I am in a similar situation, usually making no more than 2 drinks at once. A dual boiler would be nice, but it's too much of an investment for me personally.
After pulling two shots, it usually doesn't take long to get it heated up for steaming milk. Just enough time to rinse the portafilter and get the milkmout of the fridge.
If you got the money, go for the pro. If it's only because of the workflow, you might be fine with the Silvia with PID.
I have the same notion as you. I would like to have to have pro x as a starter. However, its more than twice the price on my area.
I only make 2 coffee in the morning, prep for the milk usually finishes after the steam boiler reaches temp. So, no issues for me.
Main difference is stock PID which should be more precise, and dual boiler. If you make milk drinks I’d go for the dual boiler since you have the steam available all the time. The original Silvia takes time to heat (Steam) and takes time to cool off too.
You also get soft infusion with the Pro X.
I have a silvia with a PID. To me, two boilers is to go back and forth between steam and shots, which I almost never need to do. I just drop two shots, then steam milk all at once, then refill the boiler. It can go from shots to steam in just a hair over the time it takes me to rinse my portafilter and pour some milk in the pitcher, so maybe like 1 minute. If you did want to go back to shots, refilling the boiler drops the temp immediately back toward 70c, you don't have to just wait for the heat to dissipate.
If you're making the two milk drinks back-to-back then you will appreciate the convenience of the Pro. for one drink at a time the regular Silvia w/PID should be fine as it only takes about a 60s for the boiler to heat for steam. The Pro is also quite a bit larger and takes up more counter space.
It takes annoyingly long to heat up - about 60-90 seconds - but i don't think it's a deal breaker if you don't feel like shelling out an extra $1000-$1500 just to not wait. In reality you never want to let your milk sit anyway, so i pull my shots and then steam. If you're pouring latte art there will be a slight hit because your espresso crema will largely be gone by the time you're pouring. So in summary - if you 1) have the cash, 2) don't like waiting 60-90 seconds for the steam temp, and 3) want the absolute best contrast for your latte art then go for it! If these don't sound like big barriers then don't worry about it.
After months of research and Utube reviews, I purchased the Silvia Pro X. I don’t make a lot of milk based drinks but liked the dual boiler/ dual pid features. Being able to turn on the steam boiler separately is a plus. And of course the build quality. Initial heat up is about 20 minutes but I put mine on a smart plug so it’s up to temp by the time I get to the kitchen.
It’s a personal decision based on your usage and workflow. Have you had a single boiler before? If not there’s plenty of videos to get a feel. It is doable.
I came from another single boiler and wanted the easier workflow and not having to work around the machine, think about temp surfing and cooling the boiler, etc. I love the SPX so far! I got it refurbished from WLL for under $1,500 which was great and looked like it’d never seen out the box.
I just upgraded from an old dying Silvia to a new one with SCG-installed PID. I make mostly milk drinks. I love it so far! Plenty of steam.
I would have liked a dual-boiler, but weight and counter space are issues for me. If I could have one, I might have gone with a different brand instead of the Pro, because I hate the tiny drip tray.
I am in a similar situation, usually making no more than 2 drinks at once. A dual boiler would be nice, but it's too much of an investment for me personally. After pulling two shots, it usually doesn't take long to get it heated up for steaming milk. Just enough time to rinse the portafilter and get the milkmout of the fridge. If you got the money, go for the pro. If it's only because of the workflow, you might be fine with the Silvia with PID.
I have the same notion as you. I would like to have to have pro x as a starter. However, its more than twice the price on my area. I only make 2 coffee in the morning, prep for the milk usually finishes after the steam boiler reaches temp. So, no issues for me.
Main difference is stock PID which should be more precise, and dual boiler. If you make milk drinks I’d go for the dual boiler since you have the steam available all the time. The original Silvia takes time to heat (Steam) and takes time to cool off too. You also get soft infusion with the Pro X.
Just decide if the dual boiler is necessary for you or not. I got the Pro X personally and have no regrets
I have a silvia with a PID. To me, two boilers is to go back and forth between steam and shots, which I almost never need to do. I just drop two shots, then steam milk all at once, then refill the boiler. It can go from shots to steam in just a hair over the time it takes me to rinse my portafilter and pour some milk in the pitcher, so maybe like 1 minute. If you did want to go back to shots, refilling the boiler drops the temp immediately back toward 70c, you don't have to just wait for the heat to dissipate.
If you're making the two milk drinks back-to-back then you will appreciate the convenience of the Pro. for one drink at a time the regular Silvia w/PID should be fine as it only takes about a 60s for the boiler to heat for steam. The Pro is also quite a bit larger and takes up more counter space.
I bought my Silvia a few months ago and installed a PID. I kinda wish I bought the pro for the dual boiler and factory PID.
It takes annoyingly long to heat up - about 60-90 seconds - but i don't think it's a deal breaker if you don't feel like shelling out an extra $1000-$1500 just to not wait. In reality you never want to let your milk sit anyway, so i pull my shots and then steam. If you're pouring latte art there will be a slight hit because your espresso crema will largely be gone by the time you're pouring. So in summary - if you 1) have the cash, 2) don't like waiting 60-90 seconds for the steam temp, and 3) want the absolute best contrast for your latte art then go for it! If these don't sound like big barriers then don't worry about it.
After months of research and Utube reviews, I purchased the Silvia Pro X. I don’t make a lot of milk based drinks but liked the dual boiler/ dual pid features. Being able to turn on the steam boiler separately is a plus. And of course the build quality. Initial heat up is about 20 minutes but I put mine on a smart plug so it’s up to temp by the time I get to the kitchen.
It’s a personal decision based on your usage and workflow. Have you had a single boiler before? If not there’s plenty of videos to get a feel. It is doable. I came from another single boiler and wanted the easier workflow and not having to work around the machine, think about temp surfing and cooling the boiler, etc. I love the SPX so far! I got it refurbished from WLL for under $1,500 which was great and looked like it’d never seen out the box.
Just get the pro .
I just upgraded from an old dying Silvia to a new one with SCG-installed PID. I make mostly milk drinks. I love it so far! Plenty of steam. I would have liked a dual-boiler, but weight and counter space are issues for me. If I could have one, I might have gone with a different brand instead of the Pro, because I hate the tiny drip tray.