Has anyone else noticed that Chris is going to start selling a commercial style Izzo spring lever machine?

http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/home/espresso/pompei

His site has a picture and video (which I haven't watched yet), but not much in the way of specs. However, this machine looks very promising, since it appears to offer a full sized commercial group with a spring lever, which isn't very common in the home market.

It's quite a beast at 135 pounds, and obviously it would be too tall to fit under most cabinets, but this would be a really cool machine for someone who has the space for it.

It's not really a new machine. I think there are a few owners over on coffeesnobs, and it seems to be popular for mobile espresso stands because there is a gas heating option. I was pleased to see CC start carrying it, though. I like seeing any emphasis on high-end single group lever machines.

Here's a size comparison between a slightly different model of the Pompei (with PID) and a Duetto. That's a Robur at the left.

Interesting, I didn't realize that the Pompei had been available elsewhere for a while. There seems to be a general dearth of commercial style lever machines in the home market, so I thought that this machine was a nice addition.

Looking at your picture, it seems like it's really a huge beast. It completely dwarfs that Duetto, which is a pretty big machine for home use. I'm guessing it's probably too much machine for most people, though it would be perfect for light commercial use.

I still think someone needs to come out with a machine that has a full sized commercial spring lever paired to a relatively small boiler and case, so that it would actually fit in an average kitchen without giving your significant other a heart attack. Maybe a machine that's the size of a Duetto or similar e61 box, but with a full sized commercial lever group instead of an e61. Of course, then you'd still need clearance for the lever under the cabinets, but at least the machine wouldn't be the size of a small car.

I don't think a kitchen-friendly lever machine is ever going to materialize unless an importer like CC has a manufacturer build it for them. The silly thing is you could easily assemble one with readily available off-the-shelf parts. It's such a simple design. The problem is being able to move however many units you need to make a profit. I doubt a lot of people in the current home lever market would pay $2500 for a new lever machine. OE specifically looked into this in the past and decided not to pursue it for financial reasons.

Bluecold wrote:Conti Prestina fits the bill.

If the entire market for this type of machine can be served by the number of Conti Prestinas that seem to be available then it truly is a dead concept.

Chris,
Where does the pic of the PID Pompei come from? Is it available in N. America?
-Ian

I lucked upon this thread - figured a discussion on levers would be in the Lever Espresso Machines forum.

Try getting around more often! Moved per your [implied] suggestion.

A full size commercial spring lever group on a domestic size boiler and case might not be a very stable machine in use....

michaelbenis wrote:A full size commercial spring lever group on a domestic size boiler and case might not be a very stable machine in use....

Are you talking thermally or mechanically? The Conti Prestina fits a 4L boiler inside a case that's smaller than my Duetto and has no issues in either respect. It has no heat exchanger or pump, so there's much more space available than with a pump machine.