My lever finally arrived today.

First impressions are that it pulls a great shot, but the steam is bested by my bellman stovetop steamer, which is easily 2x as powerful.

I'm using an HG-1 set about 90% of a full turn from zero.

Thanks guys! I already want a Strietman now

I really like the LPE pre-mil too. My only wish would be some kind of insulative gasket between the group and boiler.

Happy Pulls Jascha!

Thermal gaskets will provide virtually no benefit in any of the La Pavoni lever machines. Heat is transferred from the boiler to the group in first and third generation machines by bringing hot water into the space around the piston sleeve. It is transferred in the second generation machines by condensing live steam in the space above the piston. The amount of heat transferred by conductance through the boiler connexions is negligible in comparison to either of these heat transfer schemes. Other machines rely heavily on conductance, but NOT the La Pavoni ones!

Jascha, which is yours? I hope you don't mind if I pursue this a bit more here? ....

drgary wrote:Pre-millennium can mean 1st gen or 2nd gen.

Thanks Gary! Mine is a 2nd gen.

rpavlis wrote:Thermal gaskets will provide virtually no benefit in any of the La Pavoni lever machines. ....

Thanks Robert! So there is nothing to be done about the hot group? I'm having trouble even getting a decent 2nd shot that isn't too hot.

I solved the hot group problem for Gen 2's by using the heat control mod here Heat control mod for 2nd Generation La Pavoni Levers By Dan. It took a boiler that was overheating the group And made it as good as my gen 1's.

Cheap easy reversible mode if you are not happy.

Thanks Mike (and Dan)!

The described modification makes the 2nd generation La Pavoni machines much like the Olympia Cremina. One brings in hot water with each pull, and there is not constant input of heat from condensing steam. (The amount of heat transferred by condensing a given amount of steam is 5.4 Times the amount of heat required to raise that quantity of liquid water from the freezing point to boiling!!!!) You can control the heating too by pumping the handle up and down to bring in more hot water. The steam just transfers with no control.

Sounds good! Then the teflon gasket.

The heat transfer reducing gasket is not going to be of much use here, because these machines can not be left on without an attendant, and they get up to temperature in about six or seven minutes from the cold. The heat transfer without purging the air from the top of the group leaves the group cool to the touch for at least 20 minutes after the boiler comes up to operating temperature. This demonstrates that far too little heat transfer occurs during the time these machines are in use to bother with doing this. Where heat transfer reducing gaskets come into use is when one uses machines with pressurestats that are left on for long periods so as to be able to grab a quick espresso on immediate demand. Leaving a two switch La Pavoni on this way is an invitation to forgetting it and burning out the expensive element, which also tends to be made of certified unobtainium!

People with pet birds or people who live in areas with poorly ventilated rooms should consider minimising the use of polytetrafluoroethylene. It is a crystalline polymer, and when heated, expecially above its melting point, 327C, I think, it becomes especially hazardous. Mammals get respiratory illness, birds die.