ACS Minima vs Lelit Mara X
Snooze Interested to see what they come up with on the pump noise. I can make a coffee with everyone still asleep and not wake anyone up, so isn’t an issue here, but improvements are always interesting and tempting.
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LMSC 100 per cent, 1zpresso make excellent hand grinders…J-Max is one of my grinders and I love it
I seriously considered the Minima and really like it, but my wife gets to make her own coffees two weeks out of three and the Minimas looks were…. challenging for her…happy wife, peaceful life..lol..so Mara X for her, Elektra Leva for me to mess about with.
Good day everyone. Except the Lelit Bianca, which dual boiler on the market is comparable if not better than the ACS Minima? We compare the Minima to the MaraX because of the similarity in size and price but it would be interested to hear from you what you think is comparable. I’ll start a comparative table to help me in my decision although so far it’s between MaraX, Minima and Bianca. But there must be in between choices to consider.
Thanks!!
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Snooze Good day everyone. Except the Lelit Bianca, which dual boiler on the market is comparable if not better than the ACS Minima?
That’s a very difficult question with no real answer, it depends on what’s better to you. e.g. The Minima is a better steamer than the Lelit Bianca…It’s “probably” a better steamer than most dual boilers on the market. Does that make it better than a Bianca?
e.g. Before my mums Dementia got really bad….I bought her the best phone I could.
Was it this?
or was it this
Obviously it was the second phone…because she wouldn’t have been able to use the first one, which also has a battery life of a day or so, compared to 1 month or more on standby. The first one was far more than she needed
DavecUK haha I like the example! I sometimes miss my first Nokia phone!! :)
So far I’m interested into trying all the different parameters adjustment possible with the Bianca but without ever having done so, it’s hard to really know if I’ll use it once I’ll have find what works best for me. Although I’m quite sure I will. The Minima has the size, cost and steaming advantage. And the possibility to install a flow control if I ever want to so it would be closing the gap with the Bianca a little bit.
While you can’t say what my needs are, which other machine on the market would you consider in that price range if you could not get a Minima nor a Bianca?
Thanks again Dave!
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Snooze While you can’t say what my needs are, which other machine on the market would you consider in that price range if you could not get a Minima nor a Bianca?
Dual Boilers, it’s difficult
In the price range £1300 to £1900, there are not a lot of dual boilers. If ECM make something in that range, they would be good. A used Vesuvius, one day a used Evo….Everything else seems more expensive…
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There is less maintenance with the Minima, as there’s no lever. Was a big plus for me
You’re doing the right thing. Take your time and weight up the pros and cons and make the right choice when you pull the trigger. What’s right for someone else might not be right for you
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I 100% agree with this statement, but also 100% agree with what @DavecUK told you: There isn’t one answer to your question, because it depends on what is important for you. Dave knows more than most of us about machines, but no one knows what is important to you more than you.
When I chose my machine, size was very important. I only looked at machines with the smallest footprint. I also make just one drink most of the time, so Mara X was (and still is) perfect for me (and it was the cheapest, and I have the flow control). But if you want/need a dual boiler - it won’t be good for you. If you want a dual boiler with a small footprint and no cam, Minima might be great. But if you want a quiet/rotary pump, or plumbed in with LLC, then you might want the Bianca. They are all good machines, you won’t go far wrong with any of them, and there are many others you could consider as well.
You might have noticed that people tend to recommend the machine that they have. This is both because of the Choice-Supportive (or Post-Purchase) bias and also because they went through the same process you are going through and made a choice, so they assume you have the same needs/want/priorities, so that choice might be good for you as well. It might, but it doesn’t have to be.
We always want someone with knowledge to make the choice for us, but they can only give you the information and you will need to factor in your preferences.
Doram agreed! But just to clarify my situation: not knowing all the machines on the market (and their interiors), I’m seeking recommendations from folks who know better than me the machines available on the market so I can compare with what I have gathered so far (some forums seem to really push for the Breville Dual Boiler for example. I’m sure it packs lots of features for the price and produce good coffee, but the build and design is not for me. So while it was their recommendation, it didn’t tilt me toward the BDB). So in the end I’m not asking anyone to make a decision for me either. Although hearing what one would choose and why can help gather informations to make an informed decision. I guess my post history shows that I didn’t go with the first recommendation I’ve got since I’ve been comparing the pros and the cons of different machines over the last weeks.
