(this is depicting a classe 7 LE, but they're seemingly identical)


This is the machine in question. It has been discussed briefly by a few of the members on here, but I'm not quite sure what the used market value is on these. I have the opportunity to purchase one which looks to be in decent condition for ~1900USD. fair price? i'd like to pay closer to $1000, but if the price is fair I'm willing to move up a bit.

They're a dipper group with two steam wands and a hot water tap. pump for auto boiler refill, and not much else. looking to brew 24g 1:1 shots.


Anyone here familiar with these? (Looping?) comparisons to other commercial levers?


looking forward to getting into a lever setup soon! thanks!

I almost went crazy and drove up to San Luis Obisupo once last summer for a 3 group Rancilio Classe 6 Leva for $500. They sure look like nice machines, but I just don't see much information for them on these sites.

$1900 sounds a little expensive for ~10 year old machine that has been through commercial service and no refurbishment. Might just be my cheapness there though.

There was an Astoria single group dipper style lever in the Seattle area recently for $1100, I thought that was pretty reasonable. There was also a La Cimbali single group lever in the area that (I think) started at $1400 but dropped to something nearer $1000 before it went away.

What do you want to use it for? If it's destined for home use pulling a few shots here and there, steaming a couple of pitchers of milk for some caps, I think you would do better with a new Strega for $1900 or less. If you're going to put it into commercial use, then it might be worth the cost of servicing, although a single group isn't advisable in a cafe setting, it's better for restaurant coffee service, mobile use, popups, and maybe catering.

perfectwheels wrote:There was an Astoria single group dipper style lever in the Seattle area recently for $1100, I thought that was pretty reasonable. There was also a La Cimbali single group lever in the area that (I think) started at $1400 but dropped to something nearer $1000 before it went away.

thanks for the perspective! i think i saw that very La Cimbali you mentioned. ps: excellent roaster you've got there

russel wrote:What do you want to use it for? If it's destined for home use pulling a few shots here and there, steaming a couple of pitchers of milk for some caps, I think you would do better with a new Strega for $1900 or less. If you're going to put it into commercial use, then it might be worth the cost of servicing, although a single group isn't advisable in a cafe setting, it's better for restaurant coffee service, mobile use, popups, and maybe catering.

Thanks for the suggestion! some sort of lever will be used in a tasting room alongside a pump driven machine from the netherlands . If i were to use a lever in a cafe setting, 1g would definitely not cut it.

DanoM wrote:I almost went crazy and drove up to San Luis Obisupo once last summer for a 3 group Rancilio Classe 6 Leva for $500. They sure look like nice machines, but I just don't see much information for them on these sites.

$1900 sounds a little expensive for ~10 year old machine that has been through commercial service and no refurbishment. Might just be my cheapness there though.

it's worth noting that i'm told the machine will be in for service before it is sold... any thoughts on how much routine servicing on a commercial machine costs? (if serviced yearly) --and what all gets replaced aside from the PF gasket and descale / cleaning

I just rebuilt a 2 group version of the same machine. The hardest part was getting rid of the scale and the cockroaches. Thankfully I realized the roach problem within minutes and got all 5 of them within a week or two.

Decscaling was another thing. The boiler took a few days sitting full of Calcinet with the heater connected so the water stayed hot and then another bit in a big stainless pot to get the ends. Some of the tubing took over a day in almost boiling solution to get the insides clean. I replaced the insides of all the valves, the gaskets in the groups and the shower screens. It probably needs a new feed line and a new drain line. Just because!

Money wise, one hundred or maybe a bit more for everything I needed. There was one connector that had gotten hot so I replaced that and slightly changed the wiring so it wouldn't happen again. The factory used 2 wires to heat three elements with a jumper so one heater wire carried double current. I made it so there are 3 heater wires, one per element which should make that problem go away

It's easy to work on, parts are easy to come by locally and reasonably priced. I'm local if you have any questions or want to see the inside of mine before you buy one.

Ira

ira, very informative post. and that's insanely generous of you! i appreciate the offer! beers on me if i take you up on that! would you mind giving us a ballpark price on what you paid for the machine?

$1000. It was not an expected purchase, I went to buy a Bunn G2 for $100.

Ira

well i ended up getting the machine, and for a much more reasonable price.

questions before I fire it up:

after moving the machine i found a stainless steel ball bearing sitting under it. i'm almost certain it came from somewhere inside the machine.

Being the idiot i am, i cocked the lever and went to lift it back to home position. I WAS NOT EXPECTING IT TO SHOOT UP LIKE THAT! It snapped into the up position with the full fury of the spring!

could i have damaged anything by this total newbie move? I'm worried that ball bearing came from somewhere in the group mechanics.

I'm pretty competent in HX machine repair, but i know absolutely nothing about levers. (hoping to learn lots!)

thanks everyone!