Hey guys I wanted to start the thread for the June shipments of the Alex Duetto II. I just got mine after having to wait for over 2 months. After coming from an Isomac Tea this is a beast! I've put some of my thoughts down here about the machine and hopefully those who got theirs this month will chime in!

The machine came double boxed and was packed very well. What I thought might be a quick installation took about an hour due to having to do the following:

-Unpack machine and parts
-Removing back cover and connecting the tube going to the pump
-Reassembling the back cover
-Putting on the feet
-Putting on the extra rails that I bought
-Pulling off all of the protective plastic
-Washing the drip try, water reservoir and portafilters
-Putting everything in its place such as the items listed above
-Attaching the converter cord and plugging it in

Some general observations are listed below:
-This thing is quiet. I'm used to my noisey Vibe pump but this rotary is quiet and it makes my grinder sound louder
-Steam machine!
-The feet and the optional handrails are very solid. However the handrails could have used a bigger washer or the holes could have been sized smaller for the screw
-It's heavy and has a good sized footprint, deeper than my Tea and wider too
-The panels are very nice heavy and thick. The whole thing seems a lot more solid than my Tea
-From drip tray to group head there seems to be a little less room than before and the drip tray seems more shallow
-Some how either my drip tray or the metal that is cutout of the base is off 1/8" of an inch. I thought I was crazy but I got the tape measure out and I'm not crazy
-The tube that goes into the drip tray has a rubber silicone tube on it, this prevents me from easily and quickly sliding the drip tray in and out. Need to call Chris about this as I can see this will be a pain in the future
-The cup warming tray that I put my optional handrails on the fit of that isn't as precise as I would have liked not sure why it seems to have a different contour than the shell but it fits with some wiggling
-Steaming milk will take some getting used to, the steam arm is lower and and the bends are lower thus making me hold the pitcher closer to the counter. I used to rest my arm on the portafilter for more stability
-The steam and hot water knobs are gorgeous. Much different than the other batches of Duetto's I've seen, thick, solid and heavy feeling

Overall after having it for 12 hours I like the machine. I'm a bit obsessive with fit and finish and quality of materials which makes this hard. The quality of materials are pretty good however some of the finished parts could have been better. The non-100% conforming shape of the cup warmer, the drip tray not fitting quite right, the water knob having some rough plastic edges whereas the steam does not, the slight flex when I insert a portafilter and the drip tray being off 1/8" or so takes a bit away.

Also, I purchased the bottomless portafilter. Do I have to use thinner gaskets than what the machine came shipped with? It seems that the ears may be thicker thus it sits in the group at 7 o' clock instead of 6 like the factory double and single.

Okay so far I've pulled the drip tray and saw that the front plate was screwed in place so I loosened the screws and set the plate flush and now the 1/8" space is gone. I think I may have to take my machine part and bend the pipe that drains in the drip tray more at an angle so I can easily slide my drip tray in and out.

I also took pictures of the cup warming tray and am going to send these to Chris to see if the tray is misaligned or if it's the shell.

I received mine Wednesday also and I'm in Texas too.

So far very similar experience. Fit and finish are OK to me. (I'm pretty anal but maybe not as much as our original poster) lol.

For me the drip tray wouldn't fit all the way flush until I realized the return silicone hose was the problem.

It did not align properly with the tray and all I had to do has adjust it upwards so it would fit.

What I haven't figured out yet is the alarm switch. What exactly does it do?

I'm adding some pictures to the previous poster very good pictures.



This is the tube you need to connect after removing the top cover and the outer shell.
I'm glad I had to because I saw how well built the machine is. The outer shell is HEAVY.



Connection done.



Next to my Mahlkonig.



Another angle. (With beans in the hopper.)



This silicone little hose covers the copper return that I needed to adjust so the drip tray will fit properly.
EASY FIX.

The extractions have been superb with Red Bird Espresso blend. This is all I have used so far.

It is definitely a steamer and while I'm still working on my technique the results have been good.

Excellent machine in my opinion. Hopefully it will stay this way for years to come.

Paret wrote:This is the tube you need to connect after removing the top cover and the outer shell.
I'm glad I had to because I saw how well built the machine is.

It looks like that's in response to the shipping problem I had. It's much nicer to open and connect than open, replace a gauge and connect, so I'm glad to hear they made that change

The alarm switch is a nice addition. If you run the machine plumbed in on an older machine without it, you need to keep the reservoir filled because otherwise the low water alarm will continue beeping at you.

Would someone mind taking a closer picture of the lid and the rails? Mine doesn't have rails, and I'm curious if the rails require additional holes I don't have on mine.

Let us know what response you get on the cup warming tray/shell fit issue. I just received mine this week and have the same concern.

slowrey wrote:Okay so far I've pulled the drip tray and saw that the front plate was screwed in place so I loosened the screws and set the plate flush and now the 1/8" space is gone. I think I may have to take my machine part and bend the pipe that drains in the drip tray more at an angle so I can easily slide my drip tray in and out.

I also took pictures of the cup warming tray and am going to send these to Chris to see if the tray is misaligned or if it's the shell.

I'm still waiting for mine to show up in portland or.

Okay I've already decided the thing I hate about this machine so far. Filling up the tank. What a pain! I am going to have to buy a funnel just to fill the thing up. I wish that the Duetto II would have been redesigned like the Andreja Premium with the hinged top cover.

As far as the handrail issue, I think it's going to require holes to be drilled as mine already had 6 holes predrilled in the warming tray. By the way the hand rails are awesome. I couldn't imagine having it as a pourover without the rails. They are thick, sturdy and feel like quality when you pick them up.

http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/hom...izzoduetto

Here is the link for the new pictures for the new additions.