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Permalink Reply by Brandy Smyth on March 12, 2009 at 10:54am

Sue,
I have been in the industry for awhile one thing I would caution you about is making sure that you have parts available locally to you for any espresso machine you decide to purchase. Syneso's are great machines but your right a little spendy. There are some options that are high quality without the cost for the "Brand Name" Happy to discuss any of these with you. How exciting that your shop will be opening soon.... I am sure the time goes quicker the closer your opening date gets.
Brandy

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Permalink Reply by Sue Watson on March 12, 2009 at 11:02am

Thanks Brandy: Yes I agree and not being so much in the "know" we can so easily be lead down the garden path by the sales people. A friend coffee shop owner runs a Syneso, loves it and apparently the rep for this area is suppose to be a gem. Unfortunately it's about $3000 over what I want to pay. We are just starting out and think there is probably a better entry level choice out there, we just don't know which way to turn as there are so many choices. Thanks for any help, I appreciate it.
Sue

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Permalink Reply by Brandy Smyth on March 12, 2009 at 12:32pm

Sue,

I would be happy to send you some information can i get your email address so i can send some attachments with information for you? I think it will be useful.


brandy@crossroads-espresso.com

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Permalink Reply by Heath Henley on March 12, 2009 at 1:03pm

Please ask around before you buy anything off-brand. There's a reason certain brands are well recognized, it doesn't mean that all of them are worth the money they charge, but there's also a reason that off-brand machines are inexpensive.

If you can find an espresso tech in your area they may be able to help you find a used machine in good condition, or help you fix one up. They may also be a good resource on how different types of machines hold up (i.e. the Dalla Corte).

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Permalink Reply by Sue Watson on March 12, 2009 at 2:04pm

Brandy Smyth said:

Sue,

I would be happy to send you some information can i get your email address so i can send some attachments with information for you? I think it will be useful.


brandy@crossroads-espresso.com

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Permalink Reply by Brandy Smyth on March 12, 2009 at 2:30pm

I disagree, i would never suggest that anyone who is starting in the industry to purchase a new machine. For a coffee shop the machine that is making the most money and bringing in your profit margin is the espresso machine. For used equipment it is hard to know if the previous owner took care of the machine, did they clean on a daily basis and did they recharge their watersoftner as required? If not essentially it could be compared to buying a car that looked good on the outside and ran when it was purchased but a month or two down the road the engine blew up because the oil had never been changed... (off on a tangent but you get the idea). So, if you aren't familiar with internal workings of espresso machines or you aren't mechanically inclined and your machine goes down.... guess what you can't serve product. Now that means that you are not making profit for that amount of time on your espresso drinks (that have the most profit margin), you have a repair bill, parts bill, time down until it is fixed.... so espresso is an addition a good one but still an addiction if you can't feed the addiction of your customers then they will go elsewhere to get their fix, so not it has turned into winning your customers back from your competition that you forced them to visit. For a new cafe..... not worth the risk, new machines yes some can go down or break but it is much less likely plus they should come with a warranty as extra protection. I say no to used machines...

Heath Henley said:

Please ask around before you buy anything off-brand. There's a reason certain brands are well recognized, it doesn't mean that all of them are worth the money they charge, but there's also a reason that off-brand machines are inexpensive.

If you can find an espresso tech in your area they may be able to help you find a used machine in good condition, or help you fix one up. They may also be a good resource on how different types of machines hold up (i.e. the Dalla Corte).

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Permalink Reply by Heath Henley on March 13, 2009 at 5:44pm

I agree with you Brandy, you risk getting a lemon with a used machine. However, also like used cars, if you have someone qualified, that you trust, take a good look at the machine and perhaps even replace some parts, you can get a great deal.

My point is that you are better off getting a reconditioned used machine of high quality construction than a cheap new machine of low quality construction.

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Permalink Reply by Jack Shipley on March 13, 2009 at 6:01pm

We've done both. We have a new machine and one we bought from a bank that repossessed it. We got an absolutely stunning deal on the latter. However, we also have a connection with a certified tech to rebuild and could afford, because of the deal, to do what was necessary to make the machine right. Didn't really need much as it had not seen a high number of cycles.

The used machine is now the centerpiece in our cafe and we can do catering where 220 power is available with the other machine.

The key is having a certified espresso machine tech available who can quickly get the parts you need and, if you can't, repair your machine. Down time is lost money. In fact, it's good to have a tech who has a machine in reserve for clients, like getting a loaner car from your dealer.

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Permalink Reply by Alun Evans on March 13, 2009 at 6:19pm

Good point. Certified meaning having been trained by the particular company that produces the machine. The technical side of espresso machines has some synery across brands/makes. However the key is the technician having instant access to parts so there is no/little down time if there is a problem.

Jack Shipley said:

We've done both. We have a new machine and one we bought from a bank that repossessed it. We got an absolutely stunning deal on the latter. However, we also have a connection with a certified tech to rebuild and could afford, because of the deal, to do what was necessary to make the machine right. Didn't really need much as it had not seen a high number of cycles.

The used machine is now the centerpiece in our cafe and we can do catering where 220 power is available with the other machine.

The key is having a certified espresso machine tech available who can quickly get the parts you need and, if you can't, repair your machine. Down time is lost money. In fact, it's good to have a tech who has a machine in reserve for clients, like getting a loaner car from your dealer.

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Permalink Reply by Andy Newbom on March 14, 2009 at 10:22am

The Dalla Corte machine rocks! We have been testing it for a few weeks on bar at the cafe and all the Baristas love it. THey freaked a little about the 54mm Portafilters but now they like them a lot. THe temp stability and changeability is awesome. Service is so crazy easy it makes you wonder if the other machine manufacturers are on heroin. Everything comes out the front and everything is individually run.

They are very expensive machines though but they do rock.

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