And you’re right about the biaises we have!! Especially during the honey moon phase.
But folks here generally seem to be quite informed and as such appear to have a good judgement. So I definitely take their inputs seriously.
But you’ll likely see me changing my mind many time during the upcoming weeks! But I certainly don’t want to be too dense for anyone with my multiple questions!!
Anyhow, thanks everyone for your inputs. It’s really appreciated.
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Snooze List the top 10 things (in order of importance) that you want from a machine?
P.S. Order of importance is very important.
Long post warning!!
DavecUK, I like that. Although I’m really just looking to know if there are other good options to consider outside Silvia Pro X, MaraX, Elizabeth, Minima and Bianca. Or maybe something coming soon. Those are the main one I found that could respond to my needs but I surely don’t know the whole market (Bezzera, ECM and Profitec seem interesting but all more expansive). All this in case I missed a good option.
I’m still an enthusiasts at the deep low of the Dunning–Kruger Effect curve! Hence the hesitation - although the real show stopper is always money ressources, otherwise I could “afford” making the wrong choice (and buy a Decent for example!). Which I’m trying to avoid.
To answer your question, my list (so far a top 8!) would look like that:
1 - Ability to control and “see” the main espresso brewing parameters with repeatability (with sufficient accuracy to be noticeable in the end result - i.e. I can sometimes get an espresso with my Oscar II that is as good as the with MaraX, except I don’t know what was the state of each parameters).
2- Targeted cost around 1500£-ish - I would prefer something around the cost of the MaraX/Minima but may extend to the Bianca range to get an “end game” machine!
3- High reliability/quality, parts easily available, designed for easy maintenance and information/support available to allow me to service/repair once it will broke/age.
4- Efficiency: Steaming and brewing capability at the same time without affecting the end result (i.e. sufficient thermal stability to avoid a noticeable impact to the end result). My Oscar II allow me to have a cortado made within 3 minutes from scratch to a cleaned area ready to go back to work. But doesn’t respond to criteria #1 very well.
5- Noise level somewhere between a MaraX and a Oscar II. Ideally like the MaraX. So it doesn’t have to be a rotary pump.
6- Well thought user interface allowing good efficiency. For example I like machines with steam lever instead of valves. But that would not be a show stopper.
7- Aesthetic - Most espresso machine are to my taste except if it is a non neutral colour (I would not get a yellow machine) or if they look cheap.
8- Medium sized, but flexible as long as it fits in my kitchen. A lever machine is not really an option though. Maximum height of 40cm to fit under the cupboard (a paddle like the Bianca can stick out at the front as long as roughly half the machine fits under).
That’s about it for now I think. I may have to revisit.
Note that when I say noticeable, I wish I had an objective way to express it into a measurable way but let’s assume “noticeable to someone with great taste sensitivity without being an expert”!!!
P.S. The Minima with a flow control seems to fit the bill so far. With obviously the Bianca but quite expansive. I would rather get a better grinder (Currently have a Mignon Silenzio) if it’s worth it. That’s for another thread! :)
Personally, if sound is not an issuse i would not hesitate to go buy a Vesuvius.
Pressure profile machine 100% repeatable,
I have the bianca, and while the paddle is good, you will never repeat what you did last time as you are the human variable, you can save a shot on the fly though.
Had the £2000 Vesuvius deal been around when i got the bianca, there would be one on my counter.
If you want repeatability then as good as the marax is, its still an hx, theres the Elizabeth and minima next. I too loved the liz features but not the looks,
There are the bezzers machines, which look really nice, on has the electronic group too, vut this means no flow control, which is why i didnt get one in the end, id of kicked myself, but with the led and clear sides it looks cool as.
I think you can obsess over every finite detail. I do the same, but once you get to a certain level theres not much between machine, certainly not enough that you’re going to miss out on flavour, dont forget its the grinder that effects that most, and also the coffee you drink.
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -