It’s the same with E61 groups there are multiple manufacturers of said groups, with Vibiemme holding the patent to the original design. So all machines with E61 groups use clones. So much so that the Vibiemme group is the outlier and different to all the others. In a way it’s ironic that it has become the only “non-standard” E61group.
So yes the style is the same as a genuine LSM group, the service parts will fit, but over the years there are various customisations. Stainless steel internals, piston, bore springs etc.. Group heaters and other things. To make the Evo do what it does, it needed a specialised (improved) version of that style group, which other manufacturers also make (with various customisations or not).
If an LSM original group could have done the job (which it couldn’t), the group, already expensive, would have cost 3-4 times more..for no gain.
It’s the same for the other Lever group designs for the Fiorenzato type which use rubber seals to provide a crude valve and top entry of the water into the group chamber….something I don’t like.
P.S. Here’s a little snippet of info…the reason one of their E61 groups has a gauge on it, is because of the Minima. They made a customisation of that specific group type to allow the gauge to sit straight, not tilted and now we have a customised solenoid group (with a gauge) that can be bought off the shelf….It’s absolutely the best place to have the gauge…..thank me later, because the prototype minima had a standard pressure gauge on the front panel..
