mrgnomer wrote:How are the pulls?

The Zodiaco group certainly has quite a reputation for taste. When I was looking for a reasonably-available vintage commercial lever, the only other group that seemed to have a similarly stellar reputation for taste was the Aurora group .

YMMV.

mrgnomer wrote:How are the pulls?

Soft and smooth . No harshness. Just the way I like them.

Nice smooth pull. Beautiful lever

I relied on a La Pavoni Europiccola and 67 Cremina when my e61 pump machine went down. Fixed the e61 after 2 years of procrastination, used it for a while then got a Strega. Going to put the e61 up for sale. Only other machine I'd consider is a better lever. Love the lever.

drgary wrote:There's a point where the machine exceeds your expectations and the coffee becomes the focus again.

Can I get an amen. Well said

drgary wrote:Yes, YMMV. When I upgraded to my Conti Prestina commercial lever it blew me away and my upgrade itch stopped. There's a point where the machine exceeds your expectations and the coffee becomes the focus again.

True. Back when I was looking, Conti's seemed very hard to find compared to Faema's, at least in Canada. Later on I found out that it was possible to buy a new Conti CC100, but by then the Lapera was close to production.

Current 49mm group pic to stay on topic : 1970 "Ultimate" Europiccola, 1962 Cremina, 1985 Micro Casa a Leva

baldheadracing wrote:True. Back when I was looking, Conti's seemed very hard to find compared to Faema's, at least in Canada. Later on I found out that it was possible to buy a new Conti CC100, but by then the Lapera was close to production.

Current 49mm group pic to stay on topic : 1970 "Ultimate" Europiccola, 1962 Cremina, 1985 Micro Casa a Leva
image

Great corner! Dig that Olympia...I almost pulled the trigger on either than one (if it's Francesco's as Dr Gary inquires) or a similar one. However, I've been dreaming of a Cremina since I got into this game, and finally found one

Ps did you casually mention you have a Lapera???

drgary wrote:Nice collection! Did you get the Cremina from Francesco? And do you have a link with more detail about your 1970 Europiccola?

Thanks. Yes, from Francesco. He's great . A Cremina wasn't in my plans, but there was just something about having a machine that is the same age as I am.

Thanks for the reminder about the Europiccola write-up. I took the PID off a month ago; now I've just got to take off the grotesque training wheels (the pressure gauges) to finish up.

beer&mathematics wrote:Ps did you casually mention you have a Lapera???

I'd been following Thomas', ah, obsession since inception, and the shop is only a couple hours away. I had to get one. Lapera DS first edition user experience

The second edition is currently in final assembly and has a huge amount of upgrades/changes over the initial production, like a switch to 316 stainless steel from 304.

Recent buy and then upgraded with AirBuster, PPK kit, and Bong Isolator- 1977 Pavoni.