# Thoughts on the Profitec 600



## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

I'm looking to upgrade sometime soon & thought this looked like an interesting machine but on another thread someone implied it's very overpriced as it's a vibe pump machine.

I know you can't plumb vibe pumps but are there other issues with them?

And what are peoples thoughts generally on the machine & it's pricing?

Link below, thanks in advance









https://www.bellabarista.co.uk/profitec-600-espresso-machine.html


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

What is it you want from a new machine? May i suggest that a £1700 machine of any description paired with your current grinder, may not be the best use of funds to get to coffee nirvana.


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## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

Mrboots2u said:


> What is it you want from a new machine? May i suggest that a £1700 machine of any description paired with your current grinder, may not be the best use of funds to get to coffee nirvana.


Haha very true! I'm upgrading my grinder first, got a Niche on order which will hopefully be with me in the not too distant future.

Then I'll be looking to upgrade my Classic probably around the end of this year/start of next...

I drink mostly flat whites but have the occasional espresso too, and I'm often making a few at a time for friends & family.

I love my Classic but making 3 or 4 flat whites can become a bit long... I've considered getting a heat exchange machine but thought if I'm going to upgrade I might as well bite the bullet and go dual boiler.

I'm also thinking I'd like an e61 group & a PID (love having one on my Classic) but I won't be plumbing it in.

Thanks man









Edit: got to say I'm loving the look of the Lelit Bianca as well...


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Ok so you want a machine that can steam better and I would suggest have better temp stability than a classic ( which bar a silvia is most machines )

Honestly I do not think in milk drinks you will notice any in the cup difference between a vibe and a rotary. You would looking to choose one or the other based on noise and how long they last.

While there is some validity to buying the best you can rather than a meandering upgrade path , it's worth thinking about what you actually need. A Hx will steam for days and compared to a classic will be easier to use temp wise (it may require cooling flushes depending on the model) .Are you likely to want to mess about with temps or are you just after the best and easiest machine to use (i.e no cooling flushes).

You will get a load of suggestions extolling whatever current machine they have, what is t that lead to you that particular machine ?


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## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

Thanks dude,

Re temperature question, a bit of both really, ease of use primarily but the ability to tinker would be good as well...

Fitting the PID to my Classic has really opened my eyes to the importance of temp stability which in turn has put me off the idea of a machine which needs a cooling flush. I'm sure it's very learnable but after years of temperature faffing, something more straight forward is very appealing! Temp stability is also the reason I've been drawn to the e61 group head.

I'm really just interested in this particular machine as it's pretty much the cheapest dual boiler with pid & e61 that I've come across although I'm more than happy to be proved wrong about that!!

And also re vibe pump, just to say that although I'm mostly having milk drinks at home, I tend to drink espresso when I'm at a good coffeeshop. I'm sure I'd have them straight more often at home if I had the gear to keep them more consistent.

Thanks again


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## cloughy (Apr 11, 2018)

In the same boat as you @Jon_Foster, got a classic and would like a more flexible machine for when I have guests round. I've gone for the Bianca from Bella Barista, I thought it's good value at its intro price for a machine with a rotary and dual stainless steel boilers. Add to the mix it has manual pressure profiling, adjustable pre-infusion, and a moveable water tank and the value gets even better.


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## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

cloughy said:


> In the same boat as you @Jon_Foster, got a classic and would like a more flexible machine for when I have guests round. I've gone for the Bianca from Bella Barista, I thought it's good value at its intro price for a machine with a rotary and dual stainless steel boilers. Add to the mix it has manual pressure profiling, adjustable pre-infusion, and a moveable water tank and the value gets even better.


I'm very much liking the look of the Bianca! Looking forward to hearing how you get on with it!


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## Tanax (Mar 9, 2015)

The Pro 600 is basically an upgraded Pro 300 with an E61 brew group, bigger boilers and an extra pressure gauge. Along with a bigger footprint. And of course looks much nicer (but this is personal).

I would instead look into the Pro 500 PID. It's smaller than the Pro 600, cheaper, an HX instead of DB but otherwise mostly the same features apart from not having an automatic shot timer. Price difference between Pro 500 PID and Pro 600 is IMO not justified just to get an extra boiler and a shot timer.

The extra boiler only really helps with temperature stability but the Pro 500 PID is already extremely temperature stable. YouTube WholeLatteLove's review of it and you'll see the extensive testing they did!







It doesn't even require a cooling flush which is otherwise something an HX machine requires!


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## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

Thank you! I'm edging more towards a dual boiler for reasons outlined above but the 500 is definitely on my list. I think I checked out that vid before but I'll revisit it to refresh my memory!

Thanks again


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## cold war kid (Mar 12, 2010)

Jon_Foster said:


> Thanks dude,
> 
> Re temperature question, a bit of both really, ease of use primarily but the ability to tinker would be good as well...
> 
> ...


Not all HX machines need a cooling flush. Fracino don't and I'm pretty sure Rocket is another ( I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong regarding Rocket ).

I'm not convinced that I could taste the difference if I had two identical machines accept one was fitted with a rotary pump and one with vibe and they both pulled a shot for me. That's not to say nobody could, I just don't think I would. I'm very sceptical as to whether there is much improvement in the cup with a rotary, although it does have other benefits, mainly a more pleasing sound that's usually quieter as well and should last a very long time even with heavy use.

If you think you've found the machine you love and you can afford it, buy it. I don't think it's any more overpriced than other machines and the company has a good rep. Be aware that there are other, cheaper options out there though.


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## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

Thanks very much, really helpful









By the time I'm looking to buy at the turn of the year, I'm sure there will be even more options but I think I'm between the 600 and the Lelit Bianca at the moment...

Thanks again for the help


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## Stanic (Dec 12, 2015)

it looks nice but if I were to decide between the pro300 and 600 I 'd go with the 300 just because it is a better value IMO

personally I would avoid any Hx as a prevention of going mad from obsessively monitoring the temperature (as I know myself)

I am currently quite happy with the two Portaspresso devices I've got but I've decided to save up some more money towards the Bianca next year hopefully - looks like a perfect machine to me, I love the design and the manual pressure adjustment is a great feature for that price


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## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

My thoughts entirely re the heat exchanger... Can't wait to hear more about the Bianca once people get their hands on them!


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Jon_Foster said:


> My thoughts entirely re the heat exchanger... Can't wait to hear more about the Bianca once people get their hands on them!


I will be getting the final production model to review in a day or two. I spent a long time with the prototype and fed back to Lelit, so the final version won't take as long to review.


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## J_Fo (Dec 24, 2017)

DavecUK said:


> I will be getting the final production model to review in a day or two. I spent a long time with the prototype and fed back to Lelit, so the final version won't take as long to review.


Excellent, look forward to reading it


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