{"id":4307,"date":"2020-03-27T07:54:26","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T07:54:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bartalks.net\/?p=4307"},"modified":"2021-08-19T17:03:43","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T17:03:43","slug":"victoria-arduino-eagle-one-innovation-at-a-bargain-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bartalks.net\/victoria-arduino-eagle-one-innovation-at-a-bargain-price\/","title":{"rendered":"VICTORIA ARDUINO EAGLE ONE – INNOVATION AT A BARGAIN PRICE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here’s Our Review of the Victoria Arduino Eagle One Espresso Machine<\/h2>\n

The latest machine from the highly regarded manufacturer Victoria Arduino<\/a> is the Eagle One, announced in September 2019. My initial reaction was mixed and relatively lukewarm. But this is a machine that grows on you the more you look at what it offers.<\/p>\n

There should be an appreciation for something which works so well that you forget it. This is the feedback I get from people who’ve used the machine. Unlike a machine that wants your attention, The Eagle One is happy for the barista to be the star. Yet you might be surprised that this frankly unassuming machine does quite so much for the money.<\/p>\n

VA has done some things that are genuinely original and worthy of recognition. So what innovations are in the Eagle One, and why might it be the perfect machine for your business?<\/p>\n

Alas, Victoria Arduino did not send us a machine to review, and we can only truly know how to feel after we have lived with a machine for a month or more. Reviews like this one, even when you get hands on it for a time, are limited because it’s not representative of the experience you would have as an owner over months or years. The best we can do is relate to the experiences we have with the machines we use each day.<\/p>\n

The Culture Behind Victoria Arduino<\/h2>\n

It’s worth a short introduction to Victoria Arduino, to get some understanding for what the company is about, their history and modern purpose, what problems they’re trying to solve and their corporate and brand identity. A little understanding here helps put into context the design choices made with the Eagle One.<\/p>\n

Victoria Arduino was founded in 1905 by Pier Teresa Arduino (1876 \u2013 1923) and is now part of the Simonelli Group. The manufacturing all happens at a 32,000 square foot facility near Marche in the North of Italy. The company turns out over 35,000 machines a year under the brands Simonelli, and Victoria Arduino.<\/p>\n

The company’s headquarters are next to the production facility, which makes sense, and I understand it is considered a state of the art facility. RFID tracking is used through the production lifecycle so that inefficient practices are identified and squeezed out, and the company even dishes out awards to the most productive teams. So, VA produces genuine Italian-made machines; they invest in high tech factories and R&D, and they are clearly knowledgeable about the environment.<\/p>\n

When doing my research, I came across this <\/a>page (this must be written by scientists who don’t know when to hit the return key). The article dated October 2019 discusses how manufacturing materials for Espresso machines have an impact on design. Read this article and then look again at the design features of the Eagle One and the story of how this machine was conceived will become clearer.<\/p>\n

The Eagle One Dimensions<\/h3>\n

The first thing you’ll notice is its diminutive size for this class of machine. The 2-group variant is the size of a large microwave! I thought of the counter space I could save if I replaced my Elektra, and this was a conscious design choice, VA knows it will appeal to cafe’s where counter space is premium real-estate.<\/p>\n

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Currently, we have a display fridge that is pushed up next to our espresso machine and the heat next to the fridge is causing problems, but there’s only so much reorganising you can do before you realise something needs to change.<\/p>\n

Kudos to VA in recognising and making this issue a design consideration. Look at the table below to compare dimensions with weight, power and capacity against their competitor machine the La Marzocco KB90, and a lower featured standard La Marzocco Linea Classic.<\/p>\n

Eagle One Specifications<\/h2>\n
\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n <\/colgroup>\n \n\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n
Model \/ Variant<\/th>Width (mm)<\/th>Depth (mm)<\/th>Height (mm)<\/th>Group Height (mm)<\/th>Weight (KG)<\/th>Power without options fitted (watts)<\/th>Steam Boiler Capacity (Litres)<\/th><\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
VA Eagle One - 2 GROUP<\/td>758<\/td>576<\/td>437<\/td>105<\/td>90<\/td>5000<\/td>7<\/td> <\/tr>\n
VA Eagle One - 3 GROUP<\/td>988<\/td>576<\/td>437<\/td>105<\/td><\/td>6500<\/td>TBC<\/td> <\/tr>\n
La Marzocco KB90 - 2 GROUP<\/td>810<\/td>620<\/td>450<\/td>-<\/td>77<\/td>5400\/5700*<\/td>7<\/td> <\/tr>\n
La Marzocco KB90 - 3 GROUP<\/td>1050<\/td>620<\/td>450<\/td>-<\/td>101<\/td>7300\/7800*<\/td>11<\/td> <\/tr>\n
La Marzocco Linea Classic - 2 GROUP<\/td>690<\/td>560<\/td>455<\/td>- <\/td>51<\/td>3600<\/td>7<\/td> <\/tr>\n
La Marzocco Linea Classic 3 GROUP<\/td>930<\/td>560<\/td>455<\/td>- <\/td>66<\/td>4800<\/td>11<\/td> <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n