I'm curious, what is Chris Coffee saying about this fit issue? Is it only this batch that's fallen victim to this or is this a known issue for all models? It seems rather unacceptable.

For what its worth - i have an Alex Duetto which I bought towards the end of 2010, and although it doesn't score a 10 in terms of finish, it does not have any of the issues described about the fit. So i would assume that its just this batch?

FWIW this is what I had to say about my Duetto when I posted it on this site. http://coffeetime.wikidot.com/izzo-alex ... wners-list. The serial number of mine is 1408.

Pleased with the machine but there are slight niggles for me. I probably have OCD on this machine as it is a big chunk of stainless steel staring at you so I can't help but keep rubbing a cloth over it and shine it even more. What I have noticed with my OCD is the feet don't screw in dead straight. I mean they don't look crooked but the boss that is welded to the machine that the front feet screw into is a micron out and this bothers me. Also the distance between the portafilter spout and cup is minimal so ending the shot results in the lever knocking the cup. One way of overcoming this is by placing a cup on the left and a shot glass on the right to measure the pour. Perhaps I'm used to the big clearance on my old Expobar Leva. Steaming is excellent.Slight mark on side of machine but I'll live with it cause it's out of site. The stock portafilter spouts are a bit cheap looking so I changed them to something that looks a bit more heavy duty and commercial looking. The machine is very quiet compared to my vibe pump Expobar and the shots/crema look amazing. Taking the drip tray out you can see that the frame has been bent at right angles to form the shape and a couple of spot welds on each corner have been tacked to keep it in place, I've noticed that one of the welds has come away on my machine though can't see this being a problem what with the weight of it but still another niggle for me. It's a beautiful machine but build quality isn't 100%

I also have an original Duetto (since start of 2009)... I always thought fit and finish are excellent (and I'm super picky ). Lid has a gap on both sides, so easy to remove. The steam/water knobs are super smooth... I did have to do some maintenance on steam arm when it got rougher to rotate, but like butter since.

I wonder if your lid is bad (otherwise, perhaps a bad batch of outer shells). At least you got a great vendor, I'm sure they'll help you sort it out.

Well after fiddling with it for about an hour last night the outer shell didn't fit much better thus I put it all back together using my existing pieces. I tried the electrical tape trick and that really did nothing. Maybe tonight I'll tear her apart and see if I can coax the metal a bit more. But officially I cannot put the cup warmer in without having to pull the sides out first or scratch the insides of the sides.

Chris Coffee has been great. They sent me an outer shell and has offered to take back my machine until the new batch arrives. I'm torn of what to do.

Back it

Okay here is the first photo with it pushed into place



This is another photo if I place the cup warming tray on the top without pushing the cup warming tray down. I can push on it and it goes it without a ton of force but again it's causing scratches on the inside of the shell.


So you think I should send it back and wait it out?

Don't let me tell you again

Wow, that is way out of whack!

If you not 100% happy with it, return it.
Especially since the vendor wouldnt have a problem with it.