So I went and took the skin off Domo today to see her inner workings. Check out the pics below.

I have said it before and I'll say it again. This thing is solid. I was amazed how everything is just so tight on this machine. When I took off the back panel I couldn't believe how heavy it was.....so I weighed it. 2.8 kg (6.2 lbs)!

There is one thing on it that is pretty bad....actually it's really crappy in my view. The water tank. It doesn't really fit in the space in the rear, it's too small in all directions, but height. It's really flimsy and the cut out for the hoses is actually cut out. It looks like it's just cut with a stanley knife with no care to precision unlike the rest of the machine. Why didn't they make a nice snug fitting thick molded tank with a molded cut out? That's one up for Silvia She has a nice tank at least....

Also it looks like my plans to swap the steam and water wands is dead. The tubing for the steam and water aren't the same size and the piping for the water wand is really intricate. It goes from the rear of the boiler down and all the way down and around it and up to the wand eventhough the outlet in the boiler is only about 1.5 inch from the water wand. Strange.

To the pictures:









Enjoy

Klaus

Hey Randy

I have been reading your user guide for the Domo Super and it is great. I was however a bit startled with the descale procedure as this is much much more complex than with Silvia. The description is great, however as there are some differences between the Super and Junior could you guide me to where the water level sensor wire connection is on the Junior HX?

Later

Klaus

Klaus,
I am not familiar with the Jr., but some had the level sensor on top of the boiler, closest to the front of the machine, a single wire connected to a silver-colored (stainless steel) rod. It would be a lighter gauge than the wires to the heating element, and most likely a white, nylon connector with small setscrew to hold it on the rod. it is not the green or green with a stripe wire connected by a screw directly to the top of the boiler. That would be the ground wire.

When descaling, one added tip: pull the anti-0vacuum valve's stem upwards and keep it in place with a wire twist tie (like used on gardening) or equivalent. ALWAYS have a valve open (the steam valve is best) when running the pump with the water level sensor disconnected!!!!

"X" marks the spot.

Hi guys

Thanks!

Br

Klaus

Alright, time for an update.

I received my new factory cut naked VBM Portafilter the other day and found that I just couldn't get a good shot out of the supplied triple filter basket, so I switched with the triple basket from my Silvia PF and we're good friends again. It is so nice having the original VBM PF because they are hands down the nicest PF's I've ever held in my hand. One thing I have noticed with the naked PF's is that they're not as weighty as the standard dressed PF's, which is of course natural, but I hadn't given it a thought for a long time as I have been using the naked with Silvia for about 5 years now. But now I have been trying he double spout for some shots and that does have a nice wholesome weight to it. I just hate tamping with those spouts! Also I received my no burn steam wand and WOW has that taken the breath away from Domo Jr! I have tried switching back and forth betwen the 2 and 4-hole tips and I just can't seem to get any micro foam, so I think it's going to have to go again, but I'm giving it a shot for now. Below is a pic of the setup with the Super's no burn wand. It's really nice that it's an inch longer than the original wand as the odd angles you get with this wand makes it easier to get it into the milk, especially if steaming small amounts.



Also got my first batch of Full Circle back flush detergent and back flushed it for the first time with detergent. Wow,there was a lot of grit and grime in there, although I have only been doing 1 or 2 shots each morning since I got it. I NEVER back flushed Silvia (as this was not recommended by Rancilio and the retailer) and that thing has been going for eight years. Is it because of the E61? Does that "attract" more "dirt"? Nevertheless I'm going to back flush more often.

As you can see above I found out that descaling this kind of machine is MUCH more of a hassle than Silvia I also bought a Brita to keep too much scale from entering in the first place, so we'll see how that goes. I'll try and screw off the chamber nut in a few weeks to see the state of it. I used to descale Silvia once every 2-3 months before, but now I read in the how too's here on HB to only do it once a year....!? OK, we'll see.

Almost running out of beans too. Just roasted some Costa Rican from Terrazu tonight so its ready for the morning I am definitely getting some more of those in the next batch. Other than that it'll be my favorites, Papua New Guinea and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Twelve pounds are soon to be on their way.

Later

Klaus

I finally got around to taking a look under the hood of my Jr. Appears to be the same as the European version of yours. Obviously your heating element maybe a little higher, but overall very very similar.

What made me think there might be some differences is because I was reading about the Jr on coffeesnobs.au, and their version just started shipping this year with a sirai pstat, and has always had a 1.7l boiler I believe. I think the US version is suppose to have a 1.5 l boiler.

Anyway, really enjoying mine such a pleasure to brew with after coming from a Gaggia Classic. Now time to get around to that grinder upgrade if I can ever save up the money!

Hi all! This is my first post, although, I've been lurking here for nearly six months. I've learned so much from reading so many of the informative articles and threads in the forum here on HB even though I have to admit that I do feel somewhat overwhelmed at times. I'm currently without a really good machine...I'm making do with a Nespresso for now. I already have a Vario W, and I'm planning on getting Eric's thermometer if I do wind up with an E61 machine. I usually drink several lattes a day with the occasional double shot or ristretto so I'm really looking forward to getting a new machine.

Hi Klaus and Intrepid510, I was wondering how you're both doing with your Domobar Juniors. I've been researching machines for quite some time now and am finally considering the Jr. myself. I have several questions that I hope you wouldn't mind answering for me. Are you still happy with your machines? Do you feel that the build quality is still as good as you initially thought? Have you run into any unexpected maintenance issues? How much milk do you steam at a time? Is the Jr. capable of steaming up to or even more than 16 ounces at a time? Any other experiences you'd care to share would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Hey Pennywise,

I am really liking my Jr thus far, and having it now for almost 6 months I believe the honeymoon phase is finally over with the machine. To address your questions, I am very satisfied with the machine and the build quality that I see from it.

The machine appears to be very well thought out, just little things like the water release of the opv going all the way down into the drip tray. Some of the other e61 machines don't go all the way down so I have heard of people complaining of getting a little sneeze of hot water on themselves, but just mainly on the chrome of the machine. Overall from what I have read and now experienced the e61 group is hard to go wrong with on any machine.

As far as the steam issue is concerned, I only do 8 ounces max normally and have no issue there with getting microfoam quick and easily from the machine like in about 10-15 seconds. As far as larger amounts of milk, I think you might have a little trouble with it, as I was not overly impressed with the steaming when I had tried once to do 12 ounces. It might be able to do so with the pressure turned up a little bit, I run mine at 1.1 bar, something in the range of 1.3 might get it there.

If you are just thinking of steaming enough milk for two drinks at a time, I would just consider steaming one at a time since you can steam and make a shot at the same time. However, if you are going for larger drinks perhaps a bigger boiler machine would be best.

I really couldn't be happier with the machine at this price point. As I believe the quality of the machine is very high and serves my needs of making 2-3 shots back to back and steaming milk quite well. Any other questions?

Hi Nick, thanks for your reply. Sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner, but work has been an absolute zoo lately.
Since Stefano's EspressoCare is probably the closest vendor to me (and I've heard such great things about them), I emailed a few questions about steaming power and got a quick and informative reply from Kathleen. She said she was able to steam two cups of cold milk in just over 30 seconds (34 if I recall correctly). I think that should be pretty close to the max I might need just for myself early in the morning on my commute days.
There are still a couple of machines I would like to check out in Seattle this weekend, but so far the Junior HX looks like it may be the one I'll be going with.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences!