Ok, we're giving a "custom" option to this classic scaled down commercial heat exchanger.  We have some red side panels from another Cimbali that we can put on, or we'll send it with the stock stainless panels installed.  
 
(For another 80 bucks we can throw in both!)
 
We also added a PID to this (with the temp sensor IN the tank!)  
 
There was a time when the Cimbali Junior was among THE machines to have for serious home espresso geeks.  (And it still is, ha!) 
 
Since these are about as small as genuine NSF machines get (hence, the "Junior" moniker) they fit into a home kitchen with far less roommate angst.  At about 19 inches deep, and under 18 high, the Junior will fit into places other commercial machines can't.
 
The Junior is also famous for having a crazy cool pre-digital dosing system that uses the same "lo tech" solution as the autofill (an electrode to measure water levels in a separate internal tank.)  If you ever want to "adjust" the shot size, you push down, or pull up, the corresponding probe!
 
We also installed a PID (and solid state relay) just to see if we could. 
 
In a heat exchanger machine, the temp being registered by the PID probe (in the upper portion of the boiler in this case) is not going to reflect the ACTUAL temperature of the brew water as it hits the puck.  There is way too much thermal variation going on between those points.
 
But it does allow you to do three potentially positive things.
 
First, the PID, with a digital algo, is a much more accurate "switching" mechanism than the typical pressurestat (we took off the cheap stock one and put a new Sirai, btw, in case you want to turn off the PID control and go back to "stock," or the PID controller ever fails.)  So the PID keeps the boiler temperature band much flatter.
 
Second, even though the temp shown on the controller read out is not the actual temp of the water hitting the puck, it IS an actual temperature reading, and thus you can figure out through trial and error, or more accurately measuring the temperature of the water inside the portafilter with a thermometer if you're anal, what the temp of the brew water normally is when the PID reads "X" in side the boiler.
 
In other words, you can set the boiler temp to be the most advantageous for pulling shots in the heat range you personally prefer, or that fits the beans you're currently using, and have it stay there as long as you like.
 
Finally, it allows you to CHANGE the temperature of the boiler, without having to disassemble your machine, or play around with the internal pressurestat.
 
And you can make those changes on the fly while using the machine, if you want to experiment with different brew temps.  So for espresso control freaks, it's a pretty cool tool.  
 
For the rest of us, we can look at the pressure gauge and eventually learn to get close enough to make espresso we like without a digital read out.
 
This machine has all the features of a typical commercial espresso machine (autofill, pressure gauge, sight glass, steam and hot water valves, etc., and heavy NSF build quality materials and components.) 
 
La Cimbali hasn't really sold much "home" espresso stuff over the years in the US, but they are among the largest Italian espresso machine makers in the world.
 
Cleaned and restored with some care.  This Junior will come with both bottomless and conventional portafilters.
 
They don't make 'em like this anymore!