# Bent frame Rocket R58 Cinquantotto



## tyinsky

My Rocket R58 arrived today. Pulled it out the box, put it on the counter and immediately noticed the frame was bent on the weld join where the drip tray meets the body.

Has anyone else suffered this on a Rocket? The machine feels like it s made from lead when I lifted it so I imagine the strength of the frame to support it means I wont be able to bend it the few millimeters needed to make it straight.

It will get sent back, but would be good to know as I can see how over the years a mishap 'could' happen and I may need to repair (It looks like a weak spot). It may sway my decision on getting one as the quality just does not seem to be there despite the hype.


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## tyinsky




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## Rob1

This would happen to pretty much any machine mishandled by couriers. It's a weak point. It can be bent back but there may be damage internally if it's been kicked around/dropped.


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## cuprajake

If you look at Bella barista site they have a note on rocket machines. Saying so many get damaged in transit.


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## DavecUK

@tyinsky Rocket use a mild steel painted frame, which although thick is not as resilient as stainless. To balance that comment, most stainless used on machines is quite thin, but a few machines do use thicker stainless for that bottom plate that has everything mounted on it. At 1.5 to 2mm thick stainless becomes extremely strong and resilient, plus it's "springy".

It could be bent back, probably wouldn't be weak in that area...but I's not going to be that easy.

I have been on a little hobby horse over the years to convince manufacturers to "modularise" their machines and separate the drip tray from the machine...which would much reduce shipping damage and box size! I have not done much about it over the last year, but might try again with a few manufacturers. Give them something to read over Easter.

It's always tricky to convince them, because my thoughts come with costs, but I don't order 300 machines.....


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## BlackCatCoffee

Contact the seller. It will have been thrown around in transit most likely.

Unfortunately it is big headache for machine retailers. You just have to have one person down the chain that doesn't care about what they are doing and throws the machine around and you are in trouble. The best packaging in the world wont save you if people just don't care.

We ship via a dedicated fragile service that means the goods are transported in cages and only sorted by hand (a lot of damage occurs by what is known as mechanical sorting).

Even with this approach for machines over a certain value (or machines we consider sensitive to shipping) we send via the pallet network. Bloody expensive but it gives peace of mind.

Hope you get sorted!

David


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## El carajillo

This is not restricted to coffee gear.

Had a small wooden filing cabinet delivered by DHL , well packaged and padded, top padding showed signs of small impact.

The runners for the file draw had been ripped off (draw and runners loose in the bottom) The bottom carcase panel was split back to front and the solid back panel was damaged in two places. Just sent back this morning. (After a slight 'tussle' with the seller and manufacturer )


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## BlackCatCoffee




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## DavecUK

As online shopping gets ever larger and retailer disappear, it will either take people power and insurance claims (which are almost impossible to win), or government legislation to clean up the act of couriers.

I've been relatively lucky but occasionally review machines have been damaged. I remember opening the door as a courier allowed a Compak K8 grinder to backflip out of his hands and land with the middle of the pack across my doorways thick steel threshold which was only about 1cm thick. I explained that was a grinder worth around 1K that he had just dropped....of course it didn't work once I opened it and tested it.

It's a problem and seems not to be getting any better...it's why they refuse to carry packages with Shockwateches on them and many I don't think will pay out insurance based on shockwatch data.

With the Evo, many of the pallets are missing a leg, or a side rail....this can only be the product of extreme abuse.


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## Rob1

When I received my Expobar it came via regular DHL or FedX (can't remember which) from Europe. The packaging was excellent, no real damage to the out box and basically a thick inner box of polystyrene formed around the machine that had to be prized off it.

When I got my ACS machine via a pallet service it was evident it had been removed from the pallet, tossed around and put back on a pallet at the point of delivery. The pallet itself was also damaged. Wouldn't be remotely surprised if some of the people unloading pallets from planes decided it was easier to take everything off the pallets, chuck them off the plane, and stick them back on a pallet on the ground.


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## RocketTim

Hi *tyinsky*

If you're paying this much for an espresso machine the least you can expect is for it to arrive safely. Which dealer did you use? They should be able to replace it for you as it was damaged in transit.

If you need any help please do get in touch with me, and I can escalate to Rocket Milano for you, and get you a new replacement R58.

I'm the owner of * (and * website) and as an official UK Rocket dealer we have sold over 200 Rocket machines this year in the UK. All of these have been hand delivered by our UK based engineers who deliver safely and provide a white glove setup and training service absolutely free. And should anything ever go wrong our two year onsite warranty means our engineers come to you instead of you having to box it up and send 'back to base as with other dealers. Please do check out our Trustpilot Reviews: Experience the power of customer reviews

Above all, if you don't get any joy with a free replacement from the other dealer we'll help by exchanging it ourselves for a new one we have in stock and hand deliver it to you. It shouldn't happen on a £2k+ machine.

Tim


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## tyinsky

Thank you for the thoughtful replies and good advice, and kind offers.

The machine came from Seattle Coffee Gear in the US. They are absolutely fine with it being returned and replaced, however they have offered me a massive discount on it (taking it closer to an Apartmento in price which was where my original budget began) so I think I am keeping it. Going to give it a good test run tomorrow to make sure everything works. Still covered by a warranty.


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## tyinsky

An update. Tested the machine today; water pouring out of it. Took the covers off and one of the pipe ends going into a solenoid or something was sheered off. Shame as I was looking forward to a decent coffee. Will get another. The machine must have taken a serious beating in transit.


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## P1Fanatic

Its a common problem - more so with Rockets for some reason (or maybe I came across more when researching them). Bella Barista in the UK wont ship them via normal courier. You either need to collect or opt for their white glove delivery / install service. I bought my Appartamento from Machina in Edinburgh and I was a little worried but they only ship rockets on mini pallets and it was extremely well packed and cabled so turned up just fine. I would have thought SCG as a big name in the US would be aware of this but if it gets abused, dropped etc by the courier then its highly likely to get damaged due to the weight.


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## tyinsky

A pallet would have been the way to ship one of these.

I'm not getting another Rocket. The Apartmento looks lovely, but when the R58 was sitting on the counter I just wasn't taken by it. Couple that with the experience of it being bashed up, having to get it to the FedEx office to send back, buy a new box for it to go in as the one it came in not fit for sending back and I'm not sold at all.

Went back to my original research and chose something perhaps better suited to my needs. Having seen the Rocket in person, I'm a lot more exited about it's replacement.


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## MediumRoastSteam

Oh do tell! Do t leave us hanging in suspense! 😂😂😂😉



tyinsky said:


> Went back to my original research and chose something perhaps better suited to my needs. Having seen the Rocket in person, I'm a lot more exited about it's replacement


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## tyinsky

Well, a month or so back I posted on here to sense check a shortlist I had; a couple of Izzys, a Bezzera, and a Rocket. I thought I'd done a good job of identifying what would be a good machine for the next couple of decades yet the knowledge of you guys told me I was looking at the wrong specs. All of mine were vibration pump, PID, HX/single boilers, and I was getting hung up on whether I should push the boat out for a shot timer. The budget spanned from the $1,800 I was hoping to spend, up to $2,500 for the Mozzafiata Cronometro V Nera - a machine I liked the visual look of. But this was pushing the amount I wanted to spend.

The advice here, given the price point, was to get a double boiler rotary machine. I went back to the drawing board and ended up with the R58 mentioned above. It had everything, and the bonus ability of being programmable to turn on at a specific time each day, and had what I thought was the nicest appearance (and they are nice). Budget had risen sharply. Then it arrived mangled, It sat on the counter for a week and I never felt the joy I'd hoped looking at it. Not sure why but it just didn't do it for me.

I will never plumb the machine (I have a thing about tap water). I appreciate that rotary pumps are quieter and last longer. But also know swapping out a dead vibration pump is easy and I have done it a handful of times in the past. Quickmill's QM67 has everything on the must have list other than it comes with a vibration pump - which I don't particulary need, so I am almost certain that's what will be arriving. It is not ordered yet so if someone tells me "don't buy one, they all catch fire", or "they interfere with the TV reception" I will give up and start drinking instant.

It is a little smaller than the R58, It sits in a one piece stainless steel chassis and has some very clean lines. I'm planning to personalise it a little at some point by adding a joystick to the steam side (leaving the water with the turn knob), and powdercoat the sides in a colour (see the black one). Will enjoy as is for a while.

Actually very excited about it, which is the way it should be. 🤩


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## MediumRoastSteam

Look great! It's not a very popular machine over here in the UK. Seems like QuickMill has gone out of vogue for whichever reason. The Verona (Andreja Premium in the US) was a very popular machine over here a few years back.

A vibe pump is absolutely fine. Also a lot cheaper to replace should it ever go wrong.

Enjoy it, and let's hope this one arrives in one piece! 🤞

As for a Rocket&#8230; you pay for the brand and shiny design. There's nothing special with them in terms of build quality - I personally don't rate them at all.


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## DavecUK

@MediumRoastSteam I think it's just that Quickmill doesn't have a good retail presence, they do make a nice machine and they are always making incremental improvements. It's again a single owner company, not a corporate.


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## MediumRoastSteam

DavecUK said:


> @MediumRoastSteam I think it's just that Quickmill doesn't have a good retail presence, they do make a nice machine and they are always making incremental improvements. It's again a single owner company, not a corporate.


 That's right. I know Bella Barista used to carry stock, but it seems that Ferrari Espresso is the one doing so now.


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## El carajillo

I have the Verona as reviewed by Dave a few years ago, I have had it for a good few years and am very happy with it and do not see me changing it .


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## tyinsky

I'm a good few months or more into using the QM67 and absolutely love it. Will put some images up and a more detailed happiness report at some point. Paired it with a Breville Smart Grinder Pro.

Thanks for all the good advise helping me get to a machine that is a good fit.


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## Chriss29

tyinsky said:


> I'm a good few months or more into using the QM67 and absolutely love it. Will put some images up and a more detailed happiness report at some point. Paired it with a Breville Smart Grinder Pro.
> 
> Thanks for all the good advise helping me get to a machine that is a good fit.


 Greta choice, looking forward to the pictures!


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