Rancilio Silvia V2

Satisfied owner – As an owner of rancilio silvia coffee machine for over 20 years, matched with rocky grinder, I found them both reliable and consistent. Show details

Best, robust and great coffee! – Very happy with this machine as it came but have upgraded it over the years, including adding a pid controller. It is a genuine Italian boiler based coffee machine and with the right grind makes as good a coffee as you will get. Now over 10yo still going strong. Easy availability of spare parts. Love it. Show details

Very reliable coffee machine – Very happy with this coffee machine, have had it for around 7 years and I make 2 to 3 cups a day. Easy to clean and never seems to have any problems. Would buy another if this one was to die ever. Simple controls and quick to heat up, and looks good.  Show details

Best of the basics – Under $1k this is the standout machine. We've had ours for 6-7yrs (I think) without a problem. It built like a brick and serviceable - probably still the only sub $1k machine that uses a brass boiler, which is more durable and delivers more consistent heat and pressure. But getting good coffee requires 3 things - 1. You need to learn how to… Read more

"drive" a manual machine. Once you do, you will be richly rewarded. 2. You need a good grinder if you want consistently good coffee (specialty coffees vary in hardness an therefore optimal grind). 3. Good coffee (ie the ones you won't find in a supermarket - find a good good microroaster.

Rust bucket! – The machine works OK, apart from having a short window of time (3-4 minutes) to get a good rich stream of espresso before it starts producing a foaming, bubbling stream of pale watery coffee. I've replaced the brew head gasket without any perceptible change. The main downside is RUST. Mine showed serious rust in the subframe and up the black… Read more

side panels within 12 months from new. It looked as if the paint had been applied direct to the raw metal without any metal primer coat The retailer, Jetblack Espresso in Sydney, said that was normal and I could buy a new chassis for $200! Had I not been distracted with health problems at the time I would have pursued the matter through NSW Consumer Affairs, as "not fit for purpose". I postponed the inevitable with a POR15 kit of rustproofing paint. Why Rancilio couldn't get a stainless steel chassis/frame made in China or India for minimal cost I'll never know.

Overall, I would not buy again. I'd investigate the Lelit with stainless steel componentry for a comparable price.

Great Entry Level Machine – I used my Rancilio for many years. With effort one can build the skills to extract a fine brew. A major plus is that every part is replaceable and so if anything goes wrong you can get it fixed or fix it yourself if you feel so inclined. I replaced several parts and the machine keeps on giving. It is a vastly better machine than most of the… Read more

electronic, sub $1000 machines.

It has a few limitations. You cannot draw an espresso and texture milk at the same time. It is not suited to pumping out 3 or 4 or more coffees. One is fine. Two are ok - you have to wait to let the boiler reheat for each step. If you need to make more than that regularly get a bigger prosumer machine. But if you want one or two coffees every morning and a few more on the weekends, this is a great option.

And get a good grinder.

Once a fantastic Machine punching above its weight, but new ones iffy. They have trashed the name – My version from what I'm hearing was the last one of quality. It needs some attention now (perhaps a new element, but hopefully just electrics, will know soon) Turns out Rancilio have cheapened all components to the point where its not really serviceable any more. The replacement element according to the repairer only last a year or so, and they… Read more

aren't cheap to replace. This downgrading began with my model cosmetically (started using plated plastic instead of the old real metal etc) and apparently continued into the innards now with really cheap parts being used. Why they didn't go with a higher price and keep the quality I don't know but wouldn't now buy another.

I love my Rancilio – You have to 'tune' the 2 together (as you do with all grinder / espresso combos) but, after that, I haven't needed to re-adjust since. Water temp and pressure are easily within tolerance ( for my needs at least ). Very reliable because theres no stupid automation to go wrong. Perfect coffee every time (once they're tuned) Small drip tray

Excellent – Excellent buy - if you appreciate quality then this is the machine for you. It may be a little more expensive than some of the other brands out there but it's money well spent, this little machine is built like a tank. You may need a little practice to get your coffee just right, especially the milk frothing, but if you're really keen (& live in… Read more

melbourne) check out the barista course Grinders Coffee has to offer, although if you want the best price try Mocopan & they'll also be happy to show you the correct way of using the machine on one of there display models. If you love the freshest of coffee's buy the Rocky Grinder & Silvia together. Don't bother buying a grinder with a hopper as there's always left over coffee just sitting in it, & coffee does go stale - best to buy the doserless grinder & have fresh ground coffee every time. If you are not completely convinced that you've found a great coffee machine after you've gone through these reviews, do a little research online like I did, & I'm sure you'll change your mind. Makes great coffee, love the clean lines in the design makes for easier cleaning, built like a truck!

