ACS Vesuvius Evo Leva

rxmnt

DavecUK Thank you for the explanation. I didn’t know lever machines behaved this way.

Do you know if the lever safety system introduces any negatives, maybe in terms of ease of maintenance or something?

Overall, it seems like a good addition, and I guess I’ll pay the extra 210€ should I decide to get the Evo 2. It’s not super easy for me to justify paying for something that might never be used, but skimping on safety also feels bad. I’d also probably hate myself if something actually happened and I or someone else got hurt because I wanted to save a comparatively small amount of money.

DavecUK

rxmnt Do you know if the lever safety system introduces any negatives, maybe in terms of ease of maintenance or something?

I didn’t notice any when using it at Host…maintenance wise I don’t think it will be an issue and the machine can be backflushed….The only thing I can think of is the very basic piston lubing probably cant be done by simple shower screen removal.. So that’s a piston out job, which is really the proper way to do it. 4 Allen bolds and pull out, clean/lube and put back…once every 6 months. Easy enough job.

Cuprajake

its a nice feature to have, sounds sad but practice safe lever usage, too,

control the lever at all times

Adrianmsmith

Cuprajake

@rxmnt please read if you need convincing to buy.

I can agree with Jake and Dave here

I’ve had the Evo now for approx 5 months

I’ve had 1 near miss and my wife shouting WTF was that…… Once…… No injuries. Read on, still the best machine I’ve owned.

That day, I Must have still been asleep .
I normally do a flush and clean the basket using the actuator behind the lever.
This day I put the pf back in place.
My brain obviously forgot i had not dosed it.
Pulled the lever and obviously water came out instantly. Not an issue if I was awake(!)
For whatever reason , known only to know one (!) I still lifted the lever. As I was holding it lightly I also let go if it.
Let’s just say quite a lound Bang and the whole machine jumped by a few mm.

I thought it was funny at the time but definately not reccomended.

There’s a quick sketch in the manual illustrating this. Think the sketch was done by @DavecUK

Anyway, not sure if your posts have been because you are looking to buy, so my thoughts for you are…….

The Evo I have is from the first batch. I purchased used from an ad on this forum (Serial number 5 is alive)
I was initially looking at a londonium or Nuri. I’d not heard of the Evo
Lucky escape with the londonium. (Thanks to advice on here also) and the fact I’d emailed Reis a few times to see one in Birmingham prior to buying. Noone was interested

The Evo is the best machine I’ve had to date.
Synchronika was fantastic
Evo is next level

Normally having read about the new features I would have an order in by now, but I have not. Evo does everything perfectly and the newer models have……
Everything I’d previously decided I absolutely needed.

Dump valve to me was a must but it’s not needed. Must be a great nice to have, one day.

Slow release is like any insurance policy. It you are stupid as I was once it could easily save a hospital visit.

If you use it properly there is absolutely no risk or disadvantage to not having it.

The Evo makes it very easy to make great coffee.

Another thing I read and thought “yeh right” was about not needing to weigh output. I always did on the synchronika.

Now I weigh my next one if I think “that seemed a bit quick or slow” whilst making one. If I do a check by weighing prior to and after brewing I’m within 1g of target. Would not have believed it was possible previously.

Then there’s the absolute chore of having to move the cup out of the way the instant you get to target weight or the needle starts to move quicker.
Very nearly stopped me from buying.
What an idiot!!
Now I do not even notice I am doing it.

The Evo is much more forgiving than anything I’ve previously used.

Need to sell the synchronika now and most likely the Vesuvius. Evo is staying.

May swap for a new one or vostok but no hurry and can anyone say I’d know which was which in a blind test.

I can pick the Evo from the synchronika blind……

rxmnt

DavecUK That’s good to hear. One other thing I’m curious about… I understand that with the dosing system option, I could “stop” the shot at any time (either by pressing a button, or because a set pressure or time is reached).

I’m guessing that by using this system, I could also make the lever fly up at high speed if I don’t have the safety system option? For example, if I ground so fine that the machine chokes, and I press the button to release the pressure while the lever is still mostly in a downward position? Or is this built in a way that already prevents the lever from going up too fast?

DavecUK

rxmnt For example, if I ground so fine that the machine chokes, and I press the button to release the pressure while the lever is still mostly in a downward position? Or is this built in a way that already prevents the lever from going up too fast?

It’s built in a way that the lever doesn’t go up that fast, and not fast enough to cause a problem, in that specific situation.

However, if the portafilter comes of at high pressure…then it will fly up very quickly without the safety system

Adrianmsmith

CoyoteOldMan
I just had the 32 delivered from blue star
Total coincidence and found this thread be searching for the model number!!
I normally dose 20g - 20.5g
About to order the 26
32 seems ok but a lot of room at 20g. No issues, just curious now about the 26!!

Adrianmsmith

DavecUK
Is firmware update something we should be doing / are the firmware files available for Vesuvius and Evo 6 and 3 years old…..

rxmnt

Adrianmsmith Thank you (and the others) for the replies. I guess I’m a little cautious that this safety system changes things for a group that has otherwise, as I understand it, proven itself over a long time, although I know that I actually know very little about it and should probably just trust the pros at ACS.

Having that said, I emailed Maria yesterday that I’d like to order one 😁. All black, olive handles, with the dosing and safety system.

Cuprajake

I’m glad you listened too

The Evo is the best coffee I’ve ever had,
The machine itself is so easy to use. It’s so repeatable.

Adrianmsmith

rxmnt
Be sure to report how good it is to us. ☕

I’m banned from spending large amounts this year!!

(I’m relatively new to this forum but so glad I found it)
In case you haven’t gathered yet about this forum, noone on here has financial gain by recommending anything to you
You only get genuine comments based on individuals preferences which is great.
And you don’t get fools jumping in guessing on scenarios just to get a like . Only genuine advice from people who have actually done it or own it so can give constructive advice.

chlorox

rxmnt

There isn’t a real danger at all if one has the usual common sense. I owned an izzo lever for more than a decade without ever having any danger from the lever handle suddenly shooting up. U will not regret buying any good lever over a pump machine!

Cuprajake

I can understand the fear of using a lever but just be sensible around it.

50s in

Adrianmsmith

Cuprajake horrible colour though, that is 🤭😜

LMSC

@“rxmnt”#

Great!

I am one of the few folks placed an order for Evo in March / April 2021 after seeing Dave’s amazing Prototype made of older and used parts.

She is sitting pretty on our kitchen for a little more than 2.5 years and never missed a beat. The Evo gives consistent, repeatable and amazing coffee every time. She is easy to maintain and we have never used scales or a timer when a shot is pulled. The scales are used only to weigh the beans and the timer comes up when a new bag is opened. She has spoiled us completely and I hardly see the reason to tweak my shots after the first shot of a new bag.

These come from someone, who lived on Indian filter for most part of the life besides replacing the odd £100+ machine once in 2 years.

I never had any accidents in 2.5+ years. I always use two hands and stay clear of the lever handle, just in case.

The Evo2’s new features including the safety features are major plus. But for Evo 1 at our place, I would have ordered Evo 2 or Vostok. Either of them is a no-brainer decision for me.

Good luck in your decision. Any questions, shoot them here. 😊

PS:

What’s your current set up ? Grinder and water in particular. I think you said an E61. I may have missed reading them, if you have already indicated. 😊 .

rxmnt

LMSC Thank you, all of those reports of happy customers make me more confident in this purchase.

My current setup is a Lelit Mara X, paired with a Niche Zero and Eureka Mignon Specialita:

I haven’t really dabbled into using water as another parameter, as of now, I just use water filtered through one of those table water filters.

I thought about going for a “middle class” machine and buying a better grinder along with it, but for now, I hope that my Niche is good enough for the Evo.

LMSC

Adrianmsmith beautiful colour, IMO 😁

dfk41

I am not sure what the stats say about a lever accident. I have owned levers since early 2013 and pulled thousands of shots. It did happen to me once when I pulled the lever down, realised I had not engaged the pf and stupidly put no pressure against the lever before I lifted it back up. Yes, it made a hell of a noise and I would not like to have been in the way! But, the way I get around this is to take hold of the lever handle whilst standing close to the machine, then take a step backwards taking me away from the machine. I do not need to do this now of course but if you are unsure, try this until you are comfortable at guessing the distance

Norvin

I have only ever had a near miss with the lever, I was careless and operated the lever with a wet hand, it slipped. I now stand to one side out of the way when operating the lever, still with one hand. It has risen rapidly on a few occasions when I have lifted the lever with an empty pf but no harm done. My wife uses the machine twice daily, she uses two hands and has never had a problem. It isn’t a problem once you realise the danger and take appropriate actions.

dfk41

Norvin I now stand to one side out of the way when operating the lever

Good point! I use my left arm and so stand over to the right. I do not think the lever could actually hit me. So many of the functions I use to make coffee are done on autopilot

LMSC

rxmnt I just use water filtered through one of those table water filters.

Not sure what it is. Most of us feed mineralised RO or RODI. Some manage with mineralised zero water. :-)

PS:

Nice set up. What is it you find the current set up lacking?

DavecUK

LMSC Nice set up. What is it you find the current set up lacking?

I assume that Gillette feeling?

rxmnt

LMSC Oof, that’s a good question. I think there’s no specific issue I could pinpoint, it’s more a mix of frustration from not being able to produce tasty coffee from certain beans, paired with the curiousity of what kind of improvements a high-end machine could bring.

I originally wanted to go for a Decent, because I like the thought of being able to control and observe all of the important parameters, something I could not do with my Mara X (at least not in any useful way). I wanted to be able to change small details, analyze the extraction, and be able to master even the lighest of light roasts perfectly.

Then I took a step back and realized that for probably 95% of the time, I don’t really want to experiment and analyze, I just want good coffee. I also went to a lot of great coffee places and realized that I just don’t like light roasts that much. I then read a few posts by people saying that they owned a Decent, but were never really able to truly reproduce a lever machine style shot on it, especially with darker roasts (something about the “thickness” or body, I can’t remember).

So I took the budget I had saved up for a Decent and looked for a lever machine, and that’s how I arrived at this machine 😀.

Edit: Regarding water, I’m using one of those water filter jugs where you can insert filter “cartridges”, like this:

« Previous Page Next Page »