I’ve had the Solis SL90 2 ½ years and am very pleased with this purchase. This is an automatic that can also be used as a manual. (I don’t know if that’s standard on other automatics.) I’m not a purist, so I’m quite content to place my cup under the spouts, press the double shot button & go do something else during the time the shot is pulled. The housing on this machine is plastic, so if you dislike paying this kind of $$ for plastic, this is not the machine for you. I had already owned two steam toys & was upgrading from a Krups Espresso Vivo. Once I narrowed the choice down to a Silvia or the SL-90, the reasons I selected this machine are that Mark (Coffeekid) Prince said this machine steamed like an engine (I do lots of lattes, ‘chinos, mochas), the footprint (the Silvia is deeper, the SL-90 wider & the SL-90 was better suited to the space I had available) and I liked the fact I could get it in white. (Yes, I know 99% of you are rolling your eyes – it’s a ‘girl thing.’) Other reasons I liked this machine is that it has a large reservoir and I liked the idea of the cup warmer, although in practice, I rarely use it.
Don’t buy this machine for the built in tamper. Nice idea, but it just doesn’t work.
Since I’m a high end coffee consumer (I normally drink at least 48 ounces of coffee each day – I know, not good), drip is what I drink most often, simply due to the ‘return of investment’ & ease of cleanup. I consider espresso beverages as treats/rewards. Therefore, I use this machine only an average of 3-4 times per week.
Although I purchased the machine, the support was from Kyle Anderson at Baratza. There have only been three things I needed support for. The first time I used the machine, I turned the steamer too far “off”. The next day, it wouldn’t work. The second time, I wanted to boost the brew temp on the machine. Third, when I replaced my old dishwasher, the new one melted the drip tray (old dishwasher did not) and I needed a replacement. All three times, the support was fast & very pleasant.
I really like this machine and would buy it again. |
