agoldberg Senior Member Joined: 28 Mar 2012 Posts: 17 Location: Maryland Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Apr 10, 2012, 7:22am Subject: Worth waiting for the Rocket V2s?
So after what seems like a mountain of reading, I think I've finally settled on the Rocket Cellini Premium Plus as the machine I'm ready to take the plunge on. I'm looking in the $1500-$1800 range, plumbing isn't really an option for me (and my water is way too hard to do that, so I'd rather just meter out some filtered stuff), and I prefer the slimmer style of the Cellini.
I was all ready to make my purchase until I saw the V2 versions announced recently, and I naturally assumed I'd be better off waiting for the new models to make their way to the states. All is good until I see that Chris's Coffee is offering a $200 price drop on the current Cellini PP. So my question goes out to those that would understand these differences better than myself: Is the newer model worth the effective $200 price jump? It was my understanding that the 2nd manometer is really only necessary if you're plumbed in, and the other differences (new boiler insulation and different boiler plating) seem like the sort of changes that people are going to be arguing about whether they actually make a difference. Plus there's the reliability concerns in buying the first run of a new model as opposed to the final run of the older.
slybarman Senior Member Joined: 3 Nov 2011 Posts: 331 Location: usa Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Nuova Era Cuadra Grinder: Baratza Vario
Posted Tue Apr 10, 2012, 8:10am Subject: Re: Worth waiting for the Rocket V2s?
I say, "in for a penny, in for a pound". For $200 difference, you might as well have the latest and greatest. Of course, that is easier for me to say as I am spending your money. :)
Posted Tue Apr 10, 2012, 11:19am Subject: Re: Worth waiting for the Rocket V2s?
I just went through the exact same decision process and ended up going with the current Rocket Cellini Premium Plus (and pocketing the $200 savings). From reviewing posts on here and the HB site, I knew the boiler insulation will likely have zero impact on what's in the cup. And since my machine would typically be on for only a few hours a day, any energy savings with an insulated boiler would be minimal. The only benefit I could see would be the possible positive impact lower temperatures an insulated boiler would have on other internal components, but again since the machine would only be on for a limited amount of time daily, I didn't feel that would be all that significant.
The built-in pressure gauge on the new version the of the Cellini would have been nice, but I plan on building my own portafilter pressure gauge sometime in the future for not much money (and instructions for building your own are readily available here and on HB).
Additionally, I haven't seen any posted prices on the new version for the US market, but with the added gauge and boiler insulation, I suspect the savings going with the current version could easily exceed $200 (pure speculation on my part).
My new Cellini Premium Plus arrived yesterday, and I have been having great fun with it. I love new toys!
ohills Senior Member Joined: 14 Mar 2012 Posts: 14 Location: oceanside,ca Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Rocket Giotto Evoluzione V2 Grinder: Vario
Posted Tue Apr 10, 2012, 2:35pm Subject: Re: Worth waiting for the Rocket V2s?
agoldberg Said:
So after what seems like a mountain of reading, I think I've finally settled on the Rocket Cellini Premium Plus as the machine I'm ready to take the plunge on. I'm looking in the $1500-$1800 range, plumbing isn't really an option for me (and my water is way too hard to do that, so I'd rather just meter out some filtered stuff), and I prefer the slimmer style of the Cellini.
I was all ready to make my purchase until I saw the V2 versions announced recently, and I naturally assumed I'd be better off waiting for the new models to make their way to the states. All is good until I see that Chris's Coffee is offering a $200 price drop on the current Cellini PP. So my question goes out to those that would understand these differences better than myself: Is the newer model worth the effective $200 price jump? It was my understanding that the 2nd manometer is really only necessary if you're plumbed in, and the other differences (new boiler insulation and different boiler plating) seem like the sort of changes that people are going to be arguing about whether they actually make a difference. Plus there's the reliability concerns in buying the first run of a new model as opposed to the final run of the older.
Did you have to call for the price reduction. The web site still shows the old price for the Celleni. I'm in the same boat but I prefer the Giotto better. Chris doesn't sell the premium.
agoldberg Senior Member Joined: 28 Mar 2012 Posts: 17 Location: Maryland Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Apr 10, 2012, 3:47pm Subject: Re: Worth waiting for the Rocket V2s?
ohills Said:
Did you have to call for the price reduction. The web site still shows the old price for the Celleni. I'm in the same boat but I prefer the Giotto better. Chris doesn't sell the premium.
I saw a reduction mentioned on their Facebook page, and emailed them about the specific amount (it was over Easter weekend). I'm guessing they're just purging their old stock in preparation for the V2s arriving.
I'm beginning to lean toward waiting for the V2. I'd rather have a built-in pressure gauge than a home-built remedy, and all signs point to the price remaining the same (it's listed on a few European sites at right around $1700 USD).
It's a fair point, but given how soon the machines were to being released, I figured it was a fair tradeoff. My issue was whether or not the upgrades were worth the difference in price.
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.