Lelit Bianca v3 vs ACS Vesuvius v10

delta76

This is mostly a question for my curiosity. They are not a same league, Vesuvius is both bigger, significantly more expensive (where I live at least), has (much) better build quality (As per @DavecUK ). the pressure profile is more repeatable but can’t be changed on the fly as the flow profile on Bianca - which is significantly cheaper, quite smaller, and moveable tank. it is also much more popular and help can be easy to come by.

So given that you are budget aware, and would like to pay for the best value on the $, which one would you buy?

John_Yossarian

delta76 With the comment that a direct purchase from ACS most likely would be cheaper.

delta76

John_Yossarian yeah I am in contact with them, yet to hear back but we’ll see. I guess you meant “cheaper” than 3300 EUR, not cheaper than Bianca (that’d be insane)?

How will warranty be handled then? if you run into the problem you ask them for guidance/parts, or do you have to send it back? How long is warranty also?

Cuprajake

2yr parts warranty, so you will have to be prepared to get your hands dirty should you need to do so

delta76

Cuprajake that is not so bad I guess. I’m not very handy but can fix some simple things. not having to send it back is a plus actually.

Ernie1

As an alternative option;

If you’re in the UK there’s a few Linea Minis on eBay for less than £3k currently. One of which says ‘barely used/near mint’ which means it might still have warranty. Not that you’ll probably need it.

Spending £3k, that’s where my money would go in a heartbeat but if you’re dead set on profiling then the Bianca is an incredibly solid choice for under two grand. It’s not ‘badly’ built by any means, it’s only really an issue when compared directly to other machines in terms of build.

delta76

Ernie1

sadly not in UK. and for some reason LM does not have that wow feeling for me. I have no doubt it is a stellar espresso machine, just the look is not appealing to me

Ernie1

delta76

It’s not for everyone! Good luck with whichever you decide!

Grahamsphillips

The Vesuvius makes an incredible second hand buy.. they do come up from time to time!

delta76

Grahamsphillips sadly where I live a good second hand espresso machine is hard to come by. When one shows up they are not even that good deal. Let alone something not so popular as this one.

It seems i have no better option than Bianca v3. The wise men have spoken

Waitforme

I’m 2 ½ years into ownership of my Bianca without an issue.

I’m not sure what bit of it could have been built better 🤷

Would have absolutely no reservations in recommending it to anyone.

( edited for typo )

delta76

Waitforme i am on team bianca, and am this close to buy one, so don’t get me wrong, but bianca build quality leaves something to be desired. Two main things that can be improved, are the thin cover, and the quite messy inner layout. They are not terrible, but not great either. I would give them a rate of “decent” if I am being fair, or “fairly good” if I am being generous. It is hard to like those once you look inside an ECM Synchronika which is supposed to be a direct competitor. In US market at least.

The good thing is bianca is selling for 3200$ in the US and it competes quite well with the like of Synchronika. So people feel good paying that much for the features + build quality. In EU where it is 400€ cheaper, it is even better value

Waitforme

Fair enough, I’ve only owned the Bianca so can’t really compare to other machines.

It’s everything and more that I need. (don’t use the pre infusion and rarely use the paddle).

delta76

Waitforme to be fair I would expect a majority of prosumer dual boiler machines to have quite crowded inner, especially with smaller form factor like Bianca. You can probably get better layout by having more space. But you also can’t look at Bianca layout and say “neat”. They probably could do better, but maybe they didn’t care or can’t spend much time on that.

With that said I think most of bianca issues are with smaller things like valves or tubes, which I usually think as a signature for “Made in Italy” quirks and quality control issues. The inner is like wearing an ugly underwear. It works. It is still comfortable. Nobody really needs to know. But you know and it bothers you a bit ;)

delta76

Heard back from ACS today and they can only offer €3000 which is more or less same as local retailer. That is sadly doing the machine no favor as I already leaned heavily toward bianca. With €1100 higher than the best offer on Bianca it is a hard no from me. A bit sad as I would really like to try it out. But also a bit happier as it makes my choice much easier :)

JahLaza

delta76 what about this one for sale here? I can’t understand how they devalue so much

https://coffeetime.freeflarum.com/d/1976-black-acs-vesuvius-for-sale

DavecUK

JahLaza what about this one for sale here? I can’t understand how they devalue so much

Because it’s an old design, people don’t think they can be any good nowadays and don’t realise just how good they really are!!

delta76

JahLaza unfortunately I am not in the UK. also people were able to purchase new for ~GBP 2000 directly from ACS so 1500 for a 5 years machine sounds about right.

Just look it up, and most of listing on coffeeforums uk were in range of 1200-1500.

As I understand Bella Barista no longer carries the brand, or at least, the machine. some people might be put off for that

DavecUK

delta76 As I understand Bella Barista no longer carries the brand, or at least, the machine. some people might be put off for that

They never really carried it…they had 3 dealer demo machines, which were not as they should be and production machines were changed after that. The machine has had significant evolution since then and is now mature. Key reliability areas have been addressed. It’s the same with the Minima, it’s a VERY different machine now from when it was launched.

delta76

DavecUK oh I see. Saw a few posts on Coffeeforums mentioned it was purchased from BB, So I thought they carried it. So no official dealer in the UK, just directly shipping from Italy?

DavecUK

delta76 That is correct, direct only in UK.