It still seems unreasonable for you to have to shoulder any costs on a brand new machine. I would be seriously pissed if I was in your shoes.

Bob_McBob wrote:Could anyone who has opened their machine and had a look inside tell me whether the boilers are completely level? In my machine (several years old), both boilers lean back noticeably, and I've always wondered if it's right.

Leaning back. After considering other signs, such as slight deformation of bottom covers and compression of packaging, I suspect that the direction and degree of the boilers' displacement is a function of how many times the box was dropped, and in which orientations, during handling. Something to consider, when you're looking at a good price on a "buyer's remorse" unit, is that it may have absorbed much more than the typical shipping abuse. I see some of the same fit issues on my March 2011 Duetto II, in addition to a drip tray cover that doesn't meet squarely the backsplash. Mine is mostly in plumbed use, with frequent road trips using the tank. Fit between inner shell and top cover is also uneven, but not an issue, and I have not used either since unpacking, mainly because they add 15 lbs. of weight and impede fiddling with pump pressure and tank access. When I get around to it, I'll drill the outer shell to give screwdriver access to the adjustment. Inside, where it counts, it has been flawless and fuss-free, as has the coffee. An effective and forgiving espresso tool, which I'd choose again.

My opinion is as narrow minded as can be, seeing how this is my first and only espresso machine. But, subjectively, I love the dang thing. Every error I have encountered happened on my end of the portafilter. And it brings to mind the interesting thread about wheter having to learn on crappy equipment first makes for a better barista or not; As a rookie right out of the gate using very high quality components, I've already been able to pull back to back reliable and consistent shots. Whether they were amazing tasting, well, that's another topic.

I was curious though, if any other users have noticed the brew lever "slipping" down a bit, to about a 30 degree angle, when it's lifted up and let go? It happened once or twice on mine, and I couldn't figure out why I was getting this long lag time, like a long pre-infusion..

TomC wrote:It still seems unreasonable for you to have to shoulder any costs on a brand new machine. I would be seriously pissed if I was in your shoes.

Given Chris Coffee's reputation, I wouldn't be surprised if they do something nice for him at the end of the day. I'm sure none of this is lost on them.

I put in a pre-order yesterday and spoke to Mary. I brought up this thread and we chatted for a good 20-mins. She said that the fitment issue has been brought up with Izzo. So, it's not like they're just sitting on their hands. They clearly see this as an issue. That being said, she told me there are only about 5 reported cases of this from the June shipment of about 200 machines.

I'm sure this will be resolved, but it would be testing my patience, if anything.

FYI, there will be two July shipments and they don't know if it will contain the redesigned reservoir -- most likely it will be part of the second July shipment. It will also have a float sensor just like the Andreja Premium as opposed to a micros witch, per Mary. This is the one I asked to be put on hold for me.

I need to figure out how to retrofit a refill switch into mine when I plumb it in, that's the one feature I miss on my 2010 model.

CrayonShinchan wrote:Given Chris Coffee's reputation, I wouldn't be surprised if they do something nice for him at the end of the day. I'm sure none of this is lost on them.

I put in a pre-order yesterday and spoke to Mary.
[...] omitted some..

FYI, there will be two July shipments and they don't know if it will contain the redesigned reservoir -- most likely it will be part of the second July shipment. It will also have a float sensor just like the Andreja Premium as opposed to a micros witch, per Mary. This is the one I asked to be put on hold for me.

Having just received my Izzo Alex II (not Duetto) I'm curious if you have any details about the redesigned reservoir. I'm in the process of installing a dedicated espresso bar and my Alex will be plumbed in then, but in the mean time refilling the reservoir is a PITA, trying to pull it out or sliding it back in with the zero clearance allowed for the hoses/tubes. I always fear pulling them off or tearing them in the process. That in my mind is a poor design. Luckily I won't have to deal with that for too long. Hank sent me a couple of valves to try for refilling but I haven't been to WalMart to pick up the water bottles that match the valve thread size yet.

jw

John,

It is my understanding that the new reservoir will be similar, if not identical, to the Quick Mill ones where the entire top is open. However, Mary mentioned (and I hope I'm not misquoting her) that the reservoir may not be interchangeable with older Duettos because of the new switch that's going to be put in.

Since you're going to plumb in, maybe you can just chop the top of your current reservoir off?

Cheers

I don't see how the new reservoir wouldn't work with the old duettos if it's the same shape. The existing design is just a spring loaded plate over top of a microswitch.

Maybe it will, but Mary said that the sensor is going to be a float switch as opposed to a micro switch. The reason is to reduce the amount of welds the machine has (i.e. less things breaking).

Thanks everyone for your support. I hope that Mary does something for me. I figured I needed to send it back without any clarification regarding the shipping cost due to the fact that I travel. I unfortunately had to pack it and ship it quickly and then leave town on business the next day.

I don't blame Chris Coffee for this however I hope that they now check things a bit more closely since, from what I've heard, is that Izzo builds this machine for them strictly. Thus they should have more of a stake in the QA process. Mary has let me know that she is personally going to inspect the machine for me. This I'm thankful for.

As far as the cost of the shipping, nope it doesn't please me that I had to pay almost 10% of the cost of the machine to ship it back. When I shipped it I shipped everything including the rails and the converter cord. The only thing I didn't ship back was the bottomless portafilter. I originally shipped it all back just in case the design had changed however after paying the shipping bill I seriously considered buying a different machine. Such as the Vibemme however I think I may just stick with the Duetto. I do hope that Chris compensates me in some form or fashion but we'll see.

Also for those of you who have issues please let Chris know. If they don't hear from the buyers that there are QC or stricter tolerances then they won't push Izzo to change.

Thanks!