Comments on: Fracino Heavenly -Heaven or Hell

By: suaokuzi pornuf

suaokuzi pornuf — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:52:46 +0000

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By: thecoffeemc

thecoffeemc — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:39:08 +0000

Hi Andrew.

Been a while since last communication!

Would be more than happy to take on any servicing work if you had some. I c=
over the south coast area so Bognor to Lyme Regis and north to the M4 area.=
Let me know if i can be of assistance

regards

Paul McDougall
07825545260

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:25:26 +0000

Thanks for the advice! I will look at the cherub. By the way I see they are bringing out a bean 2 cup - could be a real can of worms!
Are you a free-lance engineer? If so give me a ring -we are always looking for knowledgeable guys to repair coffee machines [that is if you are interested? ] Use below phone number .
Thanks for the feedback.

By: thecoffeemc

thecoffeemc — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:57:02 +0000

Hi again

Let me start by saying that i find fracinos fairly ugly (generally speaking) and am not surprised to hear your comments about the panels.
I still feel that your comparison is not like with like. The original price differential was with the ascaso uno. The duo must cost more!! Also, the heavenly has a 2.5 litre boiler with heat exchange system for espresso extraction. Thermal blocks just dont cut it as far as im concerned (commercially speaking). They are more than satisfactory domestically.
If you are having another look at fracinos check out the cherub. much more aesthetically pleasing than the heavenly.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:13:26 +0000

Hi,
Had to check on the Ascaso website but the duo has a brass thermoblock for coffee and a brass 325cc boiler for steam. We have used one here in the office and found it particularly good for espresso and cappuccinos /lattes ie milk based drinks.
You are correct that it also used a vibration pump as does the fracino -so I suppose my point does come down to the differential in price [ I will have to take a closer look at the 'heavenly ].
We have had some FCX1 and Gems in for repair and whilst over 1 year old but less than two the paintwork on the Gem had bubbled and there was rust underneath I felt that was fairly poor for what had been a fair investment for the cafe owner.
Years ago I was at a trade fair and someone mentioned to me that Frank [ the owner ] only wanted to pay 95p for components when everyone else paid £5 - you perhaps were left with a feeling that if you screwed a whole lot of cheaper parts together you might get a machine that was cheaper than the competition but not so reliable?

By: thecoffeemc

thecoffeemc — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:06:53 +0000

Hi Andrew.
Sorry, shouldnt have accused you of a rant!!
I may be wrong but i think you will find the ascaso (from spain) has thermal blocks rather than boilers (uno and duo being single block and double i s’pose). I would also be surprised if it has something other than a vibrating pump. The better systems balance the 0-15 range of the pump to mimic the 9 bar that a rotating pump is set at.
With regards to the components in a fracino the valves, switches electronics are all manufactured in italy and are from the same manufacturers who supply gaggia, cimbali, rancilio and all the other commercial producers.
I dont actually have a fracino but have repaired plenty.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:59:42 +0000

I am glad you enjoy your Fracino- Just to point out that the Ascaso Duo has two boilers and you can steam milk at the same time as making coffee -it is like the Fracino Heavenly a light duty commercial machine and has a copper group head - [ some models though do have an aluminium block ]
I just think the price differential was very high, It a lot of money to pay- especially for a machine with a vibration pump -which I am sure that you are aware averages 8.5 bar ie vibrates between 0 and 15 bar and this tends to over extract coffee oils - you can never get a really good espresso.
Having also spent some time rebuilding / repairing Fracinos they do sometimes seem to use poor components.
It didn’t mean to be a rant and if my surmise is incorrect then I am quite happy to ’stand corrected’

By: thecoffeemc

thecoffeemc — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:46:33 +0000

You are not comparing like with like in your rant. The heavenly is a ‘real’ espresso machine in that it has a proper boiler, e61 group heads using the thermosiphonic system for constant head temp and proper steam taps. The components are identical to a full blown commercial espresso machine (vibrating pump aside!!). The ascaso you mention and the gaggia domestic machines are a completely different beast. They use thermal blocks instead of boilers and you cant extract espresso and steam milk at the same time. It is possible to get a decent espresso from them and, with a lot of love and farting around a decent frothof milk. However, they dont match the product or the convenience of the fracino. It just depends how serious you are about your coffee! The fracino is value for money.