Rio is exactly the same machine with a different name plate. US importer for Rio is ESI, same folks who build and supply the La Marzocco. Their deal with Astoria's parent company requires that they sell under a different brand name but they are identical and the Rio/Astoria machines are good. I've also found the tech support available from ESI for the Rio's to be excellent. I'm not sure who handles support for the Astoria brand but for anyone who's buying a machine... if you're not capable of doing the basic maintenance and tech work yourself, it's important to buy from a reseller with a solidd reputation for support and after-the-sale service.
