# 2015 gaggia pro and cons...



## daveponeill (Jan 29, 2015)

Ordered and received one of these new listings on Amazon (now down to £185). I can confirm it has the aluminium boiler, solenoid, metal spouted portafilter etc. Perfect crema baskets annoyingly, but that's not a huge issue.

Edit: NB - this post is about a newly purchased *2014* model, ordered after a new (re)listing on amazon after ~1month of unavailability.


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## Daily_Grind (Jan 25, 2015)

daveponeill said:


> Ordered and received one of these new listings on Amazon (now down to £185). I can confirm it has the aluminium boiler, solenoid, metal spouted portafilter etc. Perfect crema baskets annoyingly, but that's not a huge issue.


Hmmm, interesting. At that price I may be tempted to abandon the 2nd hand search and go for a new one. I'm assuming these are now being seen as 'old' stock and are reduced in favour of the 2015 (SS boiler) model.

What's the model No?

How many watts is the boiler?

Was it free delivery

At one I believe a 2 year warranty was included. Is that still the case?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Swing and roundabouts.....

New model = no solenoid and as far as i am aware no workaround for the OPV mod


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## NJD1977 (Dec 16, 2014)

The other thing that hasn't had much discussion yet but is a major issue imo is the auto power-off after 15 minutes. I find the absolute bare minimum for warm up is 5-7minutes and shots improve drastically when I've let the machine warm up for 15mins+. I'm not sure if there's likely to be a mod for this? I presume there will be as it should just be bypassing a timer switch somewhere.

I also understand the 2015 model has a 250ml boiler rather than 80ml which presumably takes longer to heat up and stabilise.


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## Jumbo Ratty (Jan 12, 2015)

Mrboots2u said:


> Swing and roundabouts.....
> 
> New model = no solenoid and as far as i am aware no workaround for the OPV mod


i think its been established in theory by *MartinB* that the OPV mod can be achieved

This is the part on the Classic which is similar to the Baby. On the Baby it's a 10mm nut, I wound it back until I was getting 10 bar. I'd like to say it's the same for the 2015 Classic!


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

The increase in size of the boiler would be significant if true


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## Jumbo Ratty (Jan 12, 2015)

I think theres some misinformation going around concerning the 2015 gaggia classic. Having looked inside mine I doubt very much the boiler is 250ml even though I have just seen this on another web site. I have also seen the wattage shown as 1900 and 1300 when it is definately 1050 watts. Im sure I have read somewhere the new SS boiler is marginally smaller that the old aluminium one and would concur with this.

It also switches off after 9 mins, not 15


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

How is one supposed to get the machine to sufficiently heat up then?


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## NJD1977 (Dec 16, 2014)

9 minutes is ridiculous. I'd say this has to be the focus for the top priority mod, but it looks like it's controlled by a motherboard? As JumboRatty says, there does appear to be a lot of conflicting information out there about the 2015 model. I can't see how it can have a 250ml boiler without occupying much more space in the chassis. I'm guessing coffeeitalia's website is wrong.


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## daveponeill (Jan 29, 2015)

Daily_Grind said:


> Hmmm, interesting. At that price I may be tempted to abandon the 2nd hand search and go for a new one. I'm assuming these are now being seen as 'old' stock and are reduced in favour of the 2015 (SS boiler) model.
> 
> What's the model No?
> 
> ...


Machine is now at my partner's flat in a different city, so I will try to follow up on these questions with confirmations, but...

Model # listed on amazon was RI8161 and to the best of my knowledge this is correct.

Boiler power - will have to wait to inspect machine

I ordered Thursday and wanted the machine Friday so paid £7.99 for next-day delivery. Order was offered with free super saver delivery (3-4 days estimate I think).

Warranty booklet was included, but I haven't looked to see the duration.

Sorry these aren't more complete right now...

Edit: These details are about the 2014 model (to the best of my knowledge). This post has been moved from the thread 'best price of a gaggia classic' because the surrounding posts were discussing the 2015 model.


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## Jumbo Ratty (Jan 12, 2015)

I dont seem to have any trouble with my 2015 machine reaching good operating temperature, I run it through two cycles without coffee to heat the cups up and bring the protafilter up to heat, let the light come on so its indicating its at the correct temparature and proceed to make the coffee. For me it's not the problem you think it is, but you may be used to a different regime with your machines and this is mine.


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## NJD1977 (Dec 16, 2014)

What seems to happen on my classic is that the brew-ready light comes on pretty quickly (within 1-2 minutes) from a cold machine, however it isn't *really *ready. The thermostat is reading the boiler casing temperature, not the water temperature, so you find the thermostat and boiler kick in and out pretty rapidly over the first 5-10mins. The casing is trying to impart it's heat to the water within, and vice versa, the cold water within is cooling the boiler casing down all the time. In addition, the portafilter handle and group head need a good 5-10mins before they are approaching any sort of decent heat to stop the water from inside the boiler cooling.

I didn't realise when I first got the machine what people meant about warming the machine up. I just used to assumed that when the brew-ready light was on, it was ready. I regularly suffered from sour-shots and weak crema. Once I got into the 15-20min warm up camp the taste of the shots transformed completely.

