naked-portfilter wrote:The Pro800 is a great lever. We tested it on a Cyclocross race event and we pulled 300 shots and lots of teas with it in just 6 hours.

Both videos look great! I raced cross for a lot of years, help put on some races, etc. Just love it, great to see real espresso at an event like this! Well done. Not in the market for a new machine, but find the Pro 800 very intriguing.

In the video of Dan pulling shots at the car event, it looks like there is a fair amount of flex in the frame as the lever is pulled down. From the WLL video review, the frame looks somewhat thin:
I wonder if this could lead to some deformation of the frame with prolonged use.

I've noticed the same thing since the first video i saw. The flex is very easy to notice in Dan's video from the side angle. I have the same Salvatore machine as you and there is no flex at all, the frame is super solid but here i agree it looks thin on this Profitec 800. Looks like a nice machine but not sure about the durability of the construction. Time will tell...

When I first shot the video below, I noticed the same thing. It's my fault, one of the front legs wasn't properly adjusted and wasn't in firm contact with the countertop. Below is the video post-adjustment:
The machine does shift forward a smidgen, but not nearly as much as before. In the future, I will pay closer attention and adjust the feet to match the countertop since it really makes a difference in the strain on the frame for lever espresso machines.

I dont't see any serious flexing either and she has a heavy duty frame also. See video and pictures below:

I mentioned to Profitec that I used a hydraulics diagram for the Olympia Cremina to explain dippers; wouldn't it be nice to have one specific to the Pro 800? They said "No problem, give us a few days to draw one up." I didn't expect this animation:

HB wrote:I mentioned to Profitec that I used a hydraulics diagram for the Olympia Cremina to explain dippers; wouldn't it be nice to have one specific to the Pro 800? They said "No problem, give us a few days to draw one up." I didn't expect this animation:

That's great. I'd love to see a similar animation for the Londinium.

Matt

Dan, you made an interesting statement in your ongoing review of the Profitec:

HB wrote:In the past, I've written that levers can be harder to use than pump-driven espresso machines. Judging from my experience during the background research for this review and underscored during this group taste test, it's just the opposite for the Profitec Pro 800.

I hope you go into this in more detail. I'm skeptical that there should be a whole lot of difference between the Profitec and other machines with commercial lever groups (e.g., Londinium 1/1-P, Bosco, Izzo, Victoria Arduino, etc.)...but if you've found this to be so in your experience, it would be helpful for the HB community as well as potential purchasers to delve into this (e.g., why that's so) and offer your perspective/thoughts.

Thanks!

Balthazar_B wrote:I'm skeptical that there should be a whole lot of difference between the Profitec and other machines with commercial lever groups (e.g., Londinium 1/1-P, Bosco, Izzo, Victoria Arduino, etc.)...

I don't have experience with those other levers, but for those with Bosco groups, I'd bet they'd perform similarly. The same can be said for espresso machines with E61 groups. My comment was not meant to compare different commercial lever espresso machines. The Olympia Cremina, Elektra Microcasa, and Bezzera Strega are the only other levers I've used for an extended period.

PS: Split follow-on discussion to Espresso machine for the farmer's market.

HB wrote:I don't have experience with those other levers, but for those with Bosco groups, I'd bet they'd perform similarly. The same can be said for espresso machines with E61 groups.

Based on my experience with my Bosco I'd say that's a safe bet.