# Ponte Vecchio Lusso



## 4085

I am about to buy one of these. Any advice gratefully received!


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## lookseehear

I think there's an in depth review on Coffeegeek somewhere. Also slowroast (one of the members here) owned one for a while so might be able to offer some insight.


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## MattL

Adjust the pressure star down to 0.9 bar, remember to bleed off false pressure. Otherwise pretty much foolproof. Just repairing mine after long lay-off. Look forward in 3-4 years time to having fun with a large c-cramp trying to get the piston out to change the seals. Insanely difficult. But until then you'll have fun and build love. It's an excellent machine. Oh and the single basket I always found too small (but I always find singles too small...).


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## MattL

And now the sodding thing has sprung a leak. Tempted to bin it, flog my Europiccola to raise some £££ and get a new one...


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## fluffykiwi

"Tempted to bin it"

If you are serious I (and probably a few thousand other geeks) may take this off your hands for a small fee.......

....although I would advise against it - have you got in touch with Ponte Vecchio in Italy themselves as I think they have some specialist tools they sell to get various bits out with ease......


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## MattL

fluffykiwi said:


> "Tempted to bin it"
> 
> If you are serious I (and probably a few thousand other geeks) may take this off your hands for a small fee.......
> 
> ....although I would advise against it - have you got in touch with Ponte Vecchio in Italy themselves as I think they have some specialist tools they sell to get various bits out with ease......


Ok. I apologise in advance to all those with weak hearts or a particular love of the fine engineering inside spring lever machines...but here goes

Have made coffee with it today







having just sold my Gaggia Classic w/PID to a mate of Glenn's, needs must. So had to get onto sorting it into a working state. Big issue was alignment of lower pipe on thermosiphon to the appropriate pipe on the group. For some reason the entire sodding thing had got twisted out of sync. Possibly as a result of a bit of rough treatment in my early attempts to get the seals changed using the sort of jury rigged kit that some people seem to use to jack up the piston and release the lever.

Anyway, upshot is it meant that the when you screwed the group onto the boiler, it left a gap in the joint through which water exited, regardless of emergency gasketing, both solid and loctite 118 being liberally applied. Eventually (rather rashly, but with a lack of sympathy for the machine enhanced by the nightmare of changing the piston seals) I last night clamped the sodding thing, took a wrench and gently "realigned" it. All nicely slotted together, and everything seemed to work until water started spurting from a stress crack directly behind the joint.







Grrrr.... But at least it didn't all break (note to self for future reference re the brittle nature of brass...)

Knowing I'd be out of espresso today when my classic went, I decided practical solutions rather than elegant ones were the order of the day, worked up a large lump of evo stick epoxy plumbers mait, moulded it around the joint and let it cure. I still get a bit of a tiniest drip of sweat out when at full pressure, but nothing serious, and hopefully it will seal itself over time (or else I'll get someone more patient than me to smash off the epoxy and fix it up properly.

Ran a full tank of practice shots through it with some old beans then refilled and made some real coffee. Made a nice couple of shots which made me realise what I liked about the PVL (and why I probably in retrospect shouldnt have treated it quite so barbarically). Nice syrupy coffee with great flavour separation, really bringing out my Jirmiwachu beans from Square Mile (the worlds only strawberry bubblegum flavoured coffee for those interested). I the meantime, with the cover on, you can't tell the horror Ive inflicted behind the group...







And until my Expobar arrives, it should do a job. And at some point I may even get it properly fixed up...

And in the meantime, its given me the confidence to get shot of my Europiccola, which Id bought as a backup to the PVL back when it first hit trouble. I'll be sticking it in he for sale forum shortly. Ifyou're interested, be (re)assured that I have never attempted any running repairs in the La Pavoni, and certainly none of the indignities inflicted on my poor Lusso...


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## fluffykiwi

great work!

please don't do that to your expobar, may invalidate the warranty

;-)


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## 50cent

Hi DFK41,

Did you end up getting the Lusso?

I have one and I really like it, especially the steam power.


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## 4085

Nope, I ended up having an expensive rethink and bought Londinium 1 and a HG One grinder. The grinder cleared customs today and will be here tomorrow and the L1 anyday soon!


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## 50cent

That sounds like an amazing bit of kit - enjoy! I'd love the one with the perspex window...


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## Jason1wood

dfk41 said:


> Nope, I ended up having an expensive rethink and bought Londinium 1 and a HG One grinder. The grinder cleared customs today and will be here tomorrow and the L1 anyday soon!


Did you get hit with import duty or still waiting to find out?

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## 4085

£115.32!!!


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## Jason1wood

Ouch! Was that both items or just the grinder?

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## 4085

Just the grinder as the L1 is British anyway


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## lespresso

perspex indeed! swear word! its tempered glass


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