# Yet another Gaggia TS



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Bought a 2008 TS this morning. One proud owner from new in a home environment. Bought a bc2 2 years ago and sold it to a Catering Engineer who fully serviced it including boiler out to check the element.......no scale. He has no grinder and has pulled less than 100 shots in the past 2 years. It seems really clean.

It has the slightest of leaks on the steam tap which he says he will sort out. Presumably it just wants a washer or something. I choked it with the first 3 shots I pulled, then when I removed the blanking disc the next one was spot on!


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Solved the steam drip issue. Just bought replacement. I could have saved a few bob and ordered a service kit but me and spanners do not go together that well! these are ugly, even worse than the Cherub in terms of a beauty pageant, but boy, they are well put together and just chug away. No wonder they are so popular in small cafes etc. It is quite big though. Larger than my Veloce which is sort of Verona size. Will take a pic in a minute and post it to see


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)




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## 7493 (May 29, 2014)

Nice machine! It is a bit of a beast when seen next to the Veloce though.


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## DannyMontez (May 19, 2014)

I see these on ebay quite a lot. They are hideous aren't they!


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

But when you can buy them At a similar price to a Classic new, who has the better machine?


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## marcuswar (Aug 19, 2013)

These have the electrically heated group don't they ? Always though that seemed like a really good idea.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

They sure do. These are an out and out commercial one group. A workhorse capable of delivering consistent coffee. If you are bothered about shiney, then they are not for you. If you want a full blown one group with some nice features at a far better price than anything else out there, then maybe it is for you


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## marcuswar (Aug 19, 2013)

I did nearly buy on off eBay once, but went for more than I was prepared to pay ( >£300 I think).


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised by this machine. My last two looks at pumps were with the GS3 and Vesuvius and those machines came with big reputations, that for me, were not justified. I am not saying there is anything wrong with them, just that for me, the end result did not justify the hype. The TS comes with absolutely no reputation that I am aware of. I have probably only banged 6 cups out so far but it is a pleasure to use and very consistent. I have not even switched my Veloce on today, and probably will not for the next few days either. I do not see it replacing it but I am enjoying it. It is a proper coffee machine! As it is not chrome or stainless steel finished a wipe over is sufficient. It looks pretty easy to take the panels off so I might get them powder coated or wrapped at some point.

I bought it for my son but I did not appreciate its size and it is probably too big for the occasional user unless you genuinely have the spare bench space.


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## TomBurtonArt (Jan 18, 2015)

Get it painted up in synesso matte black/gun metal grey, will look beautiful.

Quite jealous of the Gaggia TS, I hope my Wega can be almost as reliable.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Looking pretty boss there, Tom.


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## marcuswar (Aug 19, 2013)

That looks more like some piece of a German war machine than an Italian coffee machine!

It wouldn't look out of place at Bletchley park.


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

It looks AWESOME. Like to do this with my kit - but I'm tight and I imagine it's pricey.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Powder coating is pretty cheap but dis-assembling the machine and putting it back together took me good bit of time.


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## charris (Feb 17, 2014)

David,

it seems this is a great buy. I would love to know much more about this machine:

1) Is this an HX type of machine?

2) What is the size of the basket/pf?

3) What does it compare to the usual 700-1k single boilers like from Rocket, Expobar, e.t.c?

Anything more would be very useful, I am very tempted by this and the general reliability and parts availability for Gaggia machines (in general)


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Hiya, this is an HX machine, but it has a feature, a small solenoid type thing which sits in the group head and regulates the temp. Perhaps someone can explain better than I can! It is a standard E61, 58 mm basket. I have had a few single boilers and it is as good as any of them. what I like about it, is that it is unpretentious but just performs without a problem. It is not shiney, but in some ways, that adds to its good looks (ok, you have to close your eyes and squint!) I think they represent excellent value for money. how muc would you pay for a 2008 Rocket or Expobar and what are the chances of finding one that is a commercial machine but has always been privately owned and sold because the owner went to a b2c? The catering engineer who bought it and serviced it did not have a grinder, so got bored with buying supermarket ground coffee! Few and far between is the answer!



charris said:


> David,
> 
> it seems this is a great buy. I would love to know much more about this machine:
> 
> ...


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## bronc (Dec 10, 2012)

To be honest, I've always liked something about the way the TS looks. I guess I'm a minority!


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## charris (Feb 17, 2014)

dfk41 said:


> I think they represent excellent value for money. how muc would you pay for a 2008 Rocket or Expobar and what are the chances of finding one that is a commercial machine but has always been privately owned and sold because the owner went to a b2c? The catering engineer who bought it and serviced it did not have a grinder, so got bored with buying supermarket ground coffee! Few and far between is the answer!


David,

if this is the case and this machine is a good as any 1k HX machine and can be found at these incredible prices then I guess we are discovering a whole new price/winner segment which would be the cheap (sensible) gap between a classic and a fully blown double boiler (if you are willing to buy used of course). Or to put it in better terms: why buy a 700-1k new HX when you can buy this used for peanuts?


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## TomBurtonArt (Jan 18, 2015)

The Systemic Kid said:


> Looking pretty boss there, Tom.


I wish that was mine, Synesso machines are amazing looking, much prefer the industrial war machine look to the slayers.


