Hi Krista,
I think the only options at $1500 or less are for mol d'art type tempering machines that don't stir the chocolate for you. I know that you're not interested in chocovision, but I think there's a big difference in quality between the smaller models and the larger, professional models. I've had no problems with my X3210 and would recommend it as probably the best option in the price range you're looking.
Ben
I started out with a rev 1 and it was noisy and the metal pegs on the baffle broke and had to be replaced twice. Then it just didn't heat anymore.
My husband talked with Ian at Chocolvision, sent my rev 1 in to be service and it was basically totally rebuilt except for the outer plastic casing. At that time, they had a Rev3210 that had been sent in for exchange. My husband paid for the repair, & got 3 bowls and 2 lids, all for about $900 or so. I am EXTREMELY happy with this machine! It is definitely a world apart from the little noisy REV1. Please do not write off Chocovision machines. You should call and talk to Ian about your machine and I imagine he would give you great service as he did for us.
Really, the 3210 has made my life so much easier, no problems and every time I use it I am just so thankful that I own that machine. I can obviously get a beautiful temper with high quality chocolate (I use El Rey) but I have also been able to temper the pound plus bars from Trader Joes and use it for molding.
I have 4 Pavoni's and have had to re-engineer ALL of them in order to stop burning out the control boards. The control boardis in the same compartment as the heat lamps and cooling fans, and is subject to extreme heat fluctuations, and eventually fails.
If you only use the machine once in a blue moon, It's pre programmed tempering cycles are handy. However we use the machines daily for 8-10 hours in our shop and the motors have failed on all of them, as well as the control boards.
Personally I wish Savage would make a smaller tempering machine. Their stuff is bomb proof.
Cheers
Brad
I use the holey baffle with my X3210. It takes the capacity from about 10 lbs to 15 or 16 lbs. Due to comments I've read here and elsewhere about the possibility of broken baffles, I always melt most or all of the chocolate in a separate melter and then add it to the tempering machine. My understanding is that when the baffles break, it's due to the unmelted chocolate pressing against the back of the baffle.
how does the holey baffle work. i received one with m Delta machine, but am not sure how it works. thanks
You use it just like the normal baffle. It lets melted chocolate flow through to both sides, so it can hold almost double the chocolate.
I got the Revolation one and don't like it at all. I should have understood the capacity better, that's my fault. The parts I'm frustrated with are that is has a small transparent piece that's very easy to lose. It has a bar going across the top with two tiny pins that connect into the machine. They bend all the time and I suspect they will break soon. Beyond that, it's just flimsy. Thinking about the components of this machine, I'd have expected it to cost around $60 dollars.
okay - sorry to be so dense, but if melted chocolate is on both sides of baffle, how do you temper it - where do you add seed?
You still put the seed behind the baffle. It's a little harder and messier to remove any unmelted seed at the end, but it's not too bad.
thanks! i will give it a try!
My first machine was a Rev2: after a little over a year of pretty heavy use the temperature gauge started malfunctioning. ChocoVision sent us a free baffle, but unfortunately this was not the problem. The capacity of the machine was so small and it was so loud that, in retrospect, I think I would have preferred to have started with a melting tank style machine.
Hi Brad,
I was wondering how your modified Pavoni's have held up. We got ours a little over a year ago and it worked great until a few months ago when it started acting up. Pavoni convinced us to order a new probe, which has not fixed the problem. I've already wasted over a hundred hours unsuccessfully tempering with this goat, and don't want to waste any more of my scant resources on the machine if the problem will just recur. I know you added a heat shield and fan to one this summer; is it still going strong? What did the control boards do when they failed? Ours seems to work, but doesn't move through the cycles properly.
Thanks,
Eli
A few months ago I bought a used ACMC Tempering Machine for only $500. I like my Rev 2, which I paid almost as much for, but I needed a larger capacity.
I love my ACMC. It's not totally automatic but it's close enough.
There's an extra slot next to where the main thermometer goes and I slide in probe thermometer in to alert me when the chocolate reaches a certain temp. I hear they're super easy to fix. The only drawback is they use 100W light bulbs that are supposed to be discontinued due to some law. Companies like GE are now producing 95W light bulbs and I've read about people using ceramic heater bulbs.
I would love one of the bigger Chocovisions machines but it's 3x the price and they seem to have lots of issues. For the money, a used ACMC is the way to go. They're often on Ebay for around $500.
Hello Jeff, I'm interested in theHIlliard's Little Dipper and Mol'D'Art melters, could You tell me where can I buy these equipment?
The problem I see with the Hilliard's Little Dipper is if You want tochange from dark to white chocolate, for instance, it would be time consuming asyou have to dismantle and unscrew to remove the bowl and other components.
I'm considering as well the Matfer CHOCO 22T (20 kg capacity) but I don't know any seller.
Thanks for any help.
I know this post is quite old by now but which machine did you finish buying...
I also have the cacao liquid that comes right out the melanger...
I am thinking about buying a tempering machine but not sure still which one..
I hope you can help me
Javier - Chaqchao PERU
I know this post is quite old by now but which machine did you finish buying...
I also have the cacao liquid that comes right out the melanger...
I am thinking about buying a tempering machine but not sure still which one..
I will really appreciate your comments
I hope you can help me
Javier - Chaqchao PERU
I am a hobbyist contemplating home based on line shop. My focus is Truffles of which I have developed many of my own unique recipes. I am exploring the need for a tempering machine and where to buy good quality chocolate wholesale. I appreciate this forum to learn and grow my knowledge. I use a combination of milk, white and dark/bittersweet chocolate.
Please check out my web site www.chocolatedude.net . I build a chocolate tempering machine at a reasonable price. Check out my web site and see if it will meet your needs.
Jim
