This is for Ken, if he checks in from France (others can read, too )

A new organizer put on a "Coffee, Tea & Chocolate" fair in Pasadena yesterday. There were a lot of familiar people exhibiting and doing presentations (Sherri Johns, Coffee Klatch, Chuck Jones, Joe Behm and others). I'd heard all the presentations before, but went mainly to schmooze. The turnout was terrible, because the Cal/UCLA game was a sellout at the Rose Bowl, and construction made the show very hard to find, even if you made it through the Rose Bowl traffic. So, there was LOTS of time to schmooze.

Anyway, I noticed Heather Perry was giving a demo on her USBC prize GS3. My wife, Joan, periodically questions whether I really NEED a new espresso machine, even though she cooperated in building our espresso bar to GS3 specs. So, I think, "I'll take her into Heather's demo and she'll see how utterly life-changing and fabulous the GS3 is, just as I did last summer."

In we go, and it's almost as if everything that could go wrong with the machine proceeds to go wrong. The low water sensor is cutting the machine off as soon as the water is 1/4" down, and Sherri Johns is running back and forth refilling the reservoir every 5 minutes. The overpressure valve is seriously misbehaving, causing the pump or valve to alternately wail loudly or spew water into the drip tray. Heather is furious and muttering dark oaths against the machine. All the while, of course, wifey is giving me "the look."

Thanks for the warning! I think I take delivery of mine in the next week or so, and I will be sure to fire it up with the local distributors handy in case of problems.

Marshall,
I think you missed a wonderful opportunity to purchase a GS3 cheap!

old442 wrote:Marshall,
I think you missed a wonderful opportunity to purchase a GS3 cheap!

You're probably right, but, I couldn't bear the weeks of "I told you so's" while we got the bugs out.

I was there too, and watched the whole debacle! Poor Heather! She was not a happy camper! It is a PRETTY PRETTY machine with shiny blue lights, but I think Heather finally convinced me to wait until the next upgrade! I'll find out if she feels better about her prized posession in November.

Heather wasn't the only one who had problems! Joe Behm said he started a fire in his own roaster during a Behmor demo! (I didn't get to see that!).

Next year all of the kinks will be worked out!

Marshall wrote:This is for Ken, if he checks in from France (others can read, too )

I'd check in more often but you know, being a tourist in France has other attractions . . . . I have been torturing French people forcing them to listen to my "French Language as a-work-in-progress."

As to the G3, I'm sure it is a very nice machine. Those LM folks are great and I'm sure they'll stand behind whatever problems occur. My only cautions are that with more complexity comes more potential problems. Given the fact that few of us make more than maybe 5 espresso drinks per day, it is hard to make a serious argument for having more than a basic E-61 machine at home, that will be used so little.

ken
---spoken by someone who currently owns 2 modified Cimbali Juniors and 5 commercial grinders, at last count, in a home setting

Marshall wrote:She knew nothing about the early model bugs and fixes (on a list of about 20 corrections LM has made). I THINK I convinced Joan the current machines really are o.k.,

Just tell her that you got it at a really really great price as a beta tester! You are a beta tester if you are making 20 pre-recorded bug-fix corrections after delivery, I don't care who you are. Pros would just send their FB-80's or GB5's back if they got them in that condition.

Ken Fox wrote: Given the fact that few of us make more than maybe 5 espresso drinks per day, it is hard to make a serious argument for having more than a basic E-61 machine at home, that will be used so little.

Oh, I dunno, it wasn't really that hard.
Me: "You're going to spend $1500-2000 on a really good home machine, you can get a really-really nice commercial two-group for $2500!"
Me: "Uhm... oh-kay!"

La Marzocco seems to be the Apple Computer of the espresso world.
The machines sure are nice but their own customers end up being the lab (test) rats. They've had laptops burst into flames and others just simply D.O.A.
It sort of sounds familiar to me...
I have 5 Macs

Niko wrote:La Marzocco seems to be the Apple Computer of the espresso world.
The machines sure are nice but their own customers end up being the lab (test) rats. They've had laptops burst into flames and others just simply D.O.A.
It sort of sounds familiar to me...
I have 5 Macs

Yes, but it could be like Microsoft! They make you PAY for their "features"! (I live my life on Macs!) Heather got those GS/3 "features" for FREE!

Now that's a scary thought, "Microsoft Espresso."

So, is THIS the new and improved MArzoCco Gs3 Titanium?

I have 1 mac.