pGolay wrote:Hmmm - was it easier previously, with the same, empty, basket?

Yes it was easier. With basket yes. Could be an empty basket it is the same... Ill try cleaning but tbh I do not see anything to clean... Very strange.

My portafilter is very tight even without having a basket to lock in. What do people do to solve this?

I'm having some water leak from the top of my portafilter when pulling a shot, anybody had this happen?

Possibly head gasket/main seal?

Chrikelnel wrote:I'm having some water leak from the top of my portafilter when pulling a shot, anybody had this happen?

Yes I have an ES3 that I've had a long time. I had to shim the portafilter gasket with a wax paper shim. Strietman I believe used to sell these. It is common with commercial machines.

That being said make sure there isn't a small tear in the gasket and if u do wrap that area in Teflon tape until you can replace it or use a gasket adhesive to repair

Is this machine new to you?
You may just be grinding too fine.
How hard is it to pull a shot?

truemagellen wrote:Yes I have an ES3 that I've had a long time. I had to shim the portafilter gasket with a wax paper shim. Strietman I believe used to sell these. It is common with commercial machines.

That being said make sure there isn't a small tear in the gasket and if u do wrap that area in Teflon tape until you can replace it or use a gasket adhesive to repair

Seems like the portafilter gasket is probably the culprit, I actually didn't know it had one so I've been missing it while lubing the other gaskets. I had assumed it was the piston seal so the first thing I did was replace that but it didn't fix the issue. I'll try the portafilter gasket, I think I have one from the service kit I got when I originally ordered it.

Amberale wrote:Is this machine new to you?
You may just be grinding too fine.
How hard is it to pull a shot?

I've had it for just about two years, the odd thing is it seems to happen randomly, during both soft and hard pulls but not every time.

Overall still the easiest machine to maintain I've had by far.

Hopefully the gasket cures it.
I have only had that happen when I was first dialing in the machine (with much too fine a grind) that's why I asked.
They are lovely machines.

I've had this happen before and changed the portafilter gasket which solved the issue. You can try to get it out and clean/lube it if that helps. Otherwise just put a new one in because after 2 years it's also time to change some gaskets.

So: I've read through all 96 pages of this topic. I got the Kafatek MAX SSW a year ago and am ready to upgrade from my 12 year old Gaggia Classic w/PID. I will be going with one of two very different-but-logical-to-me-as-the-choice-set options: Decent DE1 Pro 1.45 or the CT2.

I really thought, up to this moment, that I'd go for the Decent. But I find myself leaning towards the Strietman. Knowing myself, and the way life works, the best decision is to ultimately get both and, if I must have only one, choose from experience. But it must be one first.

Having read all these pages, my primary concern is around the amount of force required to pull a shot peaking at 6-9 bar pressure. There are several posts preceeding and immediately following #884 about how the Naked gauge informed people that a surprising - "really shocked" is a quote from around there - amount of force is needed to pull 6 bar (let alone 9). People talk about using two hands and having the lever at the right height, the latter of which was also mentioned by the Lever mag review - "it can still be a little uncomfortable to use if you are not very tall and we generally find it easier to place it on a surface of about 10 cm. lower than usual".

My concern isn't whether the CT2 can pull very good shots at lower pressures. I'm sure it does. But I'm not looking to spend that kind of money on good shots, even if the machine is art (which I appreciate). I'm not averse to buying the gauge either...but I'd rather not, that feels like creeping backwards towards the Decent (where data, not feel, is king).

I'm on the short & fit side (5'6" / 135lb) and would be using this on a standard height counter top. I don't think I'd enjoy two handed body weight pulls to get the most out of the CT2. I suspect the average Dutchman is considerably bigger than that, probably Wouter also and many of you. Thoughts?

...I suspect this really isn't an issue or it would have come up before, but I wonder if that's because the real reason the CT2 seems to be so easy to use has a lot to do with lower average brew pressure (as most users actually use it) and a taller puck, which I already emulate in some ways by adjusting the OPV to 6 bar and using a rounded bottom basket on my Gaggia.