Coffeechap wrote:I believe the aforementioned issues over switches were resolved and that any L1 owner that had an issue was sent out a replacement switch to rectify the problem. The new machines do not have this issue anymore as far as I am aware!

I am intrigued as to why you considered and indeed purchased the L1-P if you were not happy with some of the build quality aspects Stephen?

I thought the machines were a very nice product, but as you might know not anything you purchase is perfect, maybe close but there is always something. I just changed a switch in mine and called it good since it worked well that way. The L-I should be a great 240V machine, as you operate in the UK and all over Europe.

As for the L1-P I love it! It does have some things that are a puzzling, other than economic design considerations, but I have found nothing that would stop me from recommending it as a good machine. Now the drip tray should be the size of the L-I if I was a designer and had designed it, but it is smaller and I have to live with it which is OK. It is one of those observational things, it is smaller in surface area, period, nothing more.

The drain system clearly needed work but as other Posters have shown there is a very simple canning funnel (for canning jars) fix that costs next to nothing and takes maybe an hour to adapt by just about anyone. So that was not a big deal, just an observation.

The Cup Warming Top was just boring for me, functional but boring. So I made a Cup Surround out of acrylic. I did not want to cut down the existing top panel, that would have been blasphemes, so I just stuck a stout piece of perforated stainless steel plate on top to capture the acrylic. Both the stainless and the acrylic were inexpensive and it took a couple of hours to make in my shop, so why not?

I like the machine and I can see other things I might want to do to it in the future but I love the shots from it and it will be had to get out of my possession or talk me into another espresso device.

I like making or modifying things and when you (myself) buys a new car I am not afraid to cut into it and modify it to suit my needs.



And it was worth every penny to buy, modify / build and drive this little beast. Coffee machines are no different in my mind; it is all about the fun

Coffeechap wrote:I believe the aforementioned issues over switches were resolved and that any L1 owner that had an issue was sent out a replacement switch to rectify the problem. The new machines do not have this issue anymore as far as I am aware!

I am intrigued as to why you considered and indeed purchased the L1-P if you were not happy with some of the build quality aspects Stephen?

I'll make some guesses:

1. VERY good discount for L1 owners;
2. VERY good resale value on the L1;
3. Likelihood that lessons learned from 1st gen L1 were incorporated into L1-P (lots of fixes between first L1 and successive iterations);
4. Nice design on L1-P.
5. For all the badmouthing Reiss gets from time to time, he does stand behind his product more than most manufacturers, and (IMHO) is very responsive to customers who encounter any issues.

With respect to the last point, I wonder how good after-sales support of Bosco machines is (and don't say they won't ever need support/fixing). It's sad that OE carried them only for a short time; I would have felt pretty good about getting one from them and relying on them for support afterwards. Might well have chosen one over a Londinium when it comes time to get a spring lever machine.

Reiss WAS always a good supporter of the product he sells. Since since I am persona non grata with Reiss I don't know.

The L1-P is a 240V machine only and therefore that is the design criteria and nothing gets overloaded inside the case that I have found, although the only thing I did was check the current draw before I purchased a timer.

Balthazar_B wrote: With respect to the last point, I wonder how good after-sales support of Bosco machines is (and don't say they won't ever need support/fixing). It's sad that OE carried them only for a short time; I would have felt pretty good about getting one from them and relying on them for support afterwards. Might well have chosen one over a Londinium when it comes time to get a spring lever machine.

I've had excellent support from Roberta Bosco since I purchased my 2011 Sorrento last Winter. She has answered my numerous questions that I've emailed promptly. Sent out parts I've ordered quickly after sending me diagrams to make sure that I ordered the correct parts. When I had an issue with a seal in a new knob style steam valve I ordered to replace the toggle valve that was on my machine she sent me a complete rebuild kit at no charge. I've probably received almost as many items at no charge as I've paid for.

Thanks, John, good to know. Wish those machines weren't as rare as hen's teeth in the States; I'd love to check out the operation on one and taste some espresso from beans with which I'm familiar. Would make a purchase decision easier, or at least better-informed, when I'm in the market for my next machine.

I was fortunate to have some espresso from an L2 (the one Rich Gregory has discussed), and while I wasn't able to go hands-on with it (it was in a cafe that is governed by rules, you know), I could see some aspects of its design and build quality firsthand.

Do you happen to know the story behind OE and Bosco? Why did they stop selling them (and how did they begin selling them in the first place)? I've never found any real information online.

As far as I know OE only brought in two machines which is two more then any of the other U.S. "dealers" have probably ever stocked. They had lots of good things to say about them & then moved on which seems to be the case with just about everything but their grinders these days.

Cafe' Vita, in Seattle, might have had one sitting in a storage/not regular use a few years ago. They had multi group Bosco's.

Nonineto wrote:I am in position to buy a lever machine. Londinium, qm or bosco. I would like to see a londinium first hand before I buy one outright from londinium website. I've heard many good things about the londinium. Please let me know if your willing to show me your machine if your in the toronto GTA area.
Thank you.

Nick, I was chatting with the person behind Latte 911 yesterday. He's the exclusive distributor of Astoria levers in Canada. He's based in Hamilton and frequently does business with Toronto area cafes and clients. Nice guy and very passionate about espresso and equipment:
https://m.facebook.com/911latte

FYI, I reached out to David and he made it clear that his focus is on high-end independent cafes so I got the impression he didnt normally sell direct to consumers. He seems quite knowledgable though so a good guy to know.

289?

215 Buick, maybe?

Carter AFB?

A long time ago, I would have known these things...

and I haven't measured my Strega - if the switch had the same issue on the Strega, I am sure that we would have heard about it by now.

... and, FWIW, to get back on topic, I think that all of these machines are good. The Strega costs less because it takes advantage of Bezzera's extensive parts bin and in-house manufacturing economies of scale. For example, it uses Bezzera's E61 chassis, the same pump, same HX, same steam/hot water assemblies, etc.

The biggest difference is that the Strega uses a unique group based on the 'traditional' CMA/Astoria group, while almost everyone else uses the new top with the enclosed bearings - some with one spring, some with two. The new top:
- adds weight, giving more thermal stability; and
- looks cool. It makes the Strega group look small.
For thermal stability, the Strega uses active heating. A PID controller can be easily added and might achieve class - leading thermal stability (of the group).
For looking cool... well, we could put a group buy together on a machined Aluminium cap...