Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by ryan mcdougall on September 20, 2010 at 9:43am

I have 4 in my shop. How much are you looking to spend? They make a decent cup, have decent steam pressure and are about as stable as a home unit could be without having an aftermarket pid system. I ran a test one day just to find out if I could honestly sell these. I opened the steam valve for over 5 minutes then made enough milk for a 6 ounce latte, took under 30 seconds to steam 5 ounces of milk, the milk was smooth and free of large bubbles. Then it took less than 45 seconds for the machine to recover and stop heating. I don't know what the wattage on the heating element is but it must be pretty high for a home unit. The plastic construction is kind of a turnoff till you open it up and see most the same stuff a Cimbali m21 has and at a third of the price.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mike Sabol on September 20, 2010 at 9:42pm

These are a great machine. Our company has many of them out in the field and they are a real work horse for a small pour over unit. All the internal parts are commercial grade boiler plate items, the contactor, the PRV, the vac-break - all standard commercial parts that Simonelli uses on the rest of their line. Its got a full sized portafilter too. The plastic is not awesome. But so what? They are durable and make great coffee. I can't think of a downside, actually. There might be some home units that look fancier, are easier to PID, or have an E-61 grouphead (which would be an upgrade) but it depends on what you want. If you couple the Oscar with a good grinder you'll get great espresso.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Glenn Harpur on September 21, 2010 at 12:01am

Thanks very much for the help. In reply to Ryan, I might be able to get one second-hand for just under R5000 (South African Rand) - don't know exactly what that is in dollars but it seems like a good price compared with what I've seen on the web.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Glen Surtees on September 21, 2010 at 4:47am

What happened to the Mia?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Glenn Harpur on September 21, 2010 at 5:05am

Still an option but apparently steaming power on the Oscar is better.

Glen Surtees said:

What happened to the Mia?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by ryan mcdougall on September 21, 2010 at 7:58am

yep, it's a decent price. it's roughly $700 US. I'd get it.

Glenn Harpur said:

Thanks very much for the help. In reply to Ryan, I might be able to get one second-hand for just under R5000 (South African Rand) - don't know exactly what that is in dollars but it seems like a good price compared with what I've seen on the web.

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion