Commerical Machine For New Store Help Please

[officepotato]

I am going to be opening a small Espresso/Juice Bar on a shoestring. Of course i need an espresso machine. I have read in the posts that the Pasquini Livia 90 is a good machine to start. I really do not think this will be quite enough machine. What brand/model would be a step up from this with a very tight budget in mind. Thank you for the help. I would like a 2 group machine, but i would like to stay under 2K if possible, a used machine will be fine.

 

[NW JAVA]

I have a Pasquini Livia 90 I love it for what it is. It's a good machine for a few drinks, the steam want is wantting, the stamig is: o.k, not great. But for a 110v machine with a small boiler, it's o.k, kind like a kia is a good car.

 

[CCafe]

A Pasquini Livia 90 will never work for you. The moment you have 3 or more people in line waiting for drinks, you would come to realize that this machines is just a home unit!

You need to look at Astoria, Cimbali, Pavoni, Nouva Simonelli, and Conti. Even if their 7 to 8 years old, a well maintained machine will run for many more. If it isn't running 220 Volt, don't even bother looking at it.

 

[NW JAVA]

Yeah yeah, WHatever,,,,,,Don't make americano with any 110v machine, but three customers...SURE, that why I used it at a race track this last summer. The steaming is kinda not great, but functional, the recovery is lame, but the espresso is just fine. A 220v unit is the way to go, but if other issues are present : preventing plumbing, requireing 110v, and not expecting lines of more than 3, . I would choose a 220v machine every time, but options are at times needed. As far as " used", do you know how to inspect a machine? Was it installed/ maintained correctly? What kind of support will you get? Is there any free consultation? Is there ongoing training and support?

Just a muse of my AM thoughs.................

 

[CoffeeGoddess]

It seems to me that even if you get a machine that's used, and therefore doesn't have the tech support a new machine comes with, the amount of money you save more than covers the cost of simple repairs. Of course, in my case, it's a definite as my husband can fix absolutely anything and after asking important questions, I was confident when purchasing the machine I chose (chosing a manual for repair reasons).

My number one suggestion is that if you use e-bay or something similar, the moment the seller "skips" a question and moves onto the next one, that's the moment you leave. I listed several questions for every machine I seriously considered and was AMAZED how many sellers simply decided not to answer the year it was made, how it was stored, the date of the last use... etc. If they skipped one question, I moved on.

I got a manual Conti for $1,000 that's in great condition. :grin:

 

[NW JAVA]

yeah being able to service yourself is great, but a used machine could be scalled, and that's not good, or self reparable about: 300-500.00 usually. What about being able to have a back-up machine should your primary machine go down? These days nothing is simple,and usually beyond the DIY'rs capability. IMHO. Somone asking about getting a basic 110v machine probably could use features of support.

 

[CoffeeGoddess]

I won't argue that. When I started investigating machines, at first I wanted a 110v. Then as I began to get SERIOUS, I had to break my husbands heart and tell him I definitely wanted a 220v, even though it would need as much power as our stove! 3,000 watts baby :!: :shock: