PietroR Senior Member Joined: 4 Jan 2005 Posts: 132 Location: Tucson Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Fiorenzato Briccoletta... Grinder: Mazzer Mini Drip: I think its a Bodum French... Roaster: Drum/BBQ and Coffee...
Posted Fri Jan 7, 2005, 3:06pm Subject: I was adviced that a Silvia and the LaPavoni PGC were not compatible by merchant
I was adviced that a Silvia and the LaPavoni PGC were not compatible by merchant, First Line did not want me to do this. The Nemox LUX in combination with the Silvia was acceptable with them. So I was left scratching my head a bit, and have yet to place an order.
Posted Fri Jan 7, 2005, 3:18pm Subject: Re: I was adviced that a Silvia and the LaPavoni PGC were not compatible by
Look at the reviews for the LaPavoni and search the forum for it -- horrendous reviews.
Do the same for the Nemox -- its been considered adequate and a good midrange grinder often around here. (i think its the same as the isomac and some other grinder, each company just badges it with their name)
Posted Fri Jan 7, 2005, 6:22pm Subject: Re: I was adviced that a Silvia and the LaPavoni PGC were not compatible by
this link to consumer reviews makes the la pavoni seem like a waste of time and money
"Bottom Line: A very bad experience" "Bottom Line: Good, if overpriced for filter grind - For Espresso...get a Rocky." "Bottom Line: Underrated grinder with an excellent delivery system, but not worth full retail. Must be modified for espresso." "Bottom Line: Good choice if you can find one for ~$100US"
I own one of the LaPavoni PGC grinders. I can tell you for a fact it will grind for espresso every bit as good as the LUX (better even). I'd place it squarely between LUX and Innova i2 for espresso, with the advantage of easy adjustment WITH precise tuning.
Other than the plastic hopper and exterior it seems like an excellent grinder to me. It has exactly the same burrset as the LUX grinder and the Innova i2 (possibly the same motor).
Plus it has these advantages over the LUX and Innova i2 (all share the same burr set):
The stepless adjustment is much easier to deal with than the Innova-type stepless (although I did have to reset the range - if that's considered a mod).
It can easily adjust for French Press and back to espresso, plus it can be fine-tuned.
It can grind doserless, or grind into the catch bin.
And it has been on sale recently, so it's the same money as the Lux and Innova i2. IMHO that makes it a viable option. Click Here for the sale
Hi Jim, please don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to antagonize (just inform). Maybe the customer feedback was about the next-level down LaPavoni grinder, the one that's the same as the Gaggia MM (both of those are truly worthless for espresso).
It looks like 1st-Line recommends the Solis Maestro for espresso:
the Solis Maestro Is Your Next Best Bet Below A Rancilio Rocky Grinder!
I would respectfully submit that (properly adjusted) the LaPavoni PGC outperforms the Solis Maestro for espresso and probably last longer as well. What have your customers said about using the Solis grinder for espresso?
I can't speak from personal experience about Solis grinders, but there have been several posts on Coffeegeek indicating that the Solis Maestro doesn't perform well for espresso but the Solis Maestro PLUS is adequate. Both Solis Maestro grinders are said to have limited lifetimes when used for espresso grinding.
Here's a picture if a half-decaf shot from last night (using the LaPavoni PGC grinder)
Posted Sun Jan 9, 2005, 9:23pm Subject: Re: Inexpensive burr grinders in comparison
JonR10 wrote:
I'm not trying to antagonize (just inform). Maybe the customer feedback was about the next-level down LaPavoni grinder, the one that's the same as the Gaggia MM (both of those are truly worthless for espresso).
Jon, I understand you are just trying to inform. The grinder we are speaking about is the PGC. We stopped carrying the lower end one a very long time ago.
JonR10 wrote:
I would respectfully submit that (properly adjusted) the LaPavoni PGC outperforms the Solis Maestro for espresso and probably last longer as well. What have your customers said about using the Solis grinder for espresso?
Yes, one can make the internal adjustment for the the finer grind. However, out of the box, it is not 'always' sufficient whereas the regular Maestro had a much higher success rate out of the box for Miss Silvia. When the adjustment was made by some of those customers who had a Silvia, we found that the PGC would have a higher defect rate, specifically the motor failing. Not a significantly higher defect rate, but enough 'not' to recommend it for the Silvia. However, it does remain as a recommend for other machines. A reason why we keep it in the product lineup, and whereas we dropped the lower, cost cheaper version by Pavoni.
For fair balalnce, the Pavoni PGC does have stepless adjustment and I believe the conical burr set is larger, which does have superior heat dispersion.
Posted Sun Jan 30, 2005, 12:17am Subject: Re: Inexpensive burr grinders in comparison
I've had my LaPavoni PGC since 1997, and it has served me quite well (was originally using it with a Capresso Ultima after the grinder in my Estro Profi croaked). Just replaced the failing Ultima (got tired of dirty-looking blind shots and mold growing in the internal knockbox--just can't get the darn thing clean; and I'm a control freak who missed playing with grind and tamp) with a Rancilio Silvia--but that Pavoni grinder keeps chugging along. I find that if I grind it between 1.5 and 2 depending on weather, I get a firm tamp and good pull with rust-colored crema. Cost me only $80 at Zabar's (an introductory promo price). Apparently it sells for far more these days. I use it for espresso only (I have two cheaper burr grinders I use for regular and decaf drip beans); and only when it dies will I move up to a Mazzer. IMHO, it plays well with others, including Miss Silvia.
Sandy www.sandyandina.com ------------------- Life's too short to drink lousy coffee, play crummy guitars and write with ballpoint pens.
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
![JonR10: NN-1359.JPG](javascript:ImagePopup("/images/13282/NN-1359.JPG", 408, 755, "JonR10: NN-1359.JPG");)
= No New Posts since last visit 