PID, Dual Boiler, Plumb Kit, all in one nice package. You won't go wrong with this investment,
Positive Product Points
PID maintains extreme stable temperatures. Double boiler with massive steaming capacity. Heavy, solidly made. Beautiful. Dual water source: tank or direct plumb - all connections (in and out) included at no extra cost.
Negative Product Points
Nothing. Its a little heavy, but that's it.
Detailed Commentary
After 2 years of owning my Silvia, I new I would be upgrading. 10 years later, I was ready. I've had the Silvia for all these years. She's been very good and consistent, but I was ready to say good bye to temperature surfing and waiting for the boiler to be ready to steam milk.
My focus for the last 5 years has been to study the development of double boilers. If I was going to upgrade, I was going all the way! The past 2 years, I've been following how PID's where being integrated into expresso machines. I've been following the development of the Duetto for almost 2 years now.
The day I was ready to purchase my Duetto at Chris Coffee, there was a huge sign in red font on the page of the Duetto that said: "OUT OF STOCK. next shipments would not be available for awhile". PANIC! I was only going to buy this machine from Chris coffee, so I called and asked when the Duetto would be available. They said that they had a demo, so I snatched it right away.
This machine is amazing. I have the brew temperature set on the PID at 200F. I've measured the stream of water leaving the brew head countless times. Out of every 10 readings, I might have one that is .5 degrees off. It is incredibly consistent. Coming from the Silvia, this is an breeze.
The steaming power of the Duetto is extremely strong. I can start pulling an espresso and steam milke at the same time. From start to finish, i can pour a latte in a minute. Both perform perfectly.
I strongly recommend that you plumb the Duetto. Both boilers suck up a lot of water from the tank. I was filling the tank frequently. Moving the Duetto to clear the cabinets was a real pain. The Duetto weighs about 80 pounds. I had no intention of plumbing the Duetto because the Duetto sits on a granite counter top and the back splash is also granite. So, after a lot of soft talking and a big gift for my wife, she "let me" drill the granite with a whole that's 1-1/2 ". Now thinking about water is a thing from the past.
I can only say the wait was worth it. This is a greatly designed machine that will perform superbly for many years. I have no further need to upgrade.
Buying Experience
Mary from Chris Coffee was great. She sold me a demo that looked like I was pulling it out of the box for the 1st time. They have also walked me thru the Filtration instalation process. They are awesome.
