LIDO 3 folding handle woes

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
tayloreley
Posts: 10
Joined: 10 years ago

#1: Post by tayloreley »

Hello everyone,
I bought a Lido 3 around Christmas this past year and I have loved it! Well... I have loved it except for the reason of this post. The handle has gotten progressively worse about collapsing while I am grinding which means I have to stop, push the button, twist the handle straight and start again (I know, first world problems).

In a normal grinding session the handle normally collapses on me 5-10 times and that is with me being very intentional to not apply force to the handle in a way that should increase the likelihood of the handle collapsing.

Has anyone else had this experience? If so, have you found a solution that has worked for you?

Thanks in advance for the help!

max
Posts: 376
Joined: 9 years ago

#2: Post by max »

I'm guessing that the screw holding it together has come loose. It happened to me as well.

The trick is to open and close the handle in the right direction so that your finger is not unscrewing that bolt while turning the handle.

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EddyQ
Posts: 1035
Joined: 8 years ago

#3: Post by EddyQ »

I cannot help you with the folding handle since I own a Lido E and love it.
I'm quite sure you can replace the folding hand with the fixed handle
Save the folding for when you travel.
LMWDP #671

tayloreley (original poster)
Posts: 10
Joined: 10 years ago

#4: Post by tayloreley (original poster) »

max wrote:I'm guessing that the screw holding it together has come loose. It happened to me as well.

The trick is to open and close the handle in the right direction so that your finger is not unscrewing that bolt while turning the handle.
Sorry, I should have mentioned that I have put a small bit of loctite on the screw and I check it regularly so I know it isn't coming from the screw. Any other thoughts?

berfles
Posts: 53
Joined: 7 years ago

#5: Post by berfles »

I've had this happen three times now too and thought it was the screw because it has been getting loose. Interested to see what others say.

bruc33ef
Posts: 21
Joined: 8 years ago

#6: Post by bruc33ef »

I have the same problem with my Lido 3. After taking apart the swing arm, I saw that it is not the screw that's the problem but the spring that surrounds it. Tightening the screw to the max does not solve the problem because the spring has gone soft; i.e., over time it degrades and loses the stiffness necessary to force the handle in place.

Replacing the spring should solve the problem if you can find or order an exact replacement.

A work-around would be to take up some space behind the weakened spring with a small-enough and thick-enough washer to compress and tighten the spring. That should stiffen it up, although eventually it will fail completely and have to be replaced anyway, I would guess.

That cheap spring seems to be the weakest link in an otherwise fine piece of equipment.

bruc33ef
Posts: 21
Joined: 8 years ago

#7: Post by bruc33ef »

Addendum: I just tried a light-duty spray adhesive on the winder using the original spring. It does stop the handle from folding while grinding so often.

I should point out, however, that the main culprit when grinding is the roast level of the beans. City-and-darker roasts do not cause the winder to fold on my Lido 3. It's when plowing through the harder-to-grind medium and light roasts that the winder buckles.

OldNuc
Posts: 2973
Joined: 10 years ago

#8: Post by OldNuc »

Use a small o-ring behind the spring to act as a backing ring for the spring.

bruc33ef
Posts: 21
Joined: 8 years ago

#9: Post by bruc33ef replying to OldNuc »

I just tried an A111, 5/16", o-ring (from Harbor Freight,) and it does the job quite nicely. The spring stays atop the o-ring in the assembly without slipping around it. The o-ring takes out the play in the handle yet doesn't overly compress the spring. If the spring ever weakens further (no reason it should), placing an additional o-ring atop the first one would also be possible. Problem solved.

Thanks for the great suggestion.