La Pavoni Professional vs Stradivari: is the Stradivari worth it?
Verdict
The espresso is the same. The 16-cup Stradivari is a Professional-size lever on a curved base, so buy it only for the look. Note that the Stradivari on Amazon US is the 8-cup ESC-8, not the 16-cup.
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Side by side
| Professional | Stradivari | |
|---|---|---|
| Lever and group | La Pavoni lever | Same lever design |
| Boiler (US importer) | 38 oz or 54 oz (sources differ) | 38 oz (16-cup), 20 oz (8-cup) |
| Cups per fill | 16 | 16 or 8 |
| Boiler gauge | Yes | Yes on 16-cup; not stated on 8-cup |
| On Amazon US | PC-16 | 8-cup ESC-8 only |
The difference is the base
The Stradivari comes in two sizes. The 16-cup PSW-16 and PSC-16 match the Professional’s capacity and include a boiler gauge, per the US importer. The 8-cup ESC-8 and ESW-8 match the Europiccola. Under the curved base, the lever and group work the same way.
Buying it
On Amazon US, the Stradivari listing we track opens the 8-cup ESC-8. If you want the 16-cup Stradivari, look to the US importer or espresso retailers. If you want 16 cups from Amazon, the Professional PC-16 is the straightforward choice.
Questions buyers ask
Is the Stradivari a better machine?
It is the same kind of machine with a different base. The importer describes the design as inspired by the violin maker Antonio Stradivari.
Sources
European Gift and Houseware, the US importer, and its US manuals; Amazon US product listings.