# VST basket sizes for Rocket



## HowardSmith

Can anyone confirm if the 20g VST ridgeless basket will fit in the standard rocket Portafilters.

if not I assume that the 18g ridgeless will fit but not sure...

anyone had had a play about with this

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**follow up***



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**I now have the 20g ridgeless VST basket & can confirm it WILL fit into the standard Rocket Portafilter that I received with my Appartamento with no issues at all....*



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Also worth noting for those reading this that my drinks instantly taste better with the higher dose/VST combo.*

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## El carajillo

18 s fit most portafilters but best check baslet dimensions on the VST site if no one has the information.


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## RobW

A VST 20g will not fit in a spouted Rocket portafilter. Another good reason to get a bottomless portafilter!


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## HowardSmith

RobW said:


> A VST 20g will not fit in a spouted Rocket portafilter. Another good reason to get a bottomless portafilter!


are you talkie about ridgeless or ridged

funny thing is I called Bella barista this morning & the guy check & he said a 22g ridged would fit in a spouted Portafilter... strange


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## hotmetal

Mine's an 18g ridgeless VST and it fits perfectly in the Rocket spouted and naked PFs. I haven't tried the bigger ones where depth is an issue, but either way I'm not keen on the ridged ones. All the ridge does is make it a PITA to get out of the PF. If you still have the wire spring, that will exert enough pressure to hold a ridgeless VST basket snugly in a Rocket PF.

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Eat, drink and be merry


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## HowardSmith

hotmetal said:


> Mine's an 18g ridgeless VST and it fits perfectly in the Rocket spouted and naked PFs. I haven't tried the bigger ones where depth is an issue, but either way I'm not keen on the ridged ones. All the ridge does is make it a PITA to get out of the PF. If you still have the wire spring, that will exert enough pressure to hold a ridgeless VST basket snugly in a Rocket PF.
> 
> ___
> 
> Eat, drink and be merry


Yeh I figured the 18g would fit no problem in whatever... TBH I do want the 20g though & the conflicting info is a bit confusing.... I also agree the ridge design is a pain, not so much getting it out but more because it just gathers grounds... In my old set up (Sage Barista Express) the baskets were straight walled with no ridge & the pucks knocked out perfect.... Not liking the rocket double basket so far TBH...

Out of interest what are you dosing into your 18g VST... I have found the rocket double will only take about 18.5g before it gets to close to the shower screen... Personally I do like a heavier dose of between 19 & 20g so trying to figure the best VST basket size for rocket portafilters in conjunction with appartamento.


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## hotmetal

I normally go from 17.3 up to 18.7 depending on what the coffee is. I've had perfectly good shots at just over 19 but don't go there as a general rule. Best to get a bigger basket if it will fit.

___

Eat, drink and be merry


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## RobW

HowardSmith said:


> are you talkie about ridgeless or ridged
> 
> funny thing is I called Bella barista this morning & the guy check & he said a 22g ridged would fit in a spouted Portafilter... strange


Sorry for delay in replaying - I have a ridged 20g VST and that definitely does not fit. Feels like it is hitting the bottom before the ridge is an issue but I could be wrong.


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## HowardSmith

Update on post one.... The 20g VST RIDGELESS fits my standard rocket Portafilters with no issues...


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## ISCM

I moved over to using the bottomless portafilter.
First I used a generic one, but I found that a bit light, so then I bought the Rocket version which is about 140 g more heave and my shots improved.
Now I will look to get a VST (or IMS),

I thought that I would add this, as if going bottomless, the generic portafilters can be a bit lightweight.
Even the Rocket portafilter is not as heavy as one with a spout.


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## MediumRoastSteam

ISCM said:


> I thought that I would add this, as if going bottomless, the generic portafilters can be a bit lightweight.
> Even the Rocket portafilter is not as heavy as one with a spout.


 Errr.... There's a significant extra chunk of metal on spouted portafilters... Namely... The bottom? And the spouts? Of course they are lighter. In fact, much lighter!


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## ISCM

> Errr.... There's a significant extra chunk of metal on spouted portafilters... Namely... The bottom? And the spouts? Of course they are lighter. In fact, much lighter!


 Yes, I know that bottomless portafilters are lighter that 'normal' which I think makes it even more important to get one that has some weight.
I moved from a generic bottomless to a branded Rocket which. although still lighter that a spouted portafilter, is a big improvement on the lightweight generic. It was 130 g more.


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## MediumRoastSteam

Yeah, I had one of those. They are good. If you want a heavy one, the ECM grand crema is the way to go. Although... I prefer lighter ones. There's no reason why it should be heavy. Doesn't benefit anything.

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## ISCM

MediumRoastSteam said:


> Yeah, I had one of those. They are good. If you want a heavy one, the ECM grand crema is the way to go. Although... I prefer lighter ones. There's no reason why it should be heavy. Doesn't benefit anything.


 I seem to be getting better shots with the one that is heavier and was thinking that it could help keep the temperature stable while pulling a shot.
The generic one that I have is exceptionally light, so now I will just keep the blanking plate on it and use it for cleaning.

I do like using a bottomless as my main portafilter and unless I wish to make two espressos at the same time, I see no need to switch back.

Anyway we are going a bit off topic, and I only added my experience with bottomless, as it seemed relevant to using 20g baskets.
I will get my new "Barista Pro double filter basket 20g" in the next few days.
Up until now I have been using my 'original' Rocket basket.

You suggested the "ECM grand crema" portafilter, but you also suggest that the portafilter does not have to be too heavy, so it may be the the Rocket one is about right and I will stick with that for now.
The funny thing is that it came in a Rocket box, but there is no branding, which is strange for Rocket.
I looked at pictures from other authorised suppliers and none had branding on the Bottomless Rocket portafilter.
Branding is not that important to me, so I will just assume that it is genuine.


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## MediumRoastSteam

Good stuff. VST, for me, is the way to go.

Re: rocket PF, yes, rocket box, no branding. The ECM doesn't have branding either, mind you. Also, I didn't recommend it. I just find it heavy. 

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