1.  With a good grinder and beans and a modest understanding of the espresso process. this machine produces extraordinary espresso very consistently and with a minimum of fuss. It's rare that I  find a coffee shop that produces an espresso as good as I can make with the Spaz.   It also does excellent steaming, but I'm an espresso rather than a latte guy.  
   
   
2.  Spaz owners have their own on-line forum  at http://s1cafe.com/.   They're a helpful and passionate bunch.
   
   
3.  A collateral positive was that the Reg Barber tamper that I got for my SL-70 is perfect for the Spaz because the portafilters have the same diameter (though the quality of everything in the Spaz is miles better).

1.  The "Mini Vivaldi II"  is the Vivaldi II with an internal tank rather than direct plumbiing.  The tank is pretty easy to access from the front of the machine (remove the cup rack, and slide the tank straight out), but there's no visible water indicator, so you have to guess when it needs to be refilled.  If water gets too low, the machine won't start, so there's no danger to the machine.  Direct plumbing would be more convenient if you can do it, but the tank makes it easy to control the quality of the water you use.
   
   
2.  My wife was hoping for one of those all-stainless works of art, and she's disappointed in the esthetics, though personally I think it has a serious, ready-to-take-on-anything look about it.  
   
   
3.  Maybe for some a negative point is that making great espresso is almost too easy -- some of the skills you need to coax an HX machine to produce great coffee aren't needed here.

My Solis SL-70 was becoming erratic after serving me well for four  years, and I was ready to graduate to something closer to the high end of the espresso experience.  After a lot of time looking at lots of machines and reviews, I settled on the Spaziale, and, after nine months,  I'm still  very happy with the choice.  

When I first got the machine on a cold day in January, the only coffee at hand was a can of vacuum-packed Illy espresso beans that had been hanging around in a cabinet for a couple of years. For the few days I worked with those beans, I never got very good or consistent results.  But then my shipment of Black Cat arrived from Intelligentsia.  With fresh, familiar, high-quality beans I was quickly turning out  the best espressos I've ever produced -- almost all crema in the pour.   I got pretty good results with my old SL-70, but nothing as good or consistent as I get with the Spaziale.   Along with the Spaz, I bought my first bottomless portafilter to help ensure that grind and tamp were where they're supposed to be, and found I was able to get a lovely, channel-free pour.   On the rare occasions when I get it wrong, the bottomless portafilter can send coffee well away from the cup.  But I find that a light "nutating"  motion followed by a firm tamp and polish produces very consistent results.  

It's a two-boiler machine, and I usually keep the steam boiler turned off (because I rarely use it) but the espresso on, so whenever I want a shot,  the machine is always ready.  The cups stay warm on the roomy cup warmer.

I love the machine, and writing this review convinced me it's time for another double.

I bought from Chris Coffee, where I had previously bought my Cimbali grinder.  Call and ask for Chris -- he was very helpful in sorting through benefits and disadvantages of different machine possibilities, and he was willing to help a little on the price.    The machine arrived promptly and everything was in good shape.   The machine took only a few minutes to set up and worked out of the box.