Espresso Machine). (Note: sometimes I like to play and will do various stuff with FC. Other times I "just want a damned coffee" and don't bother with FC) TL;DR Thus if you were to get a Z1 and DRIVE, you would have the most flexible/powerful system and you could spend a lot of time exploring all that it could do. Short of the automation of a Decent Machine; this setup would be tops. ...my two cents