shadowsnuzzy Senior Member Joined: 8 Jan 2011 Posts: 67 Location: Pleasanton Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sun Jan 13, 2013, 1:33pm Subject: Upgrade Rocky or Silvia?
I have a basic Rocky Silvia set up and I'm looking to upgrade. I know the grinder is considered more important, but given that I have a decent grinder already, is it better to upgrade my machine to something that has better temperature stability and maybe an e61?
If not, what grinders should I look into? My price cap is around 700-800, I'm fine with buying stuff used. I also am looking for a doser-less grinder that doesn't have a huge hopper, we just remodeled our kitchen so ideally I want a sleeker grinder. My rocky fits in pretty well aesthetically.
The Mahlkonig Pro M looks amazing, but it's too expensive :/
If I upgrade the grinder first, I will eventually upgrade my silvia but probably at least 1-2 years down the line.
shadowsnuzzy Senior Member Joined: 8 Jan 2011 Posts: 67 Location: Pleasanton Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sun Jan 13, 2013, 3:20pm Subject: Re: Upgrade Rocky or Silvia?
Alright, as of now I'm using temperature surfing to brew... I guess the shots come out well, sometimes...
So what grinders do you recommend? The vario looks good but since I already have a rocky I think it's not that much of an improvement, got any in mind?
takeshi Senior Member Joined: 12 Oct 2002 Posts: 731 Location: Houston Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Silvia Grinder: Super Jolly Roaster: Amaya Roasting
Posted Mon Jan 14, 2013, 1:39pm Subject: Re: Upgrade Rocky or Silvia?
shadowsnuzzy Said:
I have a basic Rocky Silvia set up and I'm looking to upgrade. I know the grinder is considered more important, but given that I have a decent grinder already, is it better to upgrade my machine to something that has better temperature stability and maybe an e61?
"Grinder is more important" means grinder is more important. Definitely upgrade the grinder first. The Rocky was decent a decade ago but not today (see any recent thread on the Rocky). Not sure why but you seem to be overestimating the Rocky's capabilities.
shadowsnuzzy Said:
The vario looks good but since I already have a rocky I think it's not that much of an improvement, got any in mind?
As stated above there's no comparing the two. The Vario's frequently compared to the Super Jolly which is significantly better than the Rocky. Upgrading from the Rocky to the Super Jolly was a major improvement for me.
The Vario's frequently compared to the Super Jolly which is significantly better than the Rocky. Upgrading from the Rocky to the Super Jolly was a major improvement for me.
shadowsnuzzy Senior Member Joined: 8 Jan 2011 Posts: 67 Location: Pleasanton Expertise: Just starting
Posted Mon Jan 14, 2013, 6:08pm Subject: Re: Upgrade Rocky or Silvia?
The Compak k6 and Quamar don't seem well known, I've never heard of those models before. Also I couldn't find a doserless compak, and not many sites sell them. Plus it's on the very upper edge of my price range, I'm hesitant on dishing out 800 for something I haven't heard much about.
I want to like the vario, it's the perfect size, looks nice, grinds for french press and espresso easily, and has amazing programability but I've read a couple threads with people claiming it's a decent difference from the rocky but not worth it as an upgrade FROM the Rocky. Everyone agrees that given the choice between rocky and vario, vario wins.
diggi Senior Member Joined: 28 Nov 2011 Posts: 382 Location: Halifax, NS Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Spaz vivaldi S1 V2 Grinder: B Vario, OE LIDO Drip: Chemex, Espro Press,... Roaster: Poppery I
Posted Mon Jan 14, 2013, 6:14pm Subject: Re: Upgrade Rocky or Silvia?
Not much in that price range over what was already stated. The hg-one, but looks like you'll have to wait for the second round of builds, as all sold out at the moment. The Pharos is another good option.
As stated above there's no comparing the two. The Vario's frequently compared to the Super Jolly which is significantly better than the Rocky. Upgrading from the Rocky to the Super Jolly was a major improvement for me.
Translation: a) Rocky ---> Super Jolly = "major improvement" b) "Vario frequently compared to Super Jolly" c) Ergo, Rocky ---> Vario = "major improvement"
Short answer, yes the Vario will be a great choice for you. I would say far superior to the Rocky. I had the Rocky and now a Mini and the Vario and the Vario is what I use all the time now.
I bought a Vario, then a (gently) used Rocky fell into my lap (long story). I cannot fathom anyone buying a Rocky over a Vario these days. There was a time when I'm sure the Rocky was at the cutting edge of the price/performance curve, but at the current price it's hopelessly outmatched by the Vario . . .
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.
= No New Posts since last visit 