Gpinch1 wrote:BTW the portafilter is about 43mm.
The switch on the back only has one position on/off.
It's a fun little machine, but kind of on the verge of being a toy.
I used to keep it in my office and fire it up once in a while to pull a spro.

Well hello,

You know what I am seeing is that without a reference for size in the pictures, it is hard to tell the dimensions. Since the La Peppina is also a fairly small machine, I definitely see the application as one of a shot puller. Clean and simple. I am jealous that yours is 110v. I would love to discover that mine is also... Thanks for clearing up the knob functions. I could see on some photos of machines there was a red band on one side of the knob travel and a red band opposite- seems pretty logical now that that would indicate hotter - cooler. Small portafilter!!!!

Thanks again G- good to see you are a member here.

Hello Greg,

On the back of the machine is a tiny knob for the thermostat. It has the red band. Below that knob there is a sticker on mine that says 110v 500w.
Down near the bottom on the back is a larger knob that turns it on and off.
Hope that helps with a little more clarification.

Have you ever seen an alternative model to this one?
Did Caravel make any other machines?

It is nice that it has a adjustable thermostat. As far as models, I have searched and Searched with topics like - Caravel, arrarexand VAM which I think is a hole pattern punched in the drip tray grate. V= ? A=Arrarex? M= milan? I havee translated some descriptions on Italian Ebay to mention a model -white woman- referring to the small medallion on the side. I'm sure yours and mine are the Ship , I have seen one that resembles a side profile of a Sphinx looking shape, of a woman? Maybe. but the machine looked just the same. Now that the machine size is in my head at the right scale- They were definitely a personal, home size machine.
On another aside, When I was in Italy, it was funny to see that Italians made much less of the espresso ritual than the rest of the world. Many cafe's had few to no seating, most people I watched ordered doppio espresso, slurped it down, and was on their way. Something else I used to see there was the coolest mechanical sugar bowls always on the counter . It had a main compartment with a hinged lid, flanked by two small wells for sugar spoons. If you pulled the spoon out of the well, the lid over the sugar opened!!!!!. If I could just find one of those life would be grand!!! That may have been hard to visualize, but I am describing from memory. They had some kind of Logo on them, so they were supplied by espresso machine companies or similar.

Wow, thanks for the info!
Ya, you are right about the VAM punched into the drip tray. I had never noticed that.

That sugar thingy sounds really cool. Oh, I want one too

Here's one on Italian ebay
http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 6273403830
http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 6274537760