# 18g Basket



## Phelixhuawei (Jul 19, 2018)

Silvia came with a 14g basket.

Will an 18g basket fit in the portafilter or do I need to get a naked one?

Also is the generic naked portafilter as good as the Rancilio one?

Thanks


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## shadow745 (Apr 29, 2012)

The Rancilio 18 gram basket is a great fit for the spouted portafilter. Much better design/material quality than the stock double that came with my Silvia. Part # is 40-100-103 and depending on roast level my average dose is 18.8-19.2 grams. It works so well I wouldn't bother with even trying aftermarket baskets at this point.

No idea on the generic portafilter fitment...


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## Phelixhuawei (Jul 19, 2018)

Thanks a million for the reply.

Coffee lacks a punch.

18g it is.


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## shadow745 (Apr 29, 2012)

Yeah between the 14-15 gram doses I was stuck with using as well as the lame monstrous hex head screen screw digging into the puck causing channeling I just wasn't getting the quality extractions I was looking for. Switching to that basket and the flush mount screen kit made a HUGE difference. In the past I've read that it was thought/assumed that Rancilio incorporated those parts to somewhat control the doses being used to adhere to 'Italian standards', but I have always been a fan of updosing every setup I've had as 14 grams won't cut it for what I shoot for. I will honestly say that with some tweaking to the Silvia it's as capable as any machine made once you get things dialed in. Definitely the most unforgiving machine I've ever used, but definitely worth the effort to tame it.


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## mbenney (Apr 18, 2020)

shadow745 said:


> Yeah between the 14-15 gram doses I was stuck with using as well as the lame monstrous hex head screen screw digging into the puck causing channeling I just wasn't getting the quality extractions I was looking for. Switching to that basket and the flush mount screen kit made a HUGE difference. In the past I've read that it was thought/assumed that Rancilio incorporated those parts to somewhat control the doses being used to adhere to 'Italian standards', but I have always been a fan of updosing every setup I've had as 14 grams won't cut it for what I shoot for. I will honestly say that with some tweaking to the Silvia it's as capable as any machine made once you get things dialed in. Definitely the most unforgiving machine I've ever used, but definitely worth the effort to tame it.


 Can you tell me where you got your flush mount kit?


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## shadow745 (Apr 29, 2012)

mbenney said:


> Can you tell me where you got your flush mount kit?


 Yeah sure... from Amazon and possibly from this seller, but I didn't use the included gasket as I went with a silicone by Cafelat as they are much better than rubber.

https://www.amazon.com/Shower-Screen-Upgrade-Rancilio-Silvia/dp/B01NAAJRH1


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## mbenney (Apr 18, 2020)

Ok, thank you,was hoping you'd found one in the UK!


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## LukeH998 (Apr 24, 2020)

mbenney said:


> Ok, thank you,was hoping you'd found one in the UK!


 Did you managed to.source an 18g basket in the UK at a reasonable price? £38 on Amazon!


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

LukeH998 said:


> Did you managed to.source an 18g basket in the UK at a reasonable price? £38 on Amazon!


 Err.... buy an IMS or VST basket? You don't need to buy Rancilio baskets.


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## LukeH998 (Apr 24, 2020)

MediumRoastSteam said:


> Err.... buy an IMS or VST basket? You don't need to buy Rancilio baskets.


 Was just wondering if there's anything cheaper as the other Rancilio baskets I can see online are less than half the price


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

LukeH998 said:


> Was just wondering if there's anything cheaper as the other Rancilio baskets I can see online are less than half the price


 If you want a box standard basket, just buy one. They are not expensive. It's also one of those things most of us have the original baskets of our machies but never use it. They usually fit 18g in it, even though they are labelled 14-16g.

my advice to you: buy an IMS basket if you don't want to go VST route. The standard baskets are not consistent in terms of perforated area, and also have a tapered design as opposed to straight walls. (Most of them at least).


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## Doram (Oct 12, 2012)

Phelixhuawei said:


> Silvia came with a 14g basket.
> 
> Will an 18g basket fit in the portafilter or do I need to get a naked one?
> 
> ...


 It depends on the version of Silvia you have. The inside walls on the original V1 portafilter (and possibly a bit later, I don't know) were tapered (a small 'step' made the bottom slightly narrower than the top), so a straight-wall basket wouldn't fit. I had one of those, and even a straight-wall 15g basket from IMS E&B didn't fit. Later (and current) Rancilio PF have straight walls, so my 15g IMS fits easily, and from what I understand - 18g also fits. Bigger than that and you will probably need a bottomles PF.

The photo below shows the current PF (top) and the old tapered V1 PF (bottom). If your PF walls are straight (and they will be, unless you have a very early Silvia), you are probably in the clear for a straight-walled basket up to 18g.









And here is a close up showing the inside tapered 'step' in the V1 PF:


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