For user who on average might draw 5-6 shots a day (mainly for making Lattes). I tend to be suspicious when I see glowing reviews of machines where owner has owned them for all of a month or so. Thanks for any tips, caveats. If Vaneli's still had an Export demo at $349 I would have grabbed it.

-Gene

The Export holds half as much water. This is fine for me, because I almost never make more than 2-3 shots at one time. Then I release the remaing water out of the group, which cleans it, and refill next time. I think it has less wattage, but it heats in les than 10 min.

Another advantage is that it is lighter, so I can just hold it over the sink each morning to empty the boiler entirely, then refill with totally fresh water. I believe grong empties his Lusso with a syphon, so that may be equally effective.

The Export may be slightly taller - it is definitely much narrower.

The Lusso can be left on all day, like a commercial machine, at least some have said. The Export is more of an on, brew, off machine. You do need to wait the 5-10 minutes for the water to heat. Now, personally, I can usually gauge my espresso desire well enough to plan ahead 5-10 minutes.

I have never had a problem with overheating when brewing 3-4 shots. BUT, I have the pressurestat turned down (the Export has no pressure gauge, the Lusso does; I'm not sure where mine is set, therefore). Also, I cool the group with a wet sponge and cold portafilter if needed.

In my limited experience, the Export is far slower to overheat than is the La Pavoni,

hope this helps, and feel free to ask questions - I've been using the Export daily for >2 years,

PC

You'd have to weigh (pun intended) the benefit of all that extra metal in the Lusso. I haven't used the PV Export, but I am definitely liking the fact that the Lusso can be left on for extended periods, the large boiler, the hot water wand, the gauge, the big cup warming tray and the largish drip tray (despite the less than stellar drip tray cover).

On the Lusso, I've been emptying the boiler for fresh water at the end of the day by turning off the machine and purging the boiler via the hot water wand into a steaming pitcher (filling and dumping several times). I think this gets nearly all of the water out, no need to move the machine to dump or syphon and I can do this all with the machine hot and pressurized. I end up with an emptied and de-pressurized boiler ready for a refill the next AM.

Jeff and I have discussing the basket capacity of the PV - I can get ~15-16g max, but usually use 13-14 g.

Mine IS the old $349 model, and I can say its been worth it. It does not have the spring in PF, whichi I've found to be fine. In fact, since I use a hand grinder, I dose into the basket without the PF, and the basket lies flat on a plate. This helps the grounds stay level.

PC

The Lusso is in the "club" or "small communities" class and the Export is a personal or domestic machine.

The Lusso's group is not bolted to the boiler but is heated by convection via thermosyphon. The convection is self-regulating—i.e., as the group heats up the temperature differential between boiler and group is reduced and so the thermosyphon flow slows down; if the group cools down and the differential increases, the thermosyphon flow increases. This dynamic keeps the group in the optimal range.

The absence of conducted heat permits a greater number of shots in a smaller window of time relative to the Export. You can wait a few minutes for the Lusso's group to cool down after four or five shots in a 10-minute window. Waiting is not possible with groups heated both by conduction and convection. The barista must cool those machines down with a wet dishrag—like a boxer being sponged down between rounds.

If your espresso making would be well served by a domestic machine and you don't need the Lusso's greater capacity and temperature stability/predictability, then the $200 difference for the Lusso may not be worth it. But if I were buying a machine, a $200 bump would be reasonable over the lifetime of the machine for the temperature predictability, the corresponding ease of use, and the consistent results in the cup. The Lusso will last for decades even if components that wear out, such as the pressure stat*, need periodic replacement. The design is very simple.

Regards
Timo

*Routine gentle descaling with CleanCaf every 4-6 months (depending on hardness of water) can keep a pressure stat from getting stuck and in good operating condition.

Many thanks to all for very helpful notes. From here it looks as if either machine would outlast me and since I would rarely, if ever, have the need to make more than 4 or 5 pulls a day, I think the less expensive Export would be a wiser choice. Incidentally, the main reasons for wanting to "upgrade' my faithful "Peppina" are:
1) her tendency to topple forward (I should say over-topple) every time the draw lever is pulled down, and 2) her totally inadequate steaming capability for Lattes or Cappucinos (even the instructions admit that),

One question I would ask Peacecup: when you turn on the Export (i.e. from a cold start) how do you know when the water in the boiler is at the correct temperature for you to make your draw?

Best to all,

Gene

The little round light on the front is connected to the pstat, so whenever the machine gets to pressure the light goes out. Often you'll need to release false pressure once by opening the steam wand, then let it finish heating. If I'm only making 1-2 espressos I don't even fill it all the way, and it heats more quickly.

The Export has pretty good steam capabilities. Its really nice to be able to steam during or right after the shot is pulled. I never realized how much of a pain it was to wait with my single boiler pump machine until I went back to it after using the PV.

PC

GeneHal,

I found some quality issues with my Ponte Vecchio Export that purchased last month. After some fixing the machine now works OK. For more details check my last posting on the thread: "Finally, another Ponte Vecchio Export lever user"

Good luck
Geoffrey

Maybe I am living in a dream world, but that seems like a long list of problems for a machine that costs $700 in the USA. I wonder if the folks at 1st-Line are as good in after-sale response as Joe and his son apparently are.

Cheers,

Gene