The buttons are not upside down, my brain is upside down at 4am.
Positive Product Points
Shiny - Works - Impresses the Hell out of my Friends - Makes me feel good to be an American - Only broke Once
Negative Product Points
Cheap Portafilter Handle - Rubber Feet Coming Off - Water Drips Out of Steam Wand during Warm Up - No Water Level Warning - Doesn't kiss me on the cheek and hand me a warm Cinnamon Roll when I'm finished pouring a shot
Detailed Commentary
In my last review (pre-registration, so no follow up allowed) I pretty much tore into Silvia and suggested that buyers would be better off getting a more expensive machine. OK, so I had a rather large glass of wine just prior to the review and may have gotten a little carried away. I'm sorry, alright? Now get this, the NEXT morning, after posting my negative review, I woke up to a broken Silivia. I can only assume that I wounded her fragile spirit. Her thermostat was broken, and I felt terrible. Thankfully, the machine was still under warranty (and I had been leaving it on almost all day). The parts were free, and the fix was easy. But I will NEVER talk bad about Silvia again. I will never talk bad about Silivia again. I will never talk bad about Silvia again. I will ne..... you get the picture.
I have never regretted owning my Rancilio machine. Even when I broke it, I had it coming. I'm just glad she gave me a second chance.
Two pieces of advice: get a Reg Barber (or equivalent) tamper, and don't scrimp on the grinder.
To solve the long warm-up problem I hooked Silvia up to a timer that goes off a half hour before I get up in the morning and turns off just after I go to work.
Buying Experience
What can I say? I bought it. It arrived. It worked.
