Hi folks, my crazy espresso machine journey has brought me to places I never suspected and here I am, pulling shot out of my newly acquired Olympia express club! I'm already on my 3rd lever machine (own a Caravel 3.0 and a PV Lusso that will need to go soon) and I bought my first machine just a year ago! For the first time though I have to say that I find it really hard to gather information about a machine.

I did read everything on here and elsewhere about the "weak" spring, the differences with the Cremina, the different versions, the succesfull restorations...

So... Here's are a few things I'd love to hear from the long time owners:

For those who have looked for stronger spring alternatives, have you succeeded?

I was surprised by how slow the stock spring gets unloaded but yet how hard you have to pull to lower it.
Actually, I looked at the very few videos out there and my lever seems much harder to pull. I mean, all my weight, on my tippy toes just to lower it all the way. The back of the machine lifts on every pull. It seems like other people use only one hand to do it and the machine doesn't move at all... The previous owner said the seals were changed last year. Maybe they were installed upside down?
I did lube with avocado oil from the top and it helped. A little bit. No squeaky sound from the piston...

Should I go through the trouble of undoing the piston?

If so, how do I do it without to much sweat and swears?

So many questions... And it's only my 1st day with my machine...

I did pull a few better than average shots already so I'm quite excited for our future together!

Cheers guys!

I might be contradicting my own prior posts on this, but...the spring is softer than some, but I wouldn't call it weak. I've not used an MCaL or Zacconi Baby, but those are levers often described as having a soft or weak lever. I know people have replaced springs or added secondary boosters. The spring on the Club is rather long relative to the group.

I wouldn't bother replacing it. As you note, it takes some effort to fully compress it (also the lever arm on the Club is oddly short). You can get excellent shots with plenty of crema from the Club. You can read here about my experience doing routine group service:

Olympia Club group running hotter after servicing

Also, if you find you've gone a bit too fine on the grind for a given shot, you can assist the lever on the Club.

I have no doubt the Club is more than capable of producing amazing shots. This was my 2nd shot ever woth the Oly Club... Very promising!

After reading (and watching) about the brew pressure peeking at 4 bar, I've come to the conclusion that there is definetely magic in that machine cause there is no way you can pull shots like these (and the better ones to come) with a pump driven machine delivering only 4 bar of pressure!

Thanks for sharing that link. Gives me an idea of what awaits me when I'll work on the group... I'm starting to think I might have to do it sooner than later...

I mean, I have read about the short lever and the stiff 3 seals piston and from all the videos available out there, my lever seems at least twice as hard to pull. I really have to lean forward and put all my weight on the pull just to get it started. The machine will tip over if I don't put some weight on the top knob... No way it's normal. I'm 37y, 185pds, 5'11" gym teacher in very good shape. I have to pull almost 3-4 times hardee than on the Lusso...

Any idea why?

Could be as simple as the group seals needing to be lubed.

That was my 1st thought but shouldn't the oil poured from the top of the piston rod help, at least a little...? It stopped the squeaking on my PV Lusso when I did it and it seems like a common temporary fix...

I guess I'm going to have to have to remove the piston and have a look at the seals...

For those living in North America, do you get the seals and gasket from Cerinicoffe or straight from Olympia or is there another source?

You could also get the new silicone ones from Orphan Espresso, although you would need to see if they would provide an additional seal. You can also get the complete seal and gasket kit from this guy:

https://olympia-kaffeemachinen.ch/prod ... -komplett/

As far as I know, that's the only source currently for the boiler gasket and the sight glass gasket (although you could make your own).

If the seals are working properly, dropping any lubricant into the group bore from the top is only going to result in a bunch of lube above the top seal.

Pulling the lever on the Club does not need high force. It has to be kind oft smooth.

You can also buy a new spring from the link above. It might increase extraction pressure up to 6bar peak.
The owner oft the shop (Migg) has experience for almost 30years for all Olympia models. In his workshop he has a lot oft original spare parts and some fantastic old Olypia machines.
I don't know his english skills - but he is very friendly and helpfull.



Unfortunatelly the Club is not mine. But I did some restoration and had the chance to use it for a couple oft weeks next to the Cremina

Migg is great. He was super helpful, and Swiss post is amazingly fast internationally.

Good insights! Thanks guys!! Sent orphan espresso an email to see if they can sell extra seals for the Club.

Make sense about trying to lubricate from the top... It does make the lever really hard to pull as opposed to practically impossible, after a longish period (6-8 hrs) without turning the machine on...

It's anything but smooth right now... My wife tried and she wasn't even close to get it to move!

Quick question: it's unclear if I have to remove the shower screen prior to using the C clamps in the piston or if it's supposed to stay on... I've only worked on single boilers and E91/HX so far...

Cafillo wrote: You can also buy a new spring from the link above. It might increase extraction pressure up to 6bar peak.

Is it the stock Club spring or a made for stronger spring?