I ask this because I have a fairly fond attachment to the Grindenstein knock box. I know a knock box doesn’t have to do all that much, but it does it exceedingly well and at a very good price! You can chuck it in the dishwasher and it comes out looking brand new. It just sits there doing its job without fuss 😆
my yuaga scales, there 3yrs old, on the original batteries, ive got a spare yaga scale in the box, but these just wont die
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -
I have that knock box! It is indeed great.
This is my fave - Artpresso group brush. Such a simple idea to combine a brush, short flat headed screwdriver and mirror.
Makes cleaning/inspecting the LM group/screen an absolute breeeze.
Cuprajake they look good actually. I’ve got some smart weight scales, fairly similar in the sense they won’t die. I soaked them yesterday, the LCD had water in it. Just put them on the warming tray for 30 mins and all is well!
Ernie1 now that actually looks quite awesome. Going to have to get one of those 🙂
caffeinated-carp indeed. Link please!!
Mine, for now, is my Sworks funnel. A joy to use, and even just hold.
https://www.artpressodesign.com/product/espresso-machine-58mm-group-head-cleaning-tool/
I bought two of their walnut tamper stands to make the US shipping worthwhile but I just noticed there’s a few UK retailers now:
caffeinated-carp yes, see my post on it.
Has anyone used the Espazzola grouphead cleaner? Any good?
Had one,
Waste of time really
Esp on a lever haha
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -
caffeinated-carp Has anyone used the Espazzola grouphead cleaner? Any good?
I use the pallo coffee tool.
We probably all have a few accessories we use and don’t think about much so here’s one I always use, the simple cellulose sponge. I cut them into 3” x 2” sort of size and wrap the others in cling film and change every few days, they last for ages and so no unpleasant cloth hanging around and I don’t need bigger.
You know the sort of sponges, packet of 4 for £1 or so from most supermarkets like this example https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-cellulose-sponge-wipes-4-pack/p/0269792
caffeinated-carp
I have a knock off one.
One of the few knock offs I own.
I works well enough to use occasionally on the Bianca but not well enough to buy the real one.
I have a Pallo as well and it gets used for deep cleans.
I did make a back flusher out of an old PF and a double action pneumatic cylinder (sort of like this https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwiop53bkcf-AhVUVisKHacpBbEYABBLGgJzZg&sig=AOD64_1h1raZnY98n-3ucPJs3H8Zn3MkCw&adurl&ctype=5&ved=2ahUKEwjy95Lbkcf-AhX7odgFHTEnAb4Quxd6BQgBELcE )
It is really satisfying flushing 100mls back through an E61 after cleaning.
Amberale Sounds like Weber took the same approach…
Amberale hah that’s awesome, and yeh does look like the weber one. i must admit i do like the look/function of the weber, very cool
I have a Chinese knock off and the original one. Strangely rhe knock off seems to work better.
caffeinated-carp the weber spring clean works brilliantly on the Decent. Have yet to try it on an E61 group head.
Small blower is my pick. Blows all the coffee grinds off the bench and mine is special because it makes them all disappear. Wife has a theory they end up behind the coffee bench on the floor but she’s always wrong.
Amberale Not as pretty perhaps but about $30aud on Ali
Not sure how this works. Would you have a link to the manufacturers demonstration video? And a link to Ali.
Do you find it beneficial, relative to a blind portafilter backflush?
@MediumRoastSteam I would think that the backflush on the Lelit E is good enough? Do you see any benefit to this for a Lelit E?
JHCCoffee
It is not designed by the manufacturer for this purpose but MacGyvered by me .
It works exactly the same as a blind filter backflush but with an extra 100mls of liquid.
It is basically a piston in a closed cylinder.
When you attach it to your group and activate your pump the piston is pushed by the water and the air on the other end is compressed.
When you release your E61 lever it opens the group and the compressed air pushes the water all the way through the group to flush.
(Think about putting your finger over the end of a bike pump and then letting go of the handle.)
The Weber device works the same but with a spring to power the flush rather than pneumatics.
I am not familiar with the Lelit E and its recommended flushing routine with the solenoid group so, while I can’t see a problem, I would not advise it without checking with Lelit or another expert.
JHCCoffee - once upon a time, in a forum not too far away… 😉
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vesuvius/viewtopic.php?p=4046#p4046
I agree with Dave re the detergent strength but I don’t use my extra volume for that.
I pre-dissolve the powder in the portafilter and then operate my pump to generate a normal amount of liquid through the group.
Leave that for a minute or so to do its work and then flush the whole thing a couple of times with a full charge from the pneumatic reservoir.
Amberale then flush the whole thing a couple of times with a full charge from the pneumatic reservoir.
Oh, I think I understand now. Are you saying that, with the pneumatic assist, it can push all the fluid out and then you flush a couple of times rather than the usual 10-12 times?
But if this is the case, isn’t this equivalent to backflush once or twice, leave it in the group to do its work, dump the contents of the portafilter, and then flush a couple of times afterwards?
I’m struggling to understand the benefits of the pneumatic assistant (or spring assistant) in the grand scheme of things - aside of minor convenience.
MediumRoastSteam
For me it is purely the volume of water used for the flush.
The problem with the Weber device is the volume of liquid and lack of dwell time….a flawed concept IMO. My original post about this made Oct 3 2020
By the time it’s shipped and taxes paid over £300…
I tested many times the backflushing of E61 and non E61 espresso machines. The main issue is the dwell time after the backflush to allow the cleaner to do its work. Otherwise, it’s like dipping a dirty dish in detergent water to clean it rather than allowing it to soak. I cover it in detail in this video.
I watched the Weber video and a few thoughts spring to mind
The cleaning powder becomes very dilute (volume of the device is 250 ml) so much more would need to be used. Think about the water volume of a blind filter is 25ml max..and you use 0.5 to 1 teaspoon max. To get the same concentration of cleaner, you will need to use 5 or 10 teaspoons of powder!!!
There is no dwell time, apparently a single wash over of cleaner 5 to 10 times more dilute than normal (if you don’t use 10 times as much cleaner) is going to clean really well.
I should add that the backflush cleaner doesn’t dissolve all at once in a normal E61 blind filter, but even considering that the LW Spring Clean is still 2.5 to 5 times weaker and only done once whereas the first 2 backflushes using a blind filter contain easily the same concentration of the cleaner. The promo video showed a relatively normal amount of cleaner.
If people wanted to they could probably try a water hammer arrestor attached to the bottom of a portafilter….at least the volume of water wouldn’t be so high.
https://www.stevensonplumbing.co.uk/wat … estor.html
I think the LW device is looking to provide a solution for laziness, the problem is that the solution does not appear to do a better job than normal backflushing with cleaner (I believe it has to be worse) and is just one more piece of kit to have in the draw. The sad thing is people will buy it and having paid £300+ will swear it’s better, and they can taste the difference blah blah…many of them will probably be the people who rarely remove their shower screen and do all the other good things. In fact, it’s a positive sell on not needing to remove the shower screen because the LW device cleans like nothing else. It will then suck in others to purchase. I can’t wait to read the reviews on the various forums.
I know…I’m rubbishing it and I’ve never tried one…however if someone came out with square wheels for cars…I wouldn’t try them either…..Interested to see what traction this gets amongst the cognoscenti.
P.S. In fairness though…watching the promo video it looks to be a fantastic device and I almost want one. LW do a great job of marketing their stuff.
DavecUK P.S. In fairness though…watching the promo video it looks to be a fantastic device and I almost want one. LW do a great job of marketing their stuff.
Exactly this. It certainly looks the nuts, but I did have some reservations around the level of concentrate you’d need to make up after using your above video for my monthly Minima backflush clean
DavecUK you point about the dwell time makes perfect sense.
I would say that the Decent profile for the Webinar Spring clean takes a good ten minutes to work through. Still, sounds like I would have to really up the volume of powder.
Also, mine has a nasty habit of falling out of the group head and it’s happened so often how I don’t like using it. And in all good conscience, I can’t really sell it either.
$300 doorstop anyone?
For me being really new to all this then my has to be this forum. I have learned and still am learning so much since joining and even if my wallet and taste buds do not allow me to progress as much as some of you coffee luminaries on here it has still made a huge tasty difference to what I was drinking a couple of years ago.
