The tale of two Lussos.
Some of you might find this interesting.
I ordered my PVL around the 1st of April. If you remember, I kept the machine at work for about 3 weeks before finally moving to my counter at home. Several of my coworkers had become quite fond of the machine and one of them actually ended up buying one for himself. His machine was purchased around May 21st.
His PVL arrived and I started helping my coworker unpack and set up the machine. It was during this time that I first started to notice subtle differences between his machine and mine. The most obvious differences were different steam and hot water knobs as well as a different boiler cap. My coworker took his machine home for a few days, and when he returned it to work he said that there was a slight hitch in the lever while brewing coffee. I tested it and sure enough, on the first pull of the day, there was was indeed a slight hiccup when the lever was rising.
I ended up popping off the dispersion screen on the group head and checking things out inside. Everything looked okay. The was used machine on and off throughout that day without issue. I went to pull a shot later that afternoon. I loaded my normal 15 grams that I do at home, and when I went to pull the shot the lever lurched upward and the water flow all but stopped. I pulled the lever down to fill the boiler and water started running through the puck like I was brewing coffee, and when I let the lever start to rise I again had the lurch and the water all but stopped. Come to find out that if you loaded much more the 14 grams in the double basket, the piston seals would fail, and the machine would not brew properly. At home I have used 15-16 grams without issue.
I know the grind may have something to do with the issue. I have choked my machine at home to the point where the lever wouldn't rise, but I've never had my machine act the way that my friends machine does. Basically, if you load much more than 14 grams in the double basket, when the lever starts to rise, the seals will fail and allow water to rush back into the boiler.
But the saga continues. I came in yesterday morning and turned on his machine. I returned 45 minutes later only to find that the pressure gauge was reading 0. The machine had not heated up, even though the power light was on. I knew there was a reset switch that you have to hit if the water gets too low, so I hit the reset button, even though the machine had a half tank of water. Still nothing. I ended up taking the case of the machine and testing the heating elements, which checked out fine. I inspected the other components but nothing looked amiss. After putting the machine back together and refilling it, I flipped the power switch and after about 15 minutes, the machine came up to temperature and the proper pressure. I was perplexed.
The machine is functioning fine this morning, but I am still wary of it's longevity. My machine hasn't had the slightest hiccup since it came into my possession. There are obvious cosmetic differences between my machine and his, but I would have assumed that the internals would have been the same. After taking the case off of his machine yesterday I can say that his internal steam and hot water valves are slightly different from my machine (these valves have to be removed to remove the case). It makes me wonder is the other components differ.
I have spoken with 1st Line on the phone, and the gentleman I spoke with agreed that the seals were failing and told me he would send out a set of new seals. It's getting close to 2 weeks since we spoke and I have not seen the seals. I have contacted them twice via their website and gotten no response.
