Londinium I Lever Espresso Machine

lespresso

hey brett, were certainly aware of that & did take extra care of that particular machine so in no particular order 1. the unpolished welds underneath the tray will not rust or corrode. pickling makes it shiny, nothing more. it is exactly the same as every other espresso machine manufacturer has done for 20 years with no issues. just plain wrong. 2. boiler ding: it didn't leave the factory like that as we went to an extra special effort with this machine as we expected something like this. we can accuse DHL of many things, but not this i don't think 3. the taste - i think the machine as a whole has left a bitter taste in their mouth don't you think? 🙂 4. on/off switch 80C. the only way this could happen is if they sat the machine in direct Aussie summer sun. given that much the same thing will happen to the dashboard of your car I'm not too bothered. not one owner has even mentioned this as an issue in the 86 machines sold 5. did it have anything to do with me refusing Andy's entreaties to take a CS sponsorship package for almost as much as the price of a Luxe, but to pay for it by understating the value of the goods when i shipped them? imagine if i had agreed? then he would be able to hang me out to dry for defrauding the Australian tax authorities. i was pretty sure 'the review' was going to happen, so I'm just pleased we got paid for the machine, as opposed to sending it for free & getting 'the review' anyway 6. finally, i emailed twice to enquire if the machine arrived with damage (the problems we have had with shipping damage i have published extensively already) and once was told he was too busy to have even looked at it and the second email i don't think i received any reply - not sure. One thing i am sure of is we never received any communication pointing out these issues. i fully expect the machine is now in pieces in someone's workshop and they are working flat out trying to copy it all i can say is Andy had, like any of you, 30 days from the day on which the machine arrived in which to return the machine for a full refund if it fails to meet your expectations. for whatever reason we never heard from him best reiss.

UNM

interesting response. Ash - as you mentioned machine being hot, what sort of temp does your switch get to? Reiss, what is considered normal for these machines? The 30 day return for refund - how does that work? Buyer pays return shipping to you? Or pays for all costs in shipping/taxes? Obviously that affects how bad an issue needs to be before deciding whether to keep or return.

lespresso

UNM All we ask is that you retain and use all of the original packaging You just tell us to get DHL to come and pick it up It won't cost you a penny Reiss ps - if the temp switch was anything like that hot we would have a deluge of emails from people saying i just burnt myself turning off the machine. we haven't one.

UNM

Typical refund would be less shipping costs in at least one direction. That policy certainly adds some confidence when buying a product over the net. Just out of interest, what percentage of sales result in a return?

lespresso

1 in 86 (the guy 'couldn't get on with' an HG1 either, so i bought that off him too)

derrilex

Reiss, have a look here. http://www.bssa.org.uk/topics.php?article=2

lespresso

its the underside of a drip tray Derallex, not the inside of a potable water container i repeat, this is commonly used by all the espresso machine manufacturers, there is nothing particularly innovative or out of step here it will not rust its all about the application as to the level of finish that is required.

Brett_H

Thanks for your input here Reiss. Very interesting. Did you think of posting like this on CS?

derrilex

Yes yes yes, I understand where the welds are Reiss and that they in no part form a potable water container. That is irrelevant. The only point I want to convey is that while they perform no vital function and don't need to look pretty it is good practice to post treat any SS weld, regardless. To say that its commonly used by all espresso machine manufacturers for 20 years doesn't make it right, just cheap. Attention to detail is what makes great products great.

lespresso

im not a member of CS, and i really think it would be a waste of time, don't you? i've posted here at the insistence of every other Aussie L1 owner who are very happy we had shipping damage issues. no more. resolved.

lespresso

Derrilex: its all about cost. in principle I agree with you, but what happens if the AUD weakens relative to the GBP? we'll have the perfect machine that no one can afford to buy Personally I'm not happy with a fabricated tray of any kind and would like to have a single pressing we've got to get some runs on the board first - we've only just got started L2, which you will see shortly, has the new Fracino wire drip tray, which is what i would like on L1 one day its all about cost

Ol_Grumpy

Congratulations on selling 86 machines Reiss... That's an impressive 1st launch result- by any measure. With numbers like that and a 1st Launch to boot... Well numbers alone will tell you there will be teething problems and 'issues' to deal with... Congratulations again and thanks for 'popping-by' into our little corner of the globe. Sincere best wishes for the future development of the Londinium line.... With respect to all..."is it any wonder the natives are getting restless?" :tic

lespresso

Ol Grumpy Thanks for your encouragement I read & re-read the bit that says 'our little corner of the globe' It took a while for the penny to drop - but that's actually what this is all about Because Australia is such a coffee nation, it isn't a 'little corner of the globe' at all As far as coffee & espresso machines go it is one of the most important in the world Whilst the USA is far bigger in terms of population, you simply don't have the widespread interest in coffee in the USA - if you've ever been there you'll know what i mean The UK is in its infancy in terms of gourmet coffee - it exists, but its still incredibly niche Germany is an important market too But Australia is big. I see it as being as important as the USA for lever machines and treat it as such And that's what this scrap is all about at the end of the day; the size of opportunity that the Australian coffee market represents The funny part is our offering is incredibly niche - our sales numbers will hardly cause a ripple on the pond for our competitors That's business

Ol_Grumpy

Yes, "That's business" Ain't for the feint of heart.... Cheers, Have a good one...

derrilex

You should move the whole set up out here Reiss. Better all round :thumb:

UNM

lespresso wrote:

Whilst the USA is far bigger in terms of population, you simply don't have the widespread interest in coffee in the USA - if you've ever been there you'll know what i mean

Not entirely. Unless it has changed, instant coffee in the USA is a smaller percentage of sales than 'real' coffee unlike many other markets. Thing is the market is mainly drip filter coffee and is more about quantity than quality - unlimited refills is a selling point. So yeah, domestic espresso machines are not a huge part of their market' that is true. Lever espresso, even less so.

simont

lespresso wrote:

1. the unpolished welds underneath the tray will not rust or corrode. pickling makes it shiny, nothing more.

This is certainly what I have observed on stainless steel equipment installed in much harsher environments than your average kitchen. I understand the theory, chromium depletion etc, but in reality corrosion is a non issue, it is purely a matter of aesthetics.

conikal

Reiss ..one quick question, if i may. Can you confirm that all L1's are test run and generally checked for functionality, Temp setting, leaks etc ,..before being shipped out. ? thanks.

derrilex

simont wrote:

This is certainly what I have observed on stainless steel equipment installed in much harsher environments than your average kitchen. I understand the theory, chromium depletion etc, but in reality corrosion is a non issue, it is purely a matter of aesthetics.

So you understand the theory but still think its a non issue ? In this case it is purely a matter of aesthetics but if you think it's purely aesthetic in most cases of SS fabrication then you really don't understand the theory. Try not post treating and polishing the welds on a kitchen sink and see what happens.

ash

UNM wrote:

Ash - as you mentioned machine being hot, what sort of temp does your switch get to? Reiss, what is considered normal for these machines?

Hi UNM, I certainly have not burnt my finger on it yet. Maybe a bass players callused fingers are a little more immune to temp? Then again, when I read that on CS I went and used my ring finger deliberatly to see what the temps was like. Well it was warm, but not hot in the least. And that was after being on for four hours. I couldn't say for certain what the real time temp is, as I don't have a spare temp probe for my multimeter and am unsure that the two (+ and -) probes would give a realistic result.

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