Sean, I insulated the PVL (pictures posted on another post, I think in the lever smackdown thread). Couple reasons. 1st to reduce the heater element cycling frequency and a small energy savings. I have the unit on a timer to kick on about 30 minutes before I awake in the AM. Experienced heat damage on the wiring & other plastic that was not heat resistant on the old HX/E61 machine(on 24/7). The PVL has minimal wiring and minimal control parts. Insulation is probably not critical. Also insulation deadens what noise the PVL creates when the heating element is active. An unintentional benefit. Dropped the boiler cap one day. The insulation prevented it from falling down into the case. Maybe there is not enough room anyways. There was enough space around the circumference of the boiler to allow a 2nd layer of insulation (~15mm total of radiant foil lined ThermaGuard). For continuous on mode during the day insulation would probably be beneficial. For my morning personal use it was just an easy DIY modification.

EDIT:
Narc, in reading the evaluations of the PVE at the various threads, it seems that its precursor the SAMA was better constructed and much better fitted. I have no issues with the fit of the metal inserts for both the drip tray and cup warmer. Despite a tiny bit of play, they both fit well and fail to get knocked out of place. Doesn't seem to be any internal problems at this point either.

Sean_in_SF:

Greetings and I lived in El Cerrito for 11 years and graduated from UCB in French, the only graduating male at that time. That aside, for your triple pulls, what weight of coffee are you using and what volume are you getting?

And all THAT aside, I just scored a recently rebuilt '67 Oly Cremina with a factory Lemon color paint job and forsee a smackdown between the two machines in the near future. This is certainly gonna' be a real adventure. Thanks for the addiction!!!!! Vatch out, Black Cat.

Great thread!

Three shots every week day, as many as I can get during the weekend I really enjoy working with the Lusso.

I purchased the Lusso from 1st-Line and their customer service is great! Within a week of receiving the machine the heating element blew up, and 1st-Line promptly sent me a new one. It has been shots away ever since.

In my opinion the build quality on my machine is just ok. Things that have been mentioned already, the wand alignments are a little off, one of the PF's threads on better than the other, the single baskets (Which I don't really use) don't fit the PF's very well, and finally, the stick-on name badge is really, really, cheap looking!

Would I buy the machine again? YES!!! The shots are amazing, and I really enjoy the ritual.

-Steve

I should mention a positive thing about the build of the Lusso (relative to the other lever machine that I tried, the Gaggia Achille): it doesn't leak, and the only 4 pipes that exist are metal, welded to the boiler.

Also: unlike the Gaggia Achille, the steam and hot water valves work and do not leak. That's not to say that they're *great*, but they work. I wonder if it's possible to attache star-shaped knobs?

tjkoko wrote:EDIT:
... it seems that its precursor the SAMA was better constructed and much better fitted. I have no issues with the fit of the metal inserts for both the drip tray and cup warmer. Despite a tiny bit of play, they both fit well and fail to get knocked out of place. Doesn't seem to be any internal problems at this point either...:

The boiler filler cap was what I dropped. Drip tray and cup warmer on the PVL I own has fit equal to the other machines I have owned ('81 Gaggia Coffee,'02 Isomac Tea and MCal). The PVL does suffer in cosmetic fit and finish. Both my water and steam wands are not centered perfectly in the hole or the hole was drilled off on the front casing plate. Internally the machine looks well built. As I noted in a review of the machine the water sight glass is mounted too low relative to the position of the boiler. Auto cut off switch will kick in before the water level reaches the bottom of the sight glass and ~300ml of additional water can be added after the sight glass is filled. The 2 group Lusso uses the same case/frame as the single group. They just squeezed in the 2nd group. Split the water and thermosyphon line. The water wand slightly obstructs the view of the boiler pressure gauge. No real big issue in the function of the machine. Just a poor reflection of the design and quality of finish. The thermo stability, ability to pull consistent quality shots, forgiving nature and so far reliability makes this machine a keeper.

PVL must have had a few SAMA parts left around. The plastic guard protecting the electrical components is stamped SAMA. Considering the quality issues that have been posted I would only purchase a PVL from a dealer with well respected customer service.

tjkoko -- sorry for my late reply; I've been busy elsewhere lately. Some other PVE users, esp. Peacecup, can comment with much more authority on triple-pull shots, but I can say that I've been using Peacecup's routine (if I recall it correctly, that is): I measure beans by volume, using the PV metal scoop (two scoops). Sometimes I use slightly less -- I'm still experimenting. I have not yet measured shot volume, but I'm trying for a double, and I get what looks like 2 oz. Need to measure, though. I'm also still fine-tuning my grind; each pull (that is, the spring-powered movement after I released the lever) was rather fast until I tightened the grind a half-click on my Cunill Tranquilo.

Ciao a tutti,

I've had my PV Lusso 2-group for just over a month now, so I'm ready to make a few observations:

Minor cosmetics:

The steam and hot water wands are not centered in their holes, and the bends of the wands are not quite symmetrical, either. However, this does not affect their function, and I'm not about to re-bend chromed tubing.

A bit of rough paint on the bottom frame is visually unnoticeable, but you can feel it; a blob of paint dried against a table top, leaving an "edge". The workmanship of the inner drip tray & the cup warming tray is not exactly pristine, either, but no one sees the inner surfaces I'm referring to, and function is unaffected.

Functional oddities:

The left and right group heads do not warm up at the same rate; the left head feels slightly cooler than the right when they warm up together. The left head can be warmed up further by flushing more water (1-2 cups) through it. For me this asymmetry is not a deal-breaker; I like to experiment with different brew temps, and this allows that without my having to re-adjust the p-stat.

The sight glass has not been a reliable indicator of the water volume. Jim at 1st Line speculated that there could be debris in the tubing, but the problem persists after descaling. My current workaround: after turning off the Lusso, I release some pressure through the steam wand, and note the level in the sight glass at that time -- I disregard any later rise of the level after the boiler goes cold.

The cast-in spouts of the portafilters are too small; post-shot dripping goes on too long (long after I've taken the cups away). I'm having EspressoParts NW chop the bottoms off my PFs next month.

As is well-known, the wands leak a bit if the knobs are not closed tightly. That's a minor irritant; the drip tray's poor drainage (from too few holes) is more irksome by far. Also, because the wands are given an extra 45 degree bend outward, to accommodate the 2 group heads, the steam tip is in line with the power switch and the hot water wand is nearly over the right edge of the drip tray. So far this has not presented any serious problem -- but I would not have designed it this way, that's for sure.

Ciao,
Wayne

peacecup wrote: My manual is a Caravel (see the Ararax Caravel thread). I've pulled some really amazing shots with it, and I suppose the Cremina would be better, or at least as good. Manual levers are definitely better with older beans.

PC

Having owned both, if I was only going to do straight espresso shots I'd save $150 and find a reconditioned Caravel. Better heat management, and better shots on the Caravel I believe. If making a significant number of milk drinks, the Cremina would be a better choice as long as you're making only a couple of drinks at a time in order to manage temperature.

I need to add that after three years, the paint on the bottom of my drip tray is beginning to peel. It always had some rough spots, and I guess some coffee got under the paint eventually. Its not a big deal, and probably will take years to become noticible if left as is, but I'll probably prime and touch it up.

PC

roastaroma wrote:....

The sight glass has not been a reliable indicator of the water volume. Jim at 1st Line speculated that there could be debris in the tubing, but the problem persists after descaling. My current workaround: after turning off the Lusso, I release some pressure through the steam wand, and note the level in the sight glass at that time -- I disregard any later rise of the level after the boiler goes cold.

The cast-in spouts of the portafilters are too small; post-shot dripping goes on too long (long after I've taken the cups away). I'm having EspressoParts NW chop the bottoms off my PFs next month.

As is well-known, the wands leak a bit if the knobs are not closed tightly. That's a minor irritant; the drip tray's poor drainage (from too few holes) is more irksome by far. Also, because the wands are given an extra 45 degree bend outward, to accommodate the 2 group heads, the steam tip is in line with the power switch and the hot water wand is nearly over the right edge of the drip tray. So far this has not presented any serious problem -- but I would not have designed it this way, that's for sure.

Ciao,
Wayne

Agree with Wayne's statements about the Lusso 2.

After using almost on a daily basis for ~1.5 years even with all the quirks and not Elektra quality of build I like the Lusso. The sight glass is semi useless. Mounted too low. Auto shut off will kick in before the water level in the glass reaches the bottom. I normally add ~250ml more water after the level reaches full. Still plenty of head space in the boiler. It is a tight squeeze with two groupheads, water wand, steam wand. PV took the single group and basically split the water line and added a 2nd group. I don't notice by touch any difference in temp between the two groups after the normal pre-pull routine. I flush both groups after bleeding off any false pressure via the steam wand and let the unit sit for at least another 5-10 minutes. . Had a bottomless filter conversion by an H-B forum member. Prefer using it over the stock portafilter. Should have had both converted. The stock design due to the "flaw" noted above require you to pop off the filter basket and shake/wipe the interior prior to loading up a fresh dose. It retains a significant amount of liquid from the previous pull. If this lever machine pulled inconsistent or routine poor shots it would be placed on the 4 sale page. But it's pretty much an idiot proof of a lever machine. Easiest most forgiving lever machine I've so far used.