Rob, we'd prefer it were glass mostly for a mix of aesthetic and long-term durability reasons. Plastic tends to scratch and sometimes cloud or discolor over time and is generally a less desirable material than glass or metal. These are many of the reasons that the "jars" on most of the higher end kitchen blenders are advertised as glass and not plastic. As we don't plan on moving the machine, the added weight of glass wouldn't pose a problem for us (unless it would make the whole thing too top heavy). In terms of attaching - I dont think that would make a difference, for as Dan noted, the reservoir is removable, not fixed - and if anything, the added weight of glass might theoretically improve the seal a bit, though again, I doubt that would be a real-world issue either way. My understanding is that generally in kitchen appliances, the choice of plastic rather than glass is more a function of manufacturer cost savings than anything else, which is why the higher-end the appliance, the less external plastic one tends to find, in favor of more metal and glass ...

r-gordon-7

TUS172 wrote:Hmmm... a person comes to a site full of lever heads and asks us to convince him to stay with an entry level pump machine... Sounds to me as if you are insecure with spending the money to get an expensive experiment... So why not get a used Pavoni on Ebay from a reputable seller and give it a whirl at a lower cost?

Not a bad idea! I learned much in 4 short weeks with my Pavoni....sold it so I could purchase the Cremina, but if my wife had let me, I would have kept the Pavoni as well

r-gordon-7 wrote:These are many of the reasons that the "jars" on most of the higher end kitchen blenders are advertised as glass and not plastic.

True, but blenders with glass mixers also have large grip handles. But I understand your point; the Gaggia Achille has compromises for the sake of easier manufacture and cost (another example is the formed stainless steel base that flexes slightly under stress versus a cast iron base).

TUS172 wrote:Hmmm... a person comes to a site full of lever heads and asks us to convince him to stay with an entry level pump machine... Sounds to me as if you are insecure with spending the money to get an expensive experiment... So why not get a used Pavoni on Ebay from a reputable seller and give it a whirl at a lower cost?

You've done an excellent job reading my mind. I think I did that same sort of "try it out" thing by getting the Gaggia Espresso, and I decided a few months ago that my next upgrade would REALLY be something good that would last for a very long time, such as a nice big HX. The big appeal of the Achille is the temperature control from the HX and the fact that it is smaller and lighter than (afaik) any other machine with this sort of temperature stability/repeatability. I've really been wanting a machine on which I could control the temperature and dropping $200 on a PID for the Espresso doesn't seem like a great improvement. I need to give it a bit more thought though... the way I worked out the numbers, (assuming $0.50/shot for beans) I'm getting about $1.64/shot after three years of one shot per day usage, which is less than the cost of a shot at a cafe. This looks like a very friendly number!

Anyways, I'll stop looking for validation of my decision here and try to think exclusively about the answer to this question: "Having purchased this machine, will I regret spending the money on it (and will this spending seem minuscule relative to the increase in espresso quality)?" I'd like to think that the answer is no (yes), given the machine's glowing reviews and outstanding feature set.

And by the way... the venting of the PF when removing it is considered an advanced feature? That advanced feature seems to be present on my Espresso!

I've enjoyed my Pavoni immensely. To compare it to a pump machine, I would compare it to driving an automatic vs. a stick shift. A Pavoni gives you more control over the variables meaning you'll have to pay more attention to the details. When I use the Pavoni, I seem to anticipate the quality of the shot more. So, when I get a good one, I tend to appreciate it more.

aindfan wrote:the venting of the PF when removing it is considered an advanced feature?

Yes, well... it is a lever, after all...
It seems that the "advanced" solution on mine was to drill a small hole through the portafilter edge at just the right place. Releases the pressure (more) gently if I am anxious to loosen the pf after pulling a very restricted ristretto... I guess it could be done on other machines' portafilters too, but YMMV.

I am happy to report that the HB community has failed to convince me that my Gaggia Espresso is enough. I'll be pulling HX lever shots by the end of this week and comparing the Silvia steam wand to the Gaggia and Saeco panarello attachments (which I am getting instead of the two bags of Lavazza that the vendor would have included - couldn't quite convince them to toss in a free RB tamper).

More on that once I get it set up and running. Now I'm off to the LMWDP thread...

peacecup wrote:Which I am hoping to meet someday - as a matter of fact I need to be in Goteborg to clear customs next week, although the schedule may be too tight this trip. Do Bezzera levers surface frequently in that neck of the woods?

Yep, we failed to meet. Next time though!
Pro levers, naah, the espresso people here are mostly Pump Heads. I would be very surprised (in a pleasant way) if you were to find another home lever user in Karlstad, and extremely surprised (in a very surprised way) if you were to find a pro lever user there. I am the only Lever Lover I know about in Göteborg, but I have a friend who claims he is fixing up his Faema lever. Lovely beast, I have seen it, but it needs some work...