Ton wrote:I ask, because I ordered and meanwhile received the tall one (Ipanema) en the regular one and both in 58mm...
Ton

Have the tall and short ones, 49mm, for the Cremina. Both fit and work nicely.

B|Java

Meanwhile I also sent an email to OE. Will await if they reply and what they will say.
As a temporary solution I wrapped some tape around the collar of the large funnel and now it fits a bit better in the LM basket.

Ton wrote:As a temporary solution I wrapped some tape around the collar of the large funnel and now it fits a bit better in the LM basket.

For the inexpensive aluminum funnel, like the ones I have, I may have a solution if you don't mind minor blemishes. I'd been frustrated with the lack of a spring in my Pavoni portafilter, so I would have to hold in the basket with my finger when knocking out grinds. (Now I don't mind that so much because it's nice to swap out baskets.) So I took a hammer and punch and from the interior knocked a couple of dimples that stick out on the outside edge create a snug fit. This might work with the rim of those funnels, since they're a bit loose.

I used the aluminum one for dosing my Europiccola 49mm portafilter (older La Pavoni model with a smaller portafilter) off my Versalab grinder. It works quite well for me. It allows me to dose straight from the Versalab's cone which is sized for 58mm portafilters retaining most of the benefits of the Versalab's grind distribution pattern while keeping the mess down.

I find them useful for dosing smaller diameter portafilters regardless of which grinder I use and less useful for for my larger 58mm portafilters. They do make neat dosing without spilling easier on any portafilter but I can live without them when it comes to dosing 58mm and larger portafilters, except when performing the slap shot teqnique, then they make a significant difference regardless.

They are especially useful for the slap shot teqnique which I am quite fond (slap shot works well but so does the traditonal way when done right) of, but have levitated away from. I find I like the taste of espresso pulled from smaller doses and will soon go back to LM singles (8 grams cinnamon color, hey singles are different) again. I am dabbling with the VST15 loaded with 16 to 17 grams these days and find traditional tamping works fine for those doses.

I chose plain aluminum instead of painted (as simple as it gets) which has retained it's shine quite well. Mine fits just right, not tightly, nor do I want it to. Plucking a tightly crammed dosing funnel is likely to create more problems for me than it's worth. When all is done I easily, quickly, and neatly lift it out.

Overall I find them (dosing funnels) a useful tool to have around. They are durable, in my case correctly sized (in fact I find mine are sized better than anything else I have ever used such as cut off sour cream cups,) very neat, convenient, and look really good. The cut off sour cream cups I used in the past looked terrible and were very shifty in the portafilter basket, so much so that I quickly tossed them and chose to deal with the mess.

Mine is "comfortably loose" in all of my baskets; Synesso-style EPNW, Strada/VST, and various "classic" doubles. I think I had originally expected it to "snap in" but find the "just sets in nicely" fit to work well with the way I now work. I wouldn't be without one again if I continue to pull from nice, fluffy grinds that pile up above the rim of the basket.

have one for my Livia 90

the thing is brilliant. it keeps all the grinds from my doserless grinder going into the portafilter and not all over the counter

Hi Ton, sorry I missed your communcations - we were kind of overwhelmed last week with all the video work we did... No excuses though.

The dosing funnels, and particularly the Ipanema, were designed primarily to 'sit' in/on the basket, rather than be a tight fit exactly because of the variety of baskets there are - every manufacturer, and every run of every basket has the potential to be a very, slightly different size, even within a single type of basket. Trying to come up with a one size fits every 58mm, tight, would have been impossible - some would have been just right, others wouldn't fit in at all. Plus, as was said above, if the fit is quite tight, then you disturb the grounds when you pull the funnel out - it may be a small disturbance though. We also designed them so that they wouldn't go far down in the basket for this reason - the area that is disturbed when you pull the funnel out is above the level of a tamp or polishing. We don't really presume to tell people how to use the tool, since it's use is different for everyone, in their own system, and everyone has their own method - the dosing funnels don't work for everyone because of this.

As an example, there are people who get a machine, which doesn't use a spring in the pf to hold the basket. If you are accustomed to a spring held portafilter basket you may find this an extreme shortfall in the pf design. But, there are people who detest portafilter-holding basket springs because they prefer to dose & tamp the basket out of the pf, or spin the basket while dosing from their grinder. Sort of a 'big tent' thing - to accomdate everyone under the big tent means that there are fewer 'absolutely perfect' for everyone, but more near-perfect solutions. We like a nice fit, loose enough to lift out - that's just us.

Doug has a small pair of pliers that are modified to make a small dimple on the edge of the dosing funnel, just as Gary was talking about, to make a dosing funnel edge a tad bigger, but once made big, you can't make it smaller. It can be done with any pair of pliers, but because the aluminum is soft, be careful if you choose to do it - you can make a bigger mark than you wanted, easily, if you're not careful.

Alternatively, you can send them back for a refund!

Barb

PS Everybody who posted & likes theirs - we're really glad you like them, and find them useful!

Thanks for your reply Barb.
The tip to make small dimples with pliers worked for the tall, Ipnamema, funnel.
On the small funnel I removed the paint from the collar (I have the painted one).
Both do fit now perfectly, not too tight or too loose, on my LM double basket which is my favourite basket.

orphanespresso wrote:PS Everybody who posted & likes theirs - we're really glad you like them, and find them useful!

I couldn't fit it in my routine pre-Pharos. Once I got the Pharos, it found its true purpose.

Very neat marketing trick