Excellent – turdy construction. I have had my machine for two years and recomend that you get a good grinder. You really need both good machine and grinder. Excellent machine, makes excellent coffee all the time. Drip tray is small and hard to clean

Excellent – This machine takes a specific sequence of operations to make a shot. Once mastered, it will make the best tasting coffee you'll get anywhere. If making espresso was easy, we wouldn't have barista's. If you want push button coffee, get a fully automatic model but this will make better coffee. This machine is just fantastic, it is solid and… Read more

reliable. With the right blend and the right technique, this machine makes excellent coffee. If you like strong coffee, this machine just lets you cram it in. Only having one boiler there is a strict sequence required in heating the machine, purging the boiler, frothing the milk, purging the boiler and puling the shot.

Excellent – I use with the Rancilio Rocky grinder which also does a great job. A very good machine, if mine blew up tomorrow I would buy the same again. Cheap for a machine of this quality. Stainless steal does not rust even after 4 years of fairly constant use. With a bit of practice expresso coffee is easy to produce very well every time. Takes time to warm… Read more

up to make a really good coffee. Best left on with full boiler for 1 hour. Being fully manual takes practice to make a good coffee with milk since it is the steaming of the milk that is difficult to get perfect every time.

Excellent – I wanted a good coffee machine and did my research thoroughly before deciding to buy this one about 15 months ago. I primarily listened to Alan Frew of www.coffeeco.com.au who strongly recommended this machine over others of a similar price range. It is tricky to get the technique right, and I would highly recommend attending a barista course to… Read more ·  1

get the best out of it, but once you are making good coffees, it can't compare to any of the cheap home use machines.

Apparently fully automatic coffee machines, while costing at least twice as much generally, fail to get the coffees to come out anywhere near as full flavoured or hot as what you can get from the Silvia. I decided it wasn't worth spending a lot of money on something which would give me unsatisfactory coffee and still leave me wanting to go down the street and get a good one!

We did also get a good quality burr grinder, which is a must to ensure that you have the best possible ingredients for a good coffee. I would say I make an excellent coffee about 97% of the time, with still a few failures, but that is down to my technique which is still improving. It is definitely not the fault of the machine which is one of the best purchases I have ever made for the home! I love having people over and showing off my skills! With practice, it makes a wonderful coffee. It's sleek and stylish looking and not that expensive compared to a fully automatic machine that won't even do a good job in comparison! The plating around the chamber encasing the group is crumbling off, exposing the plastic underneath. Makes no difference to the machinery, but a bit cheap and nasty looking.

Excellent – Impressive bit of kit, but you'll have to buy a matching grinder to make it work. Takes some time to master but the results are worth it Such a solid machine with all commercial fitting - feels unbreakable. The price is reasonable given the expected life of the machine. All brass fittings should last for years. Makes a coffee that would compete… Read more

with many coffee outlets Takes time to get right, the proper grinder is a must! Even after 6 months I still struggle to steam the milk consistently.

Excellent – Excellent buy - far superior coffee to other brands, but you'll need some expert guidance in the beginning to consistently get the best result. Makes great coffee; like clean design lines; easy to keep clean; make sure you buy the grinder too; time taken to heat machine up to get a great coffee; managing milk frothing so you can make more great coffee afterwards

Excellent – This performs way way above its price. Makes the best coffee around and can make a dinner party full of cappucinos with a superb steam delivery system. This is all the coffee maker you will ever need. We replaced a Gaggia Classic with the Silvia and there is simply no comparison. All good news...great coffee