Londinium I Lever Espresso Machine

lespresso

UNM As I have already stated, I sent 2 emails asking if everything was OK Only 1 email got a reply and that just said he had been too busy to even look at it Nothing since by any method of communication Its a stitch-up my friend Best Reiss.

Gonzo

Not really. As in any barista competition, you can only review the piece of equipment in front of you. Everyone has their own opinion and mine happens to agree with the following quote selectively lifted from elsewhere: "....(Chokkidog) got to have a play, the site would get a better and fairer review (from him) than one from a disgruntled owner and the rest of this sorry saga is history. Rants about commercial interests and other personal attacks are just childish and silly....." It rings true enough for me. If the disgruntled owner had written his own review it would have then been bagged as entirely biased in the circumstances. So the devil you do and the devil you dont.

Lacehim

Gonzo, review aside i doesn't explain why it was left in the state it was without contacting the supplier to let them know there was an issue. I wouldn't spend money on something, have it delivered damaged then stick it in the corner for later. Would you? I would be straight on the phone to sort it out! In the end it's one review out of many. I'm sure like any product people will take them all with a pinch of salt, and make their own decision on where to spend their coin. Reiss has been a regular on the forum here, and I believe he would do his best to fix any problems. Many other L1 owners have reported this being the case. Also it's a new product to market, there are bound to be issues, and Reiss highlighted early on the issues with packaging and changed it. Reiss, can I ask what spring you put in your L1? The reason I ask is that I own the QM Achilles with the 2 spring set up. Is it a stock spring or something you had custom made and what's the pressure like?

Koffee_Kosmo

Hi Gonzo Common sense dictates that - The review is flawed as one can't review a broken machine because it just won't perform to the specified parameters However one can report on the condition it arrived and what steps were taken to rectify any issues by the manufacturer See post above for the 30 day money back warranty KK

simont

I didn't read it as a review, more so an analysis of defects and imperfections. I am quite sure if you applied the same criteria to any machine you would come up with a similar list, for many machines the list would be a good side longer and contain a greater number of actual defects. Coffee by its very nature is subjective, that is precisely why people are so passionate about it. Therefore I don't believe there is such a thing as an objective review, just opinions. When researching machines on forums one needs to make their own judgement on motivations behind those opinions.

Ol_Grumpy

You know I may be the really odd one out but I can actually understand spending thousands on something and have it sit in the shed. I have done it many, many times. I am a builder and I like tools. I have bought a Festool ts55 plunge saw, 33 dust extractor, MFT, and a few tracks for the saw... Oh yeah and the protractor kit, aluminium saw blade etc, etc it was around $4,500- and it sat in the shed for a long, long time before I even unpacked it.... Or the time I went to a demolition auction and bought a bobcat... Because it only had 1000 hrs on the clock... I've still got it and it's still only got 1500 hrs on the clock.... When you have a decent sized business this is all play tools.... Tax mans pays for it... It's how it is in business... I get it... But I also appreciate this may appear wild extravagance to some... Or who knows how it can be judged by some... To the owner of another forum this machine is just another of many tax deductions.... Not everyone gets emotionally involved with every purchase... Anyway, I don't wish to seem trite... I'm just sayin; I Get It... From both perspectives... As a man wiser than me said just recently, "That's Business"

Koffee_Kosmo

I also do this in a more limited way and purchased business equipment that I may use in the future And I do understand this trait, that's why the tone in my replies is moderate with a common sense theme However in the subject we are discussing the machine was actually unpacked and used not put away The issues were apparent and no action was taken to rectify KK

Ol_Grumpy

Oh yes KK, there are still very valid questions that remain... I'm not taking sides- either way...

UNM

There may be valid reasons for making such a purchase, getting extremely angry about it arriving in poor condition, using it at a trade show, boxing it up and then giving it to a friend to review after talking to him about (some of) its defects. I have no problem at all with biased reviews as I doubt I have seen any other kind. This machine is being sold in Australia using a very different sales model to most espresso machines and how effectively post sales service is managed will be important to prospective purchasers. Regardless of whether Mr Freeman has reported the problems with this specific machine and whether it better serves his goals to have them fixed or not, most other purchasers will want faults fixed. Clearly both supplier and purchaser know there are issues. What happens next will be interesting

conikal

If you are not following the L1 threads on other forums, you are missing a interesting situation. It would seem that some of these m/c's ( two at least), are experiencing not simply a "stall" of the thermo syphon loop, but also periods of "reverse" flow in the TS loop. Its a bit of a mystery as to how or why this happens, and why its not affecting all m/c's.

Kelsey

It seems pretty much solved to me, at least on the HB thread. The guys doing the most measuring are also the ones prone to disassembling the group. They've let air into the group and haven't purged it. Two of the other members were able to replicate the stalling TS issue and have since figured out what causes it. Eric seems hell bent on not actually following their advice - if he'd just purge the amount of water the other two have indicated is required, then we'd know for sure.

Lwowiak

The thread on HB you refer to is very confusing. It confirms my observation that a number of coffee enthusiasts suffer from OCD. Many owners of the L1 are happy to follow instructions and concentrate on producing a good cup of coffee from a very capable machine. Others are hell bent on pulling it apart and analyzing it. All this testing is about brew temp. Once it is stable (or whatever nirvana they are seeking) will they concede the espresso is good? Or will they search for further issues? Everything in the thread is about temperature, as if that is the ultimate variable that leads to the god shot. Very few discussions about how the espresso tasted as a result of their findings. Personally, I would have returned the machine, got a replacement and moved on with my life.

Kelsey

But then what would they have to test? :rofl:

Lwowiak

Their instruments 😉 😉 ;D

conikal

Kelsey wrote:

The guys doing the most measuring are also the ones prone to disassembling the group. They've let air into the group and haven't purged it.

I agree up to a point. But i dont understand what set of circumstances can make the thermosyphon flow reverse? and i am not convinced any one has the full solution yet, since for a while they also previously thought they had solved the issue by using more lube in the group.

Brett_H

Lwowiak wrote:

The thread on HB you refer to is very confusing. It confirms my observation that a number of coffee enthusiasts suffer from OCD. Many owners of the L1 are happy to follow instructions and concentrate on producing a good cup of coffee from a very capable machine. Others are hell bent on pulling it apart and analyzing it. All this testing is about brew temp. Once it is stable (or whatever nirvana they are seeking) will they concede the espresso is good? Or will they search for further issues? Everything in the thread is about temperature, as if that is the ultimate variable that leads to the god shot. Very few discussions about how the espresso tasted as a result of their findings. Personally, I would have returned the machine, got a replacement and moved on with my life.

I read them. I too would have accepted the offer to return the machine and moved on! Although to be fair I judge a machine by the quality of the juice I can extract from it! I wondered what prompted these guys to go to the did to test and collect data.

conikal

Brett H wrote:

I wondered what prompted these guys to go to the did to test and collect data.

The link in the very first post on the HB thread leads to that explanation. Basically, the OP was trying to find cause of ( taste ?) variability in some of the shots compared to his Speedster shots. Also, both these owners are committed m/c enthusiasts who buy and asses many new m/c's, so were never going to be "typical" buyers.

admin

this one's gone a little quiet recently - thought I'd resurrect for comment/updates.... cheers A

Koffee_Kosmo

admin wrote:

this one's gone a little quiet recently - thought I'd resurrect for comment/updates.... cheers A

And I want some photos :thumb: KK

Lacehim

I think it's like the Breville DB threads myself. Big splurge of posts and everyone has an opinion and a slanging match before the machines even been made, a few issues, things settle down and everyone realises it's a coffee machine and normality resumes! lol. I would think the owners are all enjoying fantastic coffee and have moved on to posting about accessories, roasting coffee and trying to figure out how to tamp a 58mm basket again! :rofl:

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