Free Francis Francis X1 vs. Buying a Rancillio Sylvia

[DanM]

My mother-in-law has a Francis Francis X1 sitting on her counter as "counter art" and is only used when I am there... to the annoyance of my father in law. Apparently, art is not supposed to have any intrinsic function. We have been saving up for a Rancillio Sylvia, based on recommendations written here.

Now they are tired of the art piece and want are offering it to us. My experiencce with it has been limited, but it does not seem like the most accurate machine.

The big question... don't argue with free, or will I get what I pay for and am better off buying a good one.

Dan

Edited April 18, 2012 by DanM (log)

[rotuts]

If its really free give it a try. espresso really is a learning experience, from the green beans to the roast to the grind and the tamping.

if you are not familiar with Home-Barista, you might learn a few things there:

http://www.home-barista.com

and

http://www.home-barista.com/forums/search.php?keywords=Francis+Francis+X1&terms=all&author=&t=0&submit=Search&sf=all&sr=posts&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300

good luck!

Edited April 18, 2012 by rotuts (log)

[weinoo]

You could take the FF, use the money you've saved to buy a really good grinder (I don't even know, but does the FF take ground coffee or pods?), start resaving and then when you're sick of the FF and want to move up to the next level, the Silvia will most likely still be there.

[Mjx]

I second weinoo's suggestion (but add, don't ditch the FF when you get tired of it, sell it on eBay or something, add add to the Silvia fund).

[tikidoc]

If you are handy and might be interested in some sort of a trade for a Silvia that needs a new gasket, PM me. I have not had the time to mess with it, and I have not been able to find a place to get it looked at. And I think the Silvia is more than I need.

[DanM]

The Francis Francis uses grounds or pods. I have a Bodum Bistro grinder, which seems to do a pretty good job at grinding beans to a fine powder. I put some old beans through at the finest setting and it was like talc powder.

Tikidoc... thanks for the offer, but with a 2 year old and a 2 month old, I don't have any time to spare for tinkering. I will look into the complexity of changing the gasket and will let you know if I change my mind.

Dan

[rotuts]

5 minutes on that gasket. generally the screen is changed at the same time. need a 'stubby' screw-driver to do it. thats it.

http://www.espressoparts.com/Rancilioran-cheel-ee-o

[tikidoc]

Different gasket, I think. I replaced the easy one, and the thing still leaks all over. It's north of the brew head.

[rotuts]

Ah yes. its a small one. Had to replace it myself some time ago. Not the most fun.

[ajnicholls]

If it's free, take it! What do you have to lose? Agree that starting with a basic machine, getting grind and pull right will pay off dividends when you upgrade. That's what I did with my Gaggia Classic before going onto my Rancillio.