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tompoland I think the forthcoming Londinium Vectis has some tough competition from Argos. I know which lever I would rather have.
Odyssey Argos
The Argos is certainly the best “bang for bucks” lever option, assuming the quality is up there with the others.
It’s not just the price advantage that appeals to me though, it’s the versatility that I find tantalising: add a pressure gauge if you like (or not), add the digital Bluetooth transducer (or not), switch from direct to 9 bar spring or to a 6 bar spring (yes please).
The options are quite extraordinary and I don’t know of any lever machine that has that range of features/options for any price, let alone under US$1,000.
Temperature stability is going to be the most interesting feature for me. The Strietman is not as temperate stable as I would like. It requires some temperature “surfing” and whilst it comes up to full heat in under ten minutes, there are significant fluctuations within the first 30 minutes and even after that there is a four degree variance at any given point in time. I can live with that but if I had the choice, I’d prefer not to. If the Argos can deliver better temperature stability in addition to all of the options I’ve listed above, that would be a simply amazing “icing on the cake”.
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DavecUK I’m beginning to think that Londinium is a bit like owning a Harley. Both have a cult like following and evoke a feeling of pride but based on price/features/quality/service comparison, purchasing either of them would be hard to justify.
That’s not to say that a feeling is without value. It’s a matter of the buyer’s priorities.
I’ve been looking for an excellent coffee Discord. Do you belong to one that you’d recommend?
Totally agree. That’s why I bought one!
For anyone interested, here’s Ross’s update to backers today:
Odyssey Espresso Argos Update: July 12, 2022
Hello all! I have done a horrible job with updates over the past month but I assure you that significant progress is still being made. We have finished hiring all of our Assembly Technicians/ Manager for this initial run of parts and plan to hire more in the future to keep up with demand.
We decided to do a quick last minute trip to World of Coffee Milan. This was a fun experience where we had a small booth with the powdercoated units on display. It was a great opportunity to connect with other lever machine manufacturers as well as suppliers for Italian made products.
While hardware is being finalized and procured, I am working on figuring out the best way to keep track of assembly and quality control tracking for when we start assembly. This will allow us to track which technician has performed each assembly task for each machine in the event of any defects or malfunctions.
Hardware
When sourcing on/ off switches we made a significant change from 2 toggle switches to a single on/off rocker switch next to the plug and a custom temperature knob with an integrated push switch into the knob. We like this design as it cleans up the back of the machine while integrating all temperature related control on a single knob. Users will be able to set the brew temperature from 85C-95C then push the knob in to turn up steam temp which will be indicated by a 3rd LED on the top.
Previously exposed screws on the top of the machine have now been moved to mount the boiler to the top plate from the underside. This will clean up the overall look.
Powdercoated parts have arrived and were on display at World of Coffee Milan. We are working on getting product photos for those options to add to the site. Anyone interested in changing from a stainless steel finish to the black or while color will be able to purchase the “Machine Color Add-On” from the site. This will go live when the photos are released and on the site as well, ideally by next week.
An additional person has been brought on temporarily to help finish up drawings for production.
You can check out the updated checklist here.
4 months later
Email update from Ross this morning included this:
“I expect to start shipping first thing next year once certification has passed.”
So his original estimate of “shipping in April” was pretty close after all. I mean, to be fair, we forgot to ask him which year 😅 🤷 🙃
Still, it’s getting closer.
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Production is a very different thing from prototyping, and I would imagine his running into lots of things he needed to modify and change. So it’s not really unexpected that the Argos is going to be quite late. I would think he doesn’t want a Vectis moment.
tompoland
Shipping dates were always aspirational.
However, I’m not waiting on this unit to be able to make coffee, I have other stuff.
I am backing it because I think it is a good move for home espresso gear.
We still have no idea how well the production unit will work but I am happy to believe that it will make espresso at least as good as an LP or a Cremina,with better temperature stability( and plumbablility eventually)and I hope that it will kick off a number of other small machines.
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Poor bu**er doesn’t even have all his production parts yet so there may be problems or the parts may all turn up perfect.
Lets hope for the latter.
As for the Vectis, good luck to them I say.
Lets get all these small machines out there and enjoy them.
Francesco’s site shows the magnificent cornucopia of machines we enjoyed in the sixties, lets relive that.
😎
a month later
Latest update for those not on the email list. The bottom line is that Ross in on track to start shipping in January.
Odyssey Espresso
Argos Update: December 9, 2022
Hello All, it’s been far too long since the last update. I took a small vacation to Australia and was pleasantly surprised with how strong the coffee scene was. Needless to say I loaded up on beans to bring back to the states.
We’ve had parts arriving just about every week over the past month. As expected there are delays. All parts from Italy have shown up but some suppliers in China had to shut down for a week due to Covid restrictions. This won’t add too much of a delay but combined with slightly longer shipping times than estimated each day adds up. Regardless, we’re still on track to start shipping this coming January!
We’ve made significant progress on the auto refill add on. The main solenoid valve is still being selected which should happen over the next week but the software has been validated and the circuit board works as expected.
You’ve got to admire the packaging on these pressure stats!
Boiler heat wraps. Sorry, no cork like on the original prototype!
Lots of organization needed before the next few pallets arrive!
Hardware
As noted above, we’re finalizing the details of the auto refill components. I’m aiming to test the hardware out in 2 weeks and we’ll get that added to the online store as an add-on item.
The rest is mostly just a waiting game at this point. The communication has been very strong with my suppliers. They’ve all been very good about making an initial part, inspecting, and in the case that a critical dimension is not within tolerance, they inform me that they’re re-working the tool path and update when it’s resolved. I’m mostly just playing the part of shipping and receiving at this point to make sure I get all of the import taxes paid when parts arrive in the country.
Next week I’ll have photos of all the wood parts being bonded.
Software
William made some great progress improving the software on the machine. He’s gotten Over the Air (OTA) updates working which means any small features or improvements added in the future can be pushed to all machines if desired by the end user.
We’re currently testing out some new intra-shot temperature stability improvement methods to take full advantage of our unique setup. More to come on this after we validate any new solutions
The software for auto refill has been tested and validated. The way