Expobar again, is it time for a lever?

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
number9
Posts: 272
Joined: 18 years ago

#1: Post by number9 »

Hello all, I am back again, with my bad Expobar office lever/Brewtus II whatever they called it
back in 2005.

I have had some problems with this machine before, and a few times I received a great deal of help from here...

Expobar Office Lever will not get hot

Expobar out of commission, need help! Need coffee!

Over the last 8 years I have changed pumps, steam break valves, grouphead gaskets, countless pressurestats (and none of the new pressurestat models will fit between the boiler and sidewall no matter how much you bend leads or bend the wall now), hoses, switches, etc, etc. I have taken pipes off and cleaned them, taken the entire unit down a few times, etc. I will admit, in the beginning I was using water that had too much calcium in it and that was causing a lot of my problems.

Now, the unit builds up too much pressure. There seems to be a dead zone in the pressure stat, if I adjust
it down, it is too low. Hours of playing with it comes up with nothing. Again, the new stats don't fit. The
grouphead is spewing again from a bad gasket (of course that can be replaced) and I have a very odd problem with the grouphead... the lever that turns the valve, after you pull a shot you push the lever
towards the machine to release the pressure on the back of the head. On the expobar it has gotten to the
point where you are pushing really hard, and barely any water is coming out the bottom of the pipe
from the grouphead. Of course sometimes this causes a mess when you do not release all of the pressure.

At any rate, it is getting a bit frustrating with the bad tasting coffee. We are seriously considering a new
machine. (If I had the time/money back from maintenance on this one I could have purchased anything I
like, but now I am a little short on tons of cash for a machine) I am wondering what is everyones opinion
on the levers vs the semiautomatics. I seem to read from the lever people that it is heaven in a cup, but only after the pain and suffering of a long and twisted learning curve. Is that true? Would anyone feel that
fixing the old expobar is a worthwhile option? I don't really... if I had a backup machine it would be ok to fix
it on the side I suppose. I have no affection for it, so I would not care about letting it go, other than the
whole money thing. Is there an opinion on what I could get for a limping expobar with spare parts?

Any insight would be appreciated. We love our espresso... is it time to move on, or fix our old unit?

Thanks.

espressotime
Posts: 1751
Joined: 14 years ago

#2: Post by espressotime »

I've owned several pump machines and several levers.
I don't think the learning curve for a lever is steeper than for a pump machine.

AngerManagement
Posts: 167
Joined: 18 years ago

#3: Post by AngerManagement »

Not all levers lend themselves to the ease of use that other machine do....

But it depends on who is using and how often and for how many..

The new leavers such the Bezera and others like it are in a different league to other more simple style levers.

1: It sounds like you need the HEAD services and parts in the E61 group replaced.

2: Also a new preasurestat or at least a service kit.

8 years of service is a lot for many machines and again it depends on usage/water and what service it might have had..

I service the internals about every 12 to 18 months, and have had mine for about 4 years now and have also had to service the spring in the OPV as it can cause flow and pressure issues that many assume is the pump.
Ability is nothing without opportunity. - Napoleon Bonaparte

User avatar
drgary
Team HB
Posts: 14345
Joined: 14 years ago

#4: Post by drgary »

FWIW I found it easier to learn to use my Millennium La Pavoni Europiccola than to use my PID'd Isomac Amica. Puck preparation was less of an issue. Something much better like a Londinium I would be more consistent and easier to use than the Pavoni.
Gary
LMWDP#308

What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

number9 (original poster)
Posts: 272
Joined: 18 years ago

#5: Post by number9 (original poster) »

Thanks for the input.

I wonder how much a head services and parts for the E61 are. Then again, the real issue
is cost vs sinking hole. I don't think I want to be stuck with this machine forever and
just keep dumping money. I think this time it will take too much effort (fix the E61, fix
the boiler problem... it is taking too long to fill. I know I have a plugged up line again).

Of course, this also means if I get a new machine I will have to do distilled water or
go for a reverse osmosis kit or something to get the calcium out of the water. There
is a ton of it here.

I am leaning towards the Elektra Microcasa if I go lever. The Londinium looks great, but with
the UK/US conversion it is too much machine for me to afford.

User avatar
drgary
Team HB
Posts: 14345
Joined: 14 years ago

#6: Post by drgary »

I really like my Elektra Microcasa. Understand that if you only use the stock spring it will give you layered shots that are less dense than you get on an E61 machine. It will give you crema and the shots will be delicious. The Elektra MCAL does better for temperature stability if you create and add a Teflon gasket between the group and the boiler. It is higher build quality than a current Pavoni. A manual lever like a Pavoni will give you more range for the dense shots and lighter ones too and for varying temperature if you add a group thermometer. This morning I had a coffee professional visit me who was astounded when I pulled better back-to-back shots on the Pavoni using the same coffee this person had had on a restored Faema E61 pulled by a professional barista. But the Pavoni was outclassed by my commercial lever, where the shots are dense and more layered than anything, including the MCAL.

Some people here really like a Ponte Vecchio Lusso. It'll be priced comparably to the Elektra, maybe a little less, and it's supposed to have a reasonably strong spring. I've never tried one, though.
Gary
LMWDP#308

What I WOULD do for a good cup of coffee!

IMAWriter
Posts: 3472
Joined: 19 years ago

#7: Post by IMAWriter »

Mr number9,
I'd trust Dr Gary on all things lever.

erik82
Posts: 2146
Joined: 12 years ago

#8: Post by erik82 »

The Bezzera Strega can also be a good option. You've got the ease of a E-61 but with a lever and loads of options for pressure profiling due to the design with the pump. It's pretty easy to learn and work with and the shots are really nice.