Paul_Pratt wrote:Ugh I wish people would ask us first before complaining. All portafilters are of course tested in actual machines before sending them out. On the Millenium I am testing in a brand new 2014 unit, (and a mid 2000's unit) and aim to have the pf's lock in around 8:30 oclock, which they all of course did. On the older machines I have them lock in just a tad tighter to take into account wear in the brass group.

Ears are a red herring and determine only part of the lock-in position, I cannot be sure which gaskets people are using, I know that there are many on the market.

I'm sorry if it sounds like i'm complaining. It really isn't my intention. I was really just looking for some ideas about possible solutions. As i said in the post i really think the coffee is better, and isn't that the point?

One thought I just had is that my current gasket might have swollen over time, and maybe it just fits a bit tighter with a new unworn PF. I looked at my old PF and noticed that the ears are certainly worn down. That wear could easily account for the difference i noticed.

I will get a new gasket to see if it helps, but honestly it seems to be working fine with the slightly trimmed gasket.

Thank you for the speedy shipping and the beautiful work!

You might want to make sure the sleeve in your group is fully tightened. If not it would make the shower screen and gasket protrude so that your gasket and an unworn portafilter don't fit.

Good suggestion. I don't have a sleeve tool, but ill see if I can't figure something out.

A cut-off square chopstick can work.

I'll have to find a way to get an "action shot" of mine, but it really is a beautifully made piece. The fit is perfect in my 70s brass sleeve machine using an Elektra double basket and ~6 month old gaskets from OE.

Well done Paul, I certainly appreciate all your work bringing this to market for us.

A little update.

First of all I want to thank Paul for the very nice work, and the excellent service. Secondly, I want to thank drgary for his insights about the sleeve, although it ended up being fine it is always a good thing to get outside perspective.

Lastly, I measured the thickness of my original gasket and found it to be 5.66mm's thick, and according to everything I've been able to ascertain it should be closer to 5mm's. So I replaced it with a round o-ring from the hardware store with the right ID/OD and a thickness of 5.33mm's. It works beautifully. This is Viton rubber, and unless it was labeled wrong it should be food safe. I will look into it further. If it ends up being safe it will certainly make replacing the gasket more convenient!

Does the Cafelat store have a taobao.com page?

I will be moving to Zhuhai soon, is it possible to drop into the store?

T