mycatsnameisbernie wrote:After posting this, it occurred to me that the sensitivity of the FC device might also depend on the E61 gicleur that its needle valve mates with. So my comparison isn't apples to apples. Especially since the QM is a DB and the Profitec is an HX machine. Results might be different if a Quick Mill FC device were put on a Profitec HX E61 or vice versa.

I don't think so. There's no jet (gicleur) in an e61 with FC. The FC needle valve mechanism replaces the jet. In a sense, what you have is a variable jet. It shouldn't matter what sort of machine the e61 is hanging on. The major variable would be the pump pressure, not the type of boiler.

I guess where I am at is completely stuck between going stock/default ECM/Profitec because it's "official OEM", vs going Coffee Sensor, because the knob design may be superior. It just makes me nervous to go off brand. I may be overthinking the risk given the simplicity of the devices.

Does anyone actually *like* the OEM profitec/ECM FCD with it's little knob?

I have one and have no issue with the knob. I think people that complain about it must be 80 years old and have Parkinson's, or have absolutely no control over their motor skills. I was nervous about that as well after seeing so many complaints, but it's a non issue for me.

As I said before, they're functionally and visibly nearly identical. Yes, you'll get used to the little round knob; but that does not mean it's an optimum functional design. What you won't like is the lack of serviceability of the ECM part if it ever fails. I never did get the ECM one apart when it started leaking at the control shaft. Unless they've changed the design, this is a deal-breaker for me. The Coffee Sensor version apparently comes apart easily and even comes with spare shaft seals.

Thanks for sharing your experience prodigy! Good to hear

Nunas - how long did you have the ecm piece before it failed? What caused the leaking failure do you think? (normal wear and tear, scale build up?)

dsc106 wrote:Nunas - how long did you have the ecm piece before it failed? What caused the leaking failure do you think? (normal wear and tear, scale build up?)

Less than a year and only moderate use. I don't know why it started leaking, other than obviously, the O-ring(s) were failing.

Yikes, that's a short life span in your case. Do you know if that was the latest gen 3, or an older gen 2? I believe the v3 has a metal base between the round knob and shaft.

Just to let folks know, I recently bought my Pro700 w/FCD from WLL...so presumably the latest ECM iteration of that device. I had no problem at all separating the mushroom bell from the nut to expose the needle valve for maintenance. Nunas may have an older version where this would be a problem, but at least for mine it's not.

Nunas wrote:The Coffee Sensor version apparently comes apart easily and even comes with spare shaft seals.

The coffee sensor version does indeed come apart pretty easily, I also preferred the lower price and longer handle.

I've had mine for about 6 months now and it works very well, quite happy with the purchase.