We leverheads often think that if it weren't for the small pump machines that we would have some amazing hardware to play with....advancements here and there, like the age of the La Peppina, Caravel, Mini Gaggia, Microcimbali, Faemina....all going head to head with innovations and improvements....like a parallel universe of lever machines. So to investigate the ease of use and general coolness of the early pump machines we made this video. The intention was mostly serious until it all went awry....

Well, the quickmill is certainly more imposing than a comparatively modest La Peppina. The spool up of the motor would certainly make onlookers step away.

The fun thing is those sentiments are now reversed; buttons and noises are now commonplace and actually mechanically controlling stuff with levers is now, in this age of multitouch and drive-by-wire, a unique way of interacting with machines.

Very entertaining - well done you two. I see Quickmills haven't changed.

Levers are about to make a hige comeback. Just last week Gwilym Davies was in Victoria, BC for a lever event. Levers are cool now!

Thanks for this brilliant video. I have been looking at these for ages, now I have seen that crazy pump I have to have one. Maybe I just need to get out more, but those retro buttons and switches are just brilliant.

[quote][quote="Paul_Pratt"] now I have seen that crazy pump I have to have one.
Maybe Doug and Barb would trade you for your Speedster


By the way, I seem to be getting posts from the (near) future: your post came in at 9:07 AM and it is now 8:20.

Thanks again D&B. Market questions aside, this begs the question that I've been asking for years - since mogo kindly gave me his Carvel, the first on HB. But even before that after I fell in love with my 45 (mm group that is, aka PV-sama-whatever came before).

Why?

Let's imagine a group of designers standing around a workbench (lever machine to their side, empty demitasses scattered about). "If we use a pump will it create more pressure?" "More than a spring, but not more than one of those Pavonis" "But it will give home espresso enthusiasts of the future endless fits trying to get a decent extraction - the pressure will never be applied evenly to the puck" "That's their problem.."

PC

Doug and Barb,

You guys rock!

For the record, I refuse to be called a LeverHead. For obvious reasons that you have ably demonstrated, I refer to many of my espresso slurping friends as PumpHeads.

"Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world" ~ Archimedes

"Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world, but I won't be able to extract espresso." ~ unknown

Peace,

Jack

Nice, Doug and Barb
A(non-spring) lever allows me to feel and see(pressure and flow) the quality of a shot. Making a shot with a spring is more about seeing(lever rise and flow) and a pump is about hearing and seeing (pump strain and flow). Somehow it is the feeling and seeing that gives me the best total human experience. To feel the making of something has been underrated as part of the total pleasure. It must have been intriguing to see and hear a machine doing mans efforts. The pump straining on a tight pull as I would have huffed on the same pull. But after the intrigue wore off as it did with me I just want to get my hand back on the lever.