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## TomBurtonArt (Jan 18, 2015)

dfk41 said:


> Hiya, this is an HX machine, but it has a feature, a small solenoid type thing which sits in the group head and regulates the temp. Perhaps someone can explain better than I can! It is a standard E61, 58 mm basket. I have had a few single boilers and it is as good as any of them. what I like about it, is that it is unpretentious but just performs without a problem. It is not shiney, but in some ways, that adds to its good looks (ok, you have to close your eyes and squint!) I think they represent excellent value for money. how muc would you pay for a 2008 Rocket or Expobar and what are the chances of finding one that is a commercial machine but has always been privately owned and sold because the owner went to a b2c? The catering engineer who bought it and serviced it did not have a grinder, so got bored with buying supermarket ground coffee! Few and far between is the answer!


Sounds like they would make good restoration projects, and like my mininova, I think beauty is very much second fiddle to functionality. I would still prefer a Gaggia TS that I could customise.

Is it vibe or rotary?

Do I see a pour over reservoir?


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## charris (Feb 17, 2014)

Would a PID be easily added?

This is a interesting ( http://community.wholelattelove.com/blogs/1962/gaggia-ts-comes-to-town ):



> The inside of this machine is really something to appreciate; I could go on for a very long time explaining why, but I'll just hit the highlights. First and foremost, the internals on the TS allow it to make an excellent espresso that is repeatable over and over again. The main reason is because it has an electrically heated brew group that is controlled by a thermostat. This puts it miles ahead of any standard single boiler heat exchanger machines whether it has the E61 Brew Group or not. The boiler in the TS does have a heat exchanger but the temperature controlled group heater takes out the temperature spikes and which gives it its amazing consistency. It does not match the adjustability of the PID controlled two boiler Expobar Brewtus III but it is still very respectable and its steam pressure can't be matched. Please note that we have both four hole and single hole steam tips available to match your frothing skills. - See more at: http://community.wholelattelove.com/blogs/1962/gaggia-ts-comes-to-town#sthash.gW0qL9p6.dpuf


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

charris said:


> Would a PID be easily added?


Why would you want to do that?


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## charris (Feb 17, 2014)

jeebsy said:


> Why would you want to do that?


I am not very familiar with HX design. Based on your question, they do not need a pid?


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

PID equals stability but I do not think it neccessary on this. The machine is aimed at the business end of the market hence functionality over good looks. It is currently available from Coffee italia for £1029 plus vat.

People on here, have found that there is life after a MAzzer. Think of all those proud Brasillia, Anfim and other owners to name a few. You can pick these up for £250 to £400. You might strike lucky and find a clean one like I did. Definitely one to consider if you are after a second hand machine


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## charris (Feb 17, 2014)

Question: how does this will compare vs a fully blown classic (aubers pid, silvia wand, opv)?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

charris said:


> Question: how does this will compare vs a fully blown classic (aubers pid, silvia wand, opv)?


It will kick it into the dustbin

its a light commercial machine at £1000 plus hx with a huge boiler v a £300 single boiler , even pidded its not a fair fight in power...


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

robot wars.......


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

If someone mentions Robot Wars it's the law that Philipa Forrester gets a mention too


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## Cana (Mar 7, 2015)

Ooo DFK could you get that video to me please?

Looks lovely







Love that my machine now has a brother out here on the forums! Amazing and beautifully simple machines.

Your machines insides are similar to mine but a tad different.

Could you tell me if that steamwand is a 4 hole tip? Would love to know how thick the steamwand is,as mine is very thick and as its thicker it does not have as much power behind the pressure.


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## charris (Feb 17, 2014)

Cana said:


> Could you tell me if that steamwand is a 4 hole tip? Would love to know how thick the steamwand is,as mine is very thick and as its thicker it does not have as much power behind the pressure.


From the site I quoted above it seems there is a one hole tip also available.


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## Southpaw (Feb 26, 2012)

I had one of these, very good but massive.


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## charris (Feb 17, 2014)

Southpaw said:


> I had one of these, very good but massive.


What do you have now? Comparison?


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

I ordered a new steam tap and fitted it, so it no longer drips as it did before. So, pulled a shot today, as usual, weighed nothing in or out, but I did set the timer to 30 seconds and managed to drop it and start it off 3 or 4 seconds before the switch was pulled, so the time is out of sync with the shot, but hey ho!


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## char1ie (Dec 23, 2012)

They are great machines. I had one, then I had another one, now I am looking for another one. If anyone has one for sale, please send me a PM...

Charlie


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

char1ie said:


> They are great machines. I had one, then I had another one, now I am looking for another one. If anyone has one for sale, please send me a PM...
> 
> Charlie


If you are looking for a TS - start a thread in the 'wanted' section of the forum and check the rules regarding negotiations.


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## Flibster (Aug 15, 2010)

One button - brew. That's all that's needed.









Balls to all those complicated electronics.


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## bronc (Dec 10, 2012)

I bought one off eBay last week. It arrived today but I have to pick it up from the courier's office. Just set up an eBay alert and you'll get an email when someone posts an ad. They don't come up for sale very frequently but if you're patient..


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## bronc (Dec 10, 2012)

dfk, which grouphead thermostat did your TS have? Mine is with the 103*C but I think a 98*C would be a better fit.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

I had both but think it was the 103, but alas it has gone to a new owner now


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