It's only been a year since I started using this machine, purchased new, and I have to continually make the grinder setting coarser to produce a continuously flowing shot. Does this machine need a new spring already? It has only pulled about 400 shots. If so, how much of a PITA is it to change the spring?

If the spring had deformed (compression over the fatigue limit), a new one will help, but it will deform soon... I think a lot of these designs are like that, as far as I know the MCAL deforms too (mine was around 85mm but a new one is 94mm), the Gaggia old commercial group too (mine originally 165mm, now 157mm) etc. The strange thing is that I think it should deform right after some use, unless it's very near the limit when the lever is fully pulled and it took so many pulls to short it.

The groups should use 2 springs with less displacement to avoid this kind of problem, as some commercial groups do, like the Fiorenzato/Izzo and the Rossi (or CMA?) used at Bosco, Athena etc.

Interesting. The spring deformation would explain why, when I first got the machine, the flow from the dispersion screen came out evenly and straight down. Now, the water flow veers left. Thanks for the info. Márcio.

If you do a lot of multiple pull shots, it might be worth pulling and cleaning the shower screen before touching the spring. It should be fine after just a year.

Cheers

Mike