SummitView Senior Member Joined: 17 May 2012 Posts: 10 Location: NY Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Fri May 18, 2012, 6:22am Subject: Re: The Crossland CC1 Machine - CG Road Trip!! (Looking for a few good geeks)
reliability, performance, any comparative color vs. other machines that users are familiar with. ease of use, ease of programming, any other observations--you never know what might be of help, but feedback from someone who has a CC1 in hand, and has some prior experience with other machines, is always useful. i live on the east coast, so shipping it back to Seattle for repairs or service would be a MAJOR bummer and certainly a nonstarter as a new buyer.
yiplong Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2012 Posts: 79 Location: EU Expertise: Just starting
Posted Fri May 18, 2012, 7:08am Subject: Re: The Crossland CC1 Machine - CG Road Trip!! (Looking for a few good geeks)
SummitView Said:
reliability, performance, any comparative color vs. other machines that users are familiar with. ease of use, ease of programming, any other observations--you never know what might be of help, but feedback from someone who has a CC1 in hand, and has some prior experience with other machines, is always useful. i live on the east coast, so shipping it back to Seattle for repairs or service would be a MAJOR bummer and certainly a nonstarter as a new buyer.
You won't find anything on reliability as the machine is so new. Judging by the serial number on my machine, less than 1000 units have been produced thus far. The vast majority should still be in perfect working order. Wait 2-5 years and you should know. If you are so uneasy over dropping $600 or so on a unproven machine (not an reasonable concern, despite BillC's alleged good reputation on this forum) I would suggest that you go with another machine with with longer history and repair center nearby for the peace of mind. I had to ship mine back to SCG (from NYC) , the trip back and forth took about almost 4 weeks. I purchased the machine 3 months ago, majority of time it's on a UPS truck going some place. That's definitely a major bummer and a nonstarter as you said.
Other than that, it's just an espresso machine, it makes good espresso. There is not much to it. It has little glitches here and there like everything in life. It ain't gonna be perfect, but assuming no further major repairs it is worth the money IMO. Again, if you are not sure about buying a machine without hands on experience, I would suggest buying from a place where you can visit and check out their demo machines.
SummitView Senior Member Joined: 17 May 2012 Posts: 10 Location: NY Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Wed May 23, 2012, 11:55am Subject: Re: The Crossland CC1 Machine - CG Road Trip!! (Looking for a few good geeks)
yip, thanks, i appreciate your thoughts. i've gotten by with a Saeco Aroma (depressurized portafilter) for many years and once you get the knack of proper grind & tamping it does a pretty decent job for what was a sub-$100 machine at the time. i already see an 'open box' CC1 available, so i'm just wondering how the build quality is on them. i look forward to hearing more from the roadshow users and am happy to sit tight for awhile before pulling the trigger. gotta say my saeco has really taken a beating and just holds up like a champ.
SummitView Senior Member Joined: 17 May 2012 Posts: 10 Location: NY Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Wed May 23, 2012, 1:07pm Subject: Re: The Crossland CC1 Machine - CG Road Trip!! (Looking for a few good geeks)
funny you mention that... i was looking very very hard at that package, but found a nearly new Virtuoso on ebay for $100. after talking with baratza and doing some minor tweeks, i think it will be more than adequate for expresso. i could also upgrade the burr to preciso although baratza did not think that would be necessary.
Oh, they agreed to give you a replacement? My thermoblock failed within the 30 day return window and they only agreed to fix it. Maybe I should have pushed them a little bit harder. But in any case, my machine is working fine now, I just wish there be no further headaches. I will probably use the machine for the next several months and see how it holds up before lodging a review on their website.
Posted Wed May 23, 2012, 4:49pm Subject: Re: The Crossland CC1 Machine - CG Road Trip!! (Looking for a few good geeks)
I've had my CC1 for three weeks and other than having to turn the power off then back on once due to an error code, it's been working extremely well. I bought it from SCG with a Preciso and am very happy with my set up. I drink mostly straight espresso, some Americanos and occasional capucino. So the steaming is more than adequate for me and I'm glad I didn't spend more.
yiplong Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2012 Posts: 79 Location: EU Expertise: Just starting
Posted Thu May 24, 2012, 7:38am Subject: Re: The Crossland CC1 Machine - CG Road Trip!! (Looking for a few good geeks)
SummitView Said:
yip, thanks, i appreciate your thoughts. i've gotten by with a Saeco Aroma (depressurized portafilter) for many years and once you get the knack of proper grind & tamping it does a pretty decent job for what was a sub-$100 machine at the time. i already see an 'open box' CC1 available, so i'm just wondering how the build quality is on them. i look forward to hearing more from the roadshow users and am happy to sit tight for awhile before pulling the trigger. gotta say my saeco has really taken a beating and just holds up like a champ.
I think the CC1 brings much needed innovation to the home espresso market. The factory install PID is very useful, so are the programmable modes, including preinfusion. Having 3 modes is very nice. For example, I often set a low temp on one of the modes and leave the machine on that to save energy. The Silvia is similarly priced, but it has none of these features. By comparison, the Silvia felt practically ancient. (I don't have a Silvia; experience is from using a friend's machine at his home) Thermoblock assisted steam is also a nice feature. Switching between the two often takes less than ~20 sec. Frothing ~10oz milk takes about 1 min. If you are happy with the Aroma and don't feel the burning desire to upgrade now, I would suggest that you sit on the idea for a while and see how the CC1 turn out. If money is not very tight, I think you can also consider QM Silvano or entry level HX like La Nuova Cuadra. Just my 2c and hope that helps.
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