As a GCP owner who rarely steams milk, I'd prefer the Silva if it were the same price, or even just slightly higher. With that said it's a significant price jump from $450 to $775 (current new prices for each).
This is a pretty decent rant (lol). But, having owned both machines, the GCP is almost half the price as the silvia. The GCP does have a learning curve but for how much you pay it's incredible what you can get out of it. As far as the steaming goes, if you flip the steam button on the GCP and wait 5-10 seconds and then start steaming (don't wait for the steam light), you get a very strong steam length that will easily stretch and incorporate a 200ml dose of milk (without losing power). Also, you can immediately refill the GCP boiler by having the steam valve open and hitting the brew switch. This dumps all the steam and refills the boiler with water. It only takes a couple of seconds and you're back to shot temps in very little time. You can also raise the boiler temp for a shot by flipping on the steam switch for a couple seconds and then turning it off again before hitting the brew switch.
Yeah I also use similar tactics and don't have any problems with the GCP unless I'm pouring several drinks a row. But if that's a regular thing then you probably need a dual boiler machine. I don't have the issues that OP is having and from my understanding the Silvia is significantly slower than the GCP because of the bigger boiler. Pros and cons to both. The real winner here is that a good condition Silvia was found for 30 USD. That's not normal.
This may not be a popular opinion but I like my Gaggia classic (not pro) a bit more..I think its easier and quicker to temp surf and the steam power it actually perfect for me..The Silvia takes more steps to temp surf and the steam power is crazy but that isnt a good thing imo because it doesnt allow for proper stretching and incorporation before your milk is already up to temp or even too hot..The Silvia is made a bit better but thats about it..Its even harder to adjust the opv on the Silvia..I bought into the hype about how much better the Silvia is and I learned I was just fine with my Classic
Not to mention the design and the overall looks. Gaggia is just timeless, incredibly stylish machine that would suit to any interior. I appreciate rancilio charactetistics, but Gaggia is just head and should above silvia in terms of design, in my opinion.
Fun fact, Gaggia's portafilter design was adapted for the original lever group from way back in the 1940's. A brand new portafilter from the Gaggia Classic or related Gaggia machine is compatible with this group!
You're absolutely on-point about the GCP. I also have the 2019 model and it is a frustrating machine. Had to make too many modifications. Now I have the Ascaso Steel Duo PID (black) and well worth its value with dual thermoblock.
@@simweimin3422 check Blezza Belona instead, with real double boilers at very good price point, has a lot of features, very fast, it's ready for espresso after 4 min, ready for steaming milk after another 2 min from the turning on point! It has an external water tank that's easy to fill up, eady to be replaced with whatever larger capacity one, away from the internal parts heating.
The problem with this video is you're comparing your Gaggia Classic Pro to a $800 machine and acting as though it's only $30 because that's what you spent.
@@BrianQuan no. A used Silvia is STILL more expensive than a brand new GCP. Honestly, the review between the 2 machines are great because the Gaggia is a budget machine for those who cant afford the Silvia, or a way for those with the money to decide if they want to splurge for a Silvia or save money with a GCP and used the savings for accessories and upgrades. That's where your focus should have stayed. Trying to compare your price used to a brand new machine, as well as trying to compare used/new in general is what's giving your review insane amounts of bias.
Where are you living that a used V3 Silvia costs more than a GCP? I've seen a ton of them go for less than $400 recently. The point of this video was to make a suggestion showing that you should consider a used Silvia over a new GCP. I had no intention of being unbiased here since I just wanted to show off my frustrations with the GCP and that an older machine that I've found to be cheaper outperformed it! Hope that helps.
@@BrianQuan in the US. Maybe its different where you are. But in general, a used V3 is still over $600 USD. You got a great deal and the Silvia is obviously a better machine, but it would be better to compare features instead of interjecting value when that value will not be there for nearly all of those who view this.
I searched for roasting the Gaggia and this is the only one I found. Good work. There are so many obvious frustrating issues, I can't believe it's so bad. I thought I would just do upgrades over time, however I can't upgrade the wand gimbal or valve and knob, and the user experience is super frustrating.
Perhaps I should have bought a Silvia. But I was cheap because of the difference and got a GC (not pro- before pro came out), but then added a PID. The PID was sold by a guy for about $125 and had self installation instructions. Not difficult. I know if I had to be a new machine of any brand I would spend the extra money and have a PID. Temp surfing is hit or miss and you don't know where it is to duplicate for consistency. To be honest, before that I had a refurb Saeco Sirena and got better consistent results, even with a cheap grinder. I splurged on the original Barraza 270 for the design and footprint. It's very cool.
Gaggia owner here for about 3 years. I've considered upgrading for some time now but I don't make enough coffee to justify it. I used to make four drinks a day. But I'm down to maybe 1-2 now. And they're not even for myself.
I got a dented open box "new" V6 a 1/2 year ago. The reason I picked over the Gaggia is it has a much bigger boiler and I like milk drinks. Very excellent. Paired with a SetteIW grinder. With that said, took me months to really hone my skills to make a consistent, excellent shot. Also, adding a PID was critical. Also, adjusting OPV (pressure) valve down to 9 bar. If only making 1-2 drinks at a time, this machine can produce just as good as one 3-6 times the price (once your skills are refined and your equipment is dialed in - need quality grinder).
It controls how much power is going into the pump so you can control how much water can flow into the group head, it does some sort of water flow control, which is an excellent option to play with to get different tastes
Watch CoffeeKevs video though to see in-depth limitations of this device. You're switch from steam to espresso looks like you'll be burning out the element very soon.
No joke... Literally the only 100% honest and accurate review on RU-vid about the Gaggia classic pro! Everyone is "paid off" I experiences every single annoying thing you did on the Gaggia. It is trash! I'm glad for you that you scored an awesome deal on your rancilillo (sure I spelt that wrong)
"Shots are a bit harsh". Were you using a decent grinder with both...coming to that conclusion? Same grinder with both? I have a matt black QM Pippa back-ordered 6-8wks (very similar to the RS), but was leaning hard towards the GCP before discovering that the Pippa was a thing. Cheers!
So you’ve discovered that a cheap machine doesn’t perform as well as a machine that is more expensive with a bigger boiler. Bit disingenuous. Kinda like bitching about Toyota because you picked up a second hand Tesla for $50.