The 2015 model may be completely different, but I struggle to understand how a lower-powered element can possibly get the machine up to proper *stabilised* temperature inside 9 minutes.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Jumbo Ratty said:


> I dont seem to have any trouble with my 2015 machine reaching good operating temperature, I run it through two cycles without coffee to heat the cups up and bring the protafilter up to heat, let the light come on so its indicating its at the correct temparature and proceed to make the coffee. For me it's not the problem you think it is, but you may be used to a different regime with your machines and this is mine.


The boiler heats up, which is what the light indicates, but the metal around the group needs much more time. Otherwise when you run a shot through the cold group sucks the temperature out the water


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

NJD1977 said:


> What seems to happen on my classic is that the brew-ready light comes on pretty quickly (within 1-2 minutes) from a cold machine, however it isn't *really *ready. The thermostat is reading the boiler casing temperature, not the water temperature, so you find the thermostat and boiler kick in and out pretty rapidly over the first 5-10mins. The casing is trying to impart it's heat to the water within, and vice versa, the cold water within is cooling the boiler casing down all the time. In addition, the portafilter handle and group head need a good 5-10mins before they are approaching any sort of decent heat to stop the water from inside the boiler cooling.
> 
> I didn't realise when I first got the machine what people meant about warming the machine up. I just used to assumed that when the brew-ready light was on, it was ready. I regularly suffered from sour-shots and weak crema. Once I got into the 15-20min warm up camp the taste of the shots transformed completely.
> 
> The 2015 model may be completely different, but I struggle to understand how a lower-powered element can possibly get the machine up to proper *stabilised* temperature inside 9 minutes.


I thought the classic measured pressure not temp?


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## Jumbo Ratty (Jan 12, 2015)

jeebsy said:


> The boiler heats up, which is what the light indicates, but the metal around the group needs much more time. Otherwise when you run a shot through the cold group sucks the temperature out the water


I do realise this, which is why I allow the machine to heat up first AND then run two blank shots through as I described. I don't start as soon as I see the light lol


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

here


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## Jumbo Ratty (Jan 12, 2015)

jeebsy said:


> The increase in size of the boiler would be significant if true


Significant ?

* IF* the boiler capacity is bigger on the 2015 model would this be seen as an improvement ?


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## NJD1977 (Dec 16, 2014)

froggystyle said:


> I thought the classic measured pressure not temp?


No, it's got a separate brew and steam thermostat embedded in the boiler wall.


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## NJD1977 (Dec 16, 2014)

Jumbo Ratty said:


> Significant ?
> 
> * IF* the boiler capacity is bigger on the 2015 model would this be seen as an improvement ?


Yes.......and no......

Yes - because it would deliver more steam for a longer period, and would in theory be able to heat water for multiple back-to-back shots more easily.

No - because the lower wattage heating elements would probably struggle to heat up this increased amount of water in the 9 minute auto shut-off period.


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## Jumbo Ratty (Jan 12, 2015)

NJD1977 said:


> Yes.......and no......
> 
> No - because the lower wattage heating elements would probably struggle to heat up this increased amount of water in the 9 minute auto shut-off period.


But the light comes on to indicate the boiler has reached the required temperature long before the auto cut off kicks in suggesting to me it doesn't struggle at all to heat the boiler (whatever size it is) regardless of whether this is considered optimum temperature to make coffee due to the group sapping the heat from the running water being drawn off too soon the element is adequate.


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## NJD1977 (Dec 16, 2014)

The light coming on indicates the boiler casing is up to temperature, not the water inside and definitely not the group. The boiler casing is one big element that heats the water inside it. Just because the element is hot doesn't mean the water inside is up to the same temperature. In my experience (using a PID), the temperatures on the boiler casing swing pretty wildly for at least 5minutes before they begin to stabilize, they finish stabilizing somewhere between 5 and 10 mins from cold. By stabilise I mean the boiler casing and water within are pretty close to the same temperature, which is the desired brew temperature.


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## Jumbo Ratty (Jan 12, 2015)

Its my understanding that the heating elements of the aluminium boiler version where actually built into the wall of the boiler and never came into direct contact with the water so the above would be true in that case. But the element used in the new 2015 model is actually IN the boiler like an exposed element and in direct contact with the water so if a reading of the teparature is being taken from the outside \ sides of the boiler its reading will be of the actual waters heat.


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## NJD1977 (Dec 16, 2014)

Jumbo Ratty said:


> Its my understanding that the heating elements of the aluminium boiler version where actually built into the wall of the boiler and never came into direct contact with the water so the above would be true in that case. But the element used in the new 2015 model is actually IN the boiler like an exposed element and in direct contact with the water so if a reading of the teparature is being taken from the outside \ sides of the boiler its reading will be of the actual waters heat.


Ah ok, well that certainly changes things then. I didn't realise they'd gone for an internal element now as well. If that's the case then ignore what I said.


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## Jumbo Ratty (Jan 12, 2015)

I now have it on good authority that the outdated aluminium boiler which is prone to internal corrosion has a capacity of 120ml whereas the newer more desirable stainless steel boiler on the 2015 model has a capacity of 200ml.


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## MartinB (May 8, 2011)

Where did that info come from?


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## Sk8-bizarre (Jan 22, 2015)

MartinB said:


> Where did that info come from?


Ratty had his 2015 machine go wrong (leak) and has been in conversation with Raj Beadle on the phone to sort it out, may well have come direct from him but he Ratty will have to confirm............


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