# Which basket and tamper?



## Rscut (Aug 13, 2016)

My v3 will be with me on Wednesday/Thursday and I will need to get myself a tamper and maybe a basket. I would like to get something that is going to last me and not something that I am going to need to upgrade in 6 months. I was thinking of an 18g VST or basket or an IMS. Would I need a 58.4m tamper for these? I am after a knock box too, nothing too big, as I will only be making 4 coffees (max) a day.


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## Jacko112 (Oct 29, 2015)

I used to use a 58.4mm tamper when I had my Silvia - coffeechap's your guy for a nice Torr. I tended to use the standard baskets the machine came with.


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## Rscut (Aug 13, 2016)

Jacko112 said:


> I used to use a 58.4mm tamper when I had my Silvia - coffeechap's your guy for a nice Torr. I tended to use the standard baskets the machine came with.


No need to upgrade in your opinion?


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## Jacko112 (Oct 29, 2015)

The baskets - as a starting point no. I tried the naked portafilter option but quickly realised that SWMBO didn't like brown walls!


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## Rscut (Aug 13, 2016)

So the 58.4mm will fit nicely with the original basket but I may want to upgrade the basket at a later date?


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## prankard (Aug 24, 2014)

I can vouch for the 18g VST portafilter and would recommend getting ridgeless. I always weight my shots (as I only do a couple of coffees a day) and this makes it much easier for me to dose and check.

I don't think the 18g VST fits in the original group handle due to it's depth. You might need a bottomless portafilter if you want a 18g basket.

Maybe getting a bottomless group handle to check your distribution of your shots might be a better shout first, as it can be hard to know if your doing it correctly.


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## oursus (Jun 5, 2015)

18g vst will fit in the standard pf just fine. With ridged, there's a line to check your tamp level, but if you get yourself a levelling tamper & a distribution tool, you won't need to fuss about that... (I heard there are some perfectly good Chinese ones at a third of the price of the European versions) In my opinion get them all together, save the headache...(but then, is the headache the whole point, yeah, ignore what I said- use the plastic tamper for a while - it's a zen thing


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## Rscut (Aug 13, 2016)

oursus said:


> 18g vst will fit in the standard pf just fine. With ridged, there's a line to check your tamp level, but if you get yourself a levelling tamper & a distribution tool, you won't need to fuss about that... (I heard there are some perfectly good Chinese ones at a third of the price of the European versions) In my opinion get them all together, save the headache...(but then, is the headache the whole point, yeah, ignore what I said- use the plastic tamper for a while - it's a zen thing


where do I get these Chinese 'nock offs'?









I would rather just get what I need for the next year or so. My machine is going to arrive and I won't even have a decent tamper. I'm not going to spend loads on a torr, so am I just better getting a 58mm?


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## oursus (Jun 5, 2015)

Rscut said:


> where do I get these Chinese 'nock offs'?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They seem to be on eBay and amazon (adjustable tamper)... I had a 58mm, got a 58.5 adjustable tamper & distribution tool, noticed the difference immediately in distribution, uniformity & time saving.


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## ImthatGuy (Dec 4, 2015)

Rscut said:


> My v3 will be with me on Wednesday/Thursday and I will need to get myself a tamper and maybe a basket. I would like to get something that is going to last me and not something that I am going to need to upgrade in 6 months. I was thinking of an 18g VST or basket or an IMS. Would I need a 58.4m tamper for these? I am after a knock box too, nothing too big, as I will only be making 4 coffees (max) a day.


I use this tamper - works very well and not expensive - it's a very good fit to the Silvia basket

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007J3JEN0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## AussieEx (Jul 10, 2013)

Get a decent tamper but don't bother about the basket until you're dissatisfied with the stock one. Plenty of other things to worry about first (like a decent grinder, and practice).

[Edit] And get TempTags (Glenn sells them) to save yourself a world of faffing around with milk thermometers and give you a massive head-start towards well-textured milk if you like milk-based drinks.


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## nicholasj (Nov 11, 2013)

I use a 54.0 Rancilio tamper with the standard double basket and it is fine......but I think a 54.4 may be cosier.


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