I've got a Gaggia Factory which is basically a La Pavoni. I think if you're not going to be steaming milk, going with the Robot will be easier, more beginner friendly.

I did only recently get the Robot, while the Factory was my second lever and was purchased quite a while ago so I was already pretty well used to pulling espresso with lever espresso machines before the Robot which makes it a bit hard to say that the Robot is easier or I've just learned to relax and love lever espresso machines and go with the flow.

thanks for your answer. I will be making milk drinks occasionally, for which the bellman stovetop steamer should do fine. What interests me, what is the reason you got a second, or a third manual lever machine? Didnt the gaggia factory satisfy all your manual lever espresso needs? Or was there a different reason why you got the robot or any further manual lever machines apart from a pure machine collecting joy

I started with a FE-AR La Peppina spring lever, which has an open boiler and only a gimmick for a steam wand (added by the company importing them into the US). I hooked it up to a PID and really enjoyed trying out different temperatures. The espresso that it made tended towards lighter body with nice clarity and flavor separation unless you leaned on the lever instead of relying on the spring.

I upgraded to the Gaggia Factory to try out a closed-boiler manual lever machine. I got more body from the Gaggia, but not being a milk drinker didn't really master texturing milk on it.

I then saw a beautiful Faema Faemina spring lever that Orphan Espresso was closing out and jumped on it. I've always loved the bling of vintage Italian levers and the Faemina gave me that without having to have a large commercial lever or too fat a wallet.

Somewhere along the line I picked up a Mypressi Twist portable espresso maker that uses the ISI cream chargers for making espresso at work.

The Robot purchase was partially motivated because I've always been interested in a Faema Baby Faemina, the design of the Baby is very similar to the Robot and I was drawn to the style and the simplicity and the fact that this is a modern machine made from modern materials with replacement parts available.

At some point, I should probably part with one or two espresso makers, but I'm not sure which ones I'd let go.

thats a very nice collection! And regarding the quality of the espresso, would you say that robot makes espresso that is on the same excellent level like the other manual lever machines you have?

I would say so, yes.

I think at this point my grinder could be a limiting factor and an upgrade from the old Vario might make the differences between my gear more apparent. Since I sprung for an Aillio Bullet, I don't foresee a grinder upgrade in the near future. I really want to try out the Mexico Zongozotola Amarillo I just roasted last Sunday on my Robot as espresso.

The Mexico Zongozotola Amarillo was delicious as espresso, really happy with this roast, even though I recently noticed some scorching which makes me think I may want to drop the charge temp a bit.

It's been a while since I've used the Gaggia Factory, but it probably has the Robot beat in producing a really thick, crema laden shot. I still think the Robot is more forgiving and love mine.

Anyone have a photo of the newest robot with the armoured cable for the pressure gauge? And any internal photos of the double portafilter? Thanks!

drgary wrote:Paul Pratt tells us how to do this in the user manual, where he suggests aiming for 6 - 7 bar. Just past there he writes that 17 Kg (37 lbs) on a bathroom scale should put you at 6 - 7 bar. If you haven't worked a manual lever before, you don't need to be exactly precisely OCD correctitudinous to get repeatable and delicious shots. You can tell you're getting enough pressure by the resistance you feel and by watching the stream of coffee flowing into your cup.

Oh, and if your next question is why not 9 bar, please read Paul's explanation in the user manual, page 13.

read the user manual about pressure' advice . ( between 6-7bar)
I was wondering , if I make a shot with 9 bar every day. Will it cause damage on structure or shorten service life of parts ?

Collective experience so far would suggest that 6-7 bar of pressure on this particular machine yields the best results, given the proper grind. If your experience varies from this, please post a followup.

With respect to 9 bar pulls, it would help to be Lou Ferrigno to be able to do so consistently. And logically it would shorten service life of parts, given the laws of physics and materials science.

Would it shorten the life of the parts in any significant way? There are Olympia Express Creminas, similarly well made. If used for many years without lubrication and with strong pulls the back of the group head that holds the rear lever pin wears through. But the design is different. I feel no hesitation to do a firm pull on the Robot now and then and don't fear breaking it. I don't think that Paul has the time to watch this thread every day. He might be able to point out the stress points that would be prone to wear sooner.

Here's a question for Marc. What kind of shot are you trying to achieve with 9 bars of pressure? Have you tried achieving that type of shot any other way?