Quick Mill - Silvano

You're coming from a pretty competent entry level machine, so your budget is tough. The Lelit is probably the best of the 3 for usability, but I don't think you'll notice much difference in output, and the workflow will be slower. I don't really like the BDB (cheaply made, common failure points) but they offer *a lot* for the money, especially here in Aus - you can regularly get it for $1000-$1200. Expect issues after 5 years and you can decide whether that's a worthwhile investment for you. Quick Mill Silvano is an interesting machine that flies under the radar a bit here. At $1650ish it's a decent chunk over your $1000 - but it's not much more than a Silvia... Good built quality, 58mm, PID controlled, steam & espresso at the same time. Ticks a lot of boxes.

Consider this and the link to "choosing an espresso machine rationally" [https://www.home-barista.com/advice/izzo-alex-duetto-iv-4-year-review-t102661.html](https://www.home-barista.com/advice/izzo-alex-duetto-iv-4-year-review-t102661.html) Plus, you have to get a good to excellent grinder. Another rabbit hole for you. As important or more so. I have a Quick Mill Vetrano. My first one lasted almost 20 years. Another great unit that doesn’t get enough chatter on these forums is the. Izzo Alex Duetto. It’s a tried and true built like a tank. I had the Bianca for a couple weeks. It felt flimsy to me. So I exchanged it for the Vetrano 2B Evo. Chris Coffee has a one month return policy they honored with zero friction. Mark over there is a really good advisor. Their customer support is next level. So keep in mind the Vendor you are buying from. And think about what water you will be using. I agree with this [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3-ixio7fSg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3-ixio7fSg) and to me flow control adds unncecessary complexity. Beans and grinder way more important Maybe a Quick Mill Silvano with thermoblock for steam will fill the bill. Get an excellent grinder. I have a Niche Zero and an old Mazzer Mini. Another plug for Chris Coffee

\> I don't have a good explanation as for why - better temp stability? but I have used a group thermometer on my E61 and it is stable. Rotary pump (on LM) vs vibe pump - again, this shouldn't make a difference in theory. I switched from a Quick Mill Silvano (vibe) to a Quick Mill Vetrano (rotary), same grinder, same setup, everything, and the coffee is better with the same technique in the Vetrano. With new coffees I tend to dial fineness down and then back up again and I believe, although it could be placebo because it's just so much quieter, that the Vetrano's pump provides more force. This might translate to better performance under normal conditions. Maybe it's steadier with more grind options? There could be more mass (heat) in the Vetrano, too. I'm not sure what it could be. I'm just sharing.

Are you super held to dual boilers? If not maybe consider something with a thermoblock like the Quick Mill Silvano. In my experience it heats up fast enough, and has a PID so you can tell when it’s up to temperature

I haven’t done more than 3 at a time, so I can’t comment on how well it fares during long sessions. I can say I haven’t had any issues with up to 3 milk drinks at a time though. My understanding is that the thermoblock is independent of the boiler, and more or less superheats the water on its way to the steam wand to give you steam on demand, as long as the thermoblock is hot. It’s an expensive purchase though, so don’t let one person on the internet sway your decision!

i was given a QuickMill Silvano - it has been used significantly and could use a good cleaning/descaling. is it worth descaling at home or for a used machine like this should i have a specialist take a look and evaluate/ descale as a first step? also curious what your opinion (if any) about this particular machine. thank you!

I have an Italian made completely stainless steel Quick Mill machine for the last 20 years no complaints with mine

Chris Coffee for Quick Mill, they are great! Clive Coffee for Profitec. Clive also sells Lucca Tempo which is rebranded Pop Up.

I started out with a Quick Mill, but quickly found that machines using the E61 brew group are a class apart. I have been using a pre-owned Isomac Millennium together with a Bezzerra BZ05 coffeegrinder for at least 7 years now, love them both :-)