Small footprint levers

#1: Post by **Iconicred** » April 21st, 2022, 5:59 am

Hi Guys,
The more espressos I make the more I dig into the potential of a lever machine. I am looking for some ideas about levers with small footprints. Of course there is the La Pavoni range. I am not too interested in Flair/Robot etc. I just discovered Argos. Of the "boxes" the Cremina has the smallest footprint. There is a Ponte Vecchio. I drink milk drinks often but milk steam is not the biggest priority because I can always use my semi auto to steam.

I would love to know what is a lever where I can enjoy the tactile feel of a pull and one that can last a LOOOOONNNGG time

#2: Post by **drH** » April 21st, 2022, 6:08 am

With some modifications, the Pavonis can be significantly upgraded- check out https://coffee-sensor.com/

I have a Cremina and it's wonderful and built like a tank. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask (although most things Cremina are well covered on the forum).
The Londinium Vectis looks great on paper and sounds like it will be released this year.
If you haven't looked into the Strietman, that may be the simplest of all the electrified machines and very easy to maintain.

#3: Post by **John49** » April 21st, 2022, 7:14 am

Strietman CT2

#4: Post by **Marcelnl** » April 21st, 2022, 7:25 am

Why not get a vintage lever and try it, resale value should be identical to purchase price...
La Peppina, Faemina, etc etc the list of small footprint vintage levers is long since Italian kitchens were small. Longevity? if it survived until now and had decent care it's likely to last 30 or more years.

April 21st, 2022, 8:49 am

I would happily explore a vintage machine. Do you have some leads about where I can look for one online? This is a subject matter I enjoy learning about

April 21st, 2022, 9:41 am

Here you go. More than you probably knew existed.
http://www.francescoceccarelli.eu/macch ... ia_eng.htm

http://www.francescoceccarelli.eu/onsale_eng.htm

#7: Post by **palica** » April 21st, 2022, 12:27 pm

John49 wrote:Strietman CT2

Wouldn't the Argos by Odyssey be a much better choice? From specs and price point of view?

April 21st, 2022, 12:35 pm

Possibly, after a few revisions. This is a new machine, with some ambitious goals. If it achieves them, it will be a great value. My current position on Argos is "wait and see."

Streitman CT2 is a known quantity, and is basically the third generation of its design. It is not cheap, but occasionally one finds a used one at a nice price.

If you want to dabble in the manual lever world on the cheap, my current preference is Robot. Cheap and easy, and it can be your travel kit forever. Flair is as good, but it depends on your workflow and basket preference. Flair 58 is direct competition to CT2, but its heater is an assist, not a full heating boiler.

#9: Post by **jgood** » April 21st, 2022, 1:40 pm

+1 on the Robot. I have an E61 and got a Robot for travel. In some ways I prefer the Robot. It's a bit more production but that is offset by less maintenance and no worries about non scaling water, or flushing out the boiler after a period of non use. It's a pretty nifty machine, and the shots are excellent.

#10: Post by **dmw010** » April 21st, 2022, 1:43 pm

Caravels are pretty tiny (but you have to be OK with small shots and no steaming).