Hot take: I switched from La Marzocco to a used Slayer and it saved my morning rush

Bought a beat up Slayer from a shop in Silver Lake that went under. 3 months in and my drink times dropped by a full minute.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_morgan1mo ago

Slayer heat stability is worse than a stock LMLM.

linda5001mo ago

I used to think the LMLM was the gold standard for heat stability until I actually ran a back to back test with a friend's Slayer. We pulled five shots in a row on both machines, same beans, same grind, same water temp, and the Slayer's third shot dropped about 4 degrees while the LMLM held within 1. That experience changed my mind completely. Now I tell people to look at their actual workflow, like if they're steaming milk between shots, the recovery time matters more than any brand loyalty. It's not about which machine is better, it's about which one fits how you actually work.

the_thomas1mo ago

Holding temperature steady between shots has more to do with how you work the paddle than the machine itself. Seen plenty of people pull amazing shots on a Slayer and plenty mess up on a La Marzocco. Unless you're back to back steaming and pulling back to back, the difference is probably way smaller than people make it out to be. A stock LMLM can also drop temperature if you don't give it time to recover. Both are good machines.