Quick Mill - Silvano Evo

The QuickMill Silvano Evo is an excellent value machine. Pair with an $800 grinder and you’ll be very happy. Look at ChrisCoffee. They sell them and are a terrific company to work with.

You can get something like a Quick Mill Silvano Evo with the same kind of single boiler, vibratory pump and thermoblock configuration for less, though. That's a handsome, tried-and-true machine made an Italy by a quality company with decades of history, and it's very self-serviceable. So I still don't get the Fellows hype.

I have a Quick Mill Silvano Evo and I expect it to last pretty much forever. I can replace parts if needed

I’ve owned the Quick Mill Silvano Evo since 2021. Looking at your list below, it seems to share much of the same functionality as the Pop Up. I personally love the side-load reservoir on the Silvano. The drip tray is quite large. Having replaced the vibratory pump myself last year, I like that it’s a user-repairable machine. It uses as standard 58mm portafilter. The thermoblock steam is slow, but I can seemingly steam forever. I like that I can steam and pull a shot at the same time. I recoup the slow steam time by not having to temp surf. I would expect much of the same with the Pop Up. If there are discrepancies, take a look at whether the Silvano might fit your price range.

Just wanted to add a correction and a selection criteria. The POP! appears to have a single thermoblock that is used for brewing and steaming. The Silvano Evo has the dedicated thermoblock for steam and goes for more. The POP! is targeted for espresso drinkers who want a quick heat up time (as low as 120 seconds) while POP UP is targeted for drinkers who value temperature stability. Both the POP! and POP UP offer pressure profiling which are primarily for espresso drinkers. The Silvano is targeted for folks who want dual boiler type of performance but without getting dedicated boilers. This usually is desirable for those who make multiple milk drinks regularly.

Out of the options you listed, my recommendation would be the Gaggia Classic Pro ($350-500 depending on if you buy used/refurbished/new) + install a Gagguino or Gaggiamate for $200ish or, if you are against modding/tinkering on your own, the Diletta Mio or Quick Mill Silvano Evo. I generally advise people to not spend double the price on a pre installed PID because it’s incredibly easy to do on your own and saves you $500+, and the Gaggiamate/Gagguino options are PID systems on steroids. Gaggiamate is closed source and you theoretically run the risk they just stop supporting it, but has better “from the company” support and easy to buy and install packages. Gagguino is open source and has a fantastic community for support, but requires a bit more effort to source parts and install (not much, but possibly a turnoff if you’re not a tech-forward guy). Both are still fairly easy to install if you can follow directions and will save you money over paying for a Silvia with a pre-installed PID system (which is aftermarket anyway), and you get more features than you would with just a PID. Alternatively, if flow profiling and screens aren’t your thing, you can also just get a PID for the Gaggia for $100 which is even easier to install and have the same machine as the Rancillo Silvia PID for less than half the price. If you’re dead set against any work on your end and just want to unbox a machine and go, the Diletta Mio & Quick Mill Silvano Evo have a PID, shot timer, separate thermoblock to give you good steam pressure (with a separate boiler for the actual shots), and both are on sale right now right at that $1200 range. It lacks preinfusion out of the box but generally speaking, if you’re not willing to tinker with a machine once to get everything you want, you also probably aren’t tinkering with preinfusion every time you get new beans either (respectfully).

I have a Silvano Evo, single boiler with a thermoblock for steam wand. Mid point between a single boiler and double boiler. Every part is user serviceable. I don't imagine I'll ever buy another machine. Might have to replace parts sometimes.

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.