Excellent reliability Minimal troublesome electronic boards Doser for those that visit and want decaf
Negative Product Points
Silver painted plastic not as attractive as my old Saeco dark finish
Detailed Commentary
I have owned an super-automatic for over ten years. My Saeco unit, the Vienna was fantastic and I had it repaired after eight years and it is now in my office. From that ownership I learned that the cons were time for heating up and the time between coffee and frothing (again due to different temps and heat-up time) along with having to shut the machine off to reset the temperature - any drink with frothed milk took a while to make. Also when people came over there was always someone that wanted decaf. Unless I drip brewed them a pot, that was not an option with the Saeco Vienna. When it started acting up after eight years I went shopping. The machine repair guy warned me about models relying heavily on electronic board and that they were unreliable. He told me that he had replaced several boards in newer models.
The Gaggia Syncrony Logic (be careful there are several syncrony models) was identical to the Vienna in mechanics BUT it adds the doser, a way to add ground coffee of a different type to the machine without emptying out the beans, etc. GREAT! Now that provided a way to meet the need for decaf or even a flavored coffee request! Also, the Sycrony Logic has a second boiler so that heating is much faster and the frothing is a separate function. --YES! Now the process is almost seamless. Make the coffees, froth the milk and serve and start the process over without an interruption of time. Perfect.
You can spend more for a super-automatic but there are few features that really matter beyond what this machine offers. Besides, this is quite a capable package in its own right. It does not have a cup warmer but it does have variable grind (non-ceramic). The ONLY function I consider an important one that this machine does not have is the ability to dose the ground coffee; however, I was not willing to pay $300 more to get that along with the concern of the short-lived electronic boards found in the more expensive models. It would seem that in the world of coffeemakers, the electronics are less helpful to the consumer and more of a cost factor in the long run. I cannot say enough about this machine as it makes a good choice for just about any need. From what I understand, this is also a joint company product between Saeco and Gaggia.
Buying Experience
No problems. They even gave me some delicious coffee LaVazza crema
