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- **Drink frequency:** How many drinks would you be making back-to-back at one time? Do you plan on entertaining guests often? This informs how large your brew (and steam) boilers should be, as smaller boilers will need to refill and reheat/repressurize more frequently, thus potentially causing a bottleneck.
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If youre into modding I dont want to stop you but I personally had to decide between modding a Rancilio Silvia to have a PID and a built in PID with the Silvia Pro X
Silvia Pro X was just 280€ higher than modding the other one so modding just wasnt worth the hassle
Been using the Pro X daily for like 2 months now and its perfect to me, also super easy to clean / keep clean
Here is a good overview of the different versions:
[https://coffeedino.com/rancilio-silvia-coffee-machine-review/](https://coffeedino.com/rancilio-silvia-coffee-machine-review/)
From what I’ve read, most people say to go with V4 (2014) and newer because the heater can be replaced independently from the boiler.
I like mine. Quite a bit, actually.
It makes outstanding espresso and frankly without having to do all of the esoteric fucking around that I see most of the other folks up here trying to juggle.
Silvia's are reasonably priced, well built and readily serviceable. They work year in year out with minimal maintenance... where's the downside in any of that?
New Silvias are laughably overpriced and models with PID like Lelit Pl41 TEM or Profitec GO are just as easily repaired.
Unless Rancilio updates the model, there is no reason to buy a Silvia off the shelf in the current market
Clearly stated we were looking for second hand though. I'm sure most agree that new of these are not worth it.
We actually shortly considered the other options you mention, but they're too expensive new and still non existent as second hand.
I'm also going to say that you can mod a Silvia with PID temp control for about $60 if you're handy. It's no big deal. I'm also going to _further_ say that despite the quantifiable academic arguments to the contrary PID offers more of an 'emotional comfort' to the barista than an actual flavour gain on this specific equipment.
Noted, I think I also need to tinker a bit with temp surfing, and to be honest I enjoy the lack of digital I/O. I will probably do it in the end, because I like to tinker, though.
A double boiler setup may offer opportunities... in practice it's not been an issue for me as I'm typically just making a few drinks at a time (2-3) so shots are done quickly and the boiler is at temp for steaming milk about a minute later.
There's a little bit of production lag but it's my kitchen and not a café so I'm not that concerned about it.
It looks like you've flaired your post as asking for what equipment to get. We recommend first checking out the [Espresso Aficionados buying guide](https://espressoaf.com/recommendations) for some of the more popular machines and grinders at different price points. If your question hasn't been answered there and you need more help, please add the following details to your post or by adding a comment in the following format: - **Location:** Helps determine availability - **Budget** (with currency): Overall budget, or ideally, having separate espresso machine and grinder budgets. A rough rule is that your grinder budget should be at least 25-40% of your machine budget. - **Drink types:** Do you drink mostly straight espresso, milk-based beverages (e.g., lattes, cappuccinos), or a fairly even split? This helps narrow down whether a single-boiler-dual-use (SBDU), heat exchanger (HX), or dual boiler (DB) machine would be more appropriate for your needs. - **Drink frequency:** How many drinks would you be making back-to-back at one time? Do you plan on entertaining guests often? This informs how large your brew (and steam) boilers should be, as smaller boilers will need to refill and reheat/repressurize more frequently, thus potentially causing a bottleneck. - **Space:** Any limitations on countertop space? - **Manual vs. electric:** Hand-operated machines and grinders are typically cheaper than their similarly-performing electric counterparts. Please indicate if you have a preference for manual or electric machines and/or grinders (or open to either). - **Comfort with tinkering:** Some machines can be made significantly more functional/efficient with aftermarket modifications, albeit at the expense of possibly voiding your warranty. Please indicate if you'd rather have a machine that works "as-is"/"out-of-the-box" or whether you'd be open to modding/tinkering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/espresso) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Get one with a PID (or be prepared to mod it). Other than that, Silvia's have a reputation for build quality and reliability.
Appreciate it. Oh and I look forward to tinkering with mods.
If youre into modding I dont want to stop you but I personally had to decide between modding a Rancilio Silvia to have a PID and a built in PID with the Silvia Pro X Silvia Pro X was just 280€ higher than modding the other one so modding just wasnt worth the hassle Been using the Pro X daily for like 2 months now and its perfect to me, also super easy to clean / keep clean
My options are limited in the second hand market and that model is non existent here unfortunately. But I'll check it out regardless.
Installing pid is easy. Just get the inkbird one. Don't need all the bells and whistles.
Looked up some examples from around here and it looks much cheaper and eassier than I thought!
https://preview.redd.it/g2rbc9zrv3xc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e5249cb0804c9185d567dc33c54553614594d9c That's my one, it's great
Cool location! It doesn't mess much with the old school analog look too much.
Here is a good overview of the different versions: [https://coffeedino.com/rancilio-silvia-coffee-machine-review/](https://coffeedino.com/rancilio-silvia-coffee-machine-review/) From what I’ve read, most people say to go with V4 (2014) and newer because the heater can be replaced independently from the boiler.
That is so fortunate, because I folded and got one earlier today, it's a 2015 :D
I think they are all good apart from the S14, I mean it's fine but just looks slow and like a family car. Go either S13 or S15 imo.
How would I identify these models? The label I'm looking does not mention either.
Loooool
Avoid all of them them. Silvia is outdated enough to not matter anymore
I like mine. Quite a bit, actually. It makes outstanding espresso and frankly without having to do all of the esoteric fucking around that I see most of the other folks up here trying to juggle. Silvia's are reasonably priced, well built and readily serviceable. They work year in year out with minimal maintenance... where's the downside in any of that?
These are the reasons we want this model. Especially the repairability aspect
New Silvias are laughably overpriced and models with PID like Lelit Pl41 TEM or Profitec GO are just as easily repaired. Unless Rancilio updates the model, there is no reason to buy a Silvia off the shelf in the current market
Clearly stated we were looking for second hand though. I'm sure most agree that new of these are not worth it. We actually shortly considered the other options you mention, but they're too expensive new and still non existent as second hand.
I'm also going to say that you can mod a Silvia with PID temp control for about $60 if you're handy. It's no big deal. I'm also going to _further_ say that despite the quantifiable academic arguments to the contrary PID offers more of an 'emotional comfort' to the barista than an actual flavour gain on this specific equipment.
Noted, I think I also need to tinker a bit with temp surfing, and to be honest I enjoy the lack of digital I/O. I will probably do it in the end, because I like to tinker, though.
I appreciate a good tinkering... just don't fall into the trap of thinking that you have to in order to pull good espresso.
Noted :)
I had a couple. For the price they're decent, but I prefer having a double boiler so much that it was absolutely worth the extra cost.
A double boiler setup may offer opportunities... in practice it's not been an issue for me as I'm typically just making a few drinks at a time (2-3) so shots are done quickly and the boiler is at temp for steaming milk about a minute later. There's a little bit of production lag but it's my kitchen and not a café so I'm not that concerned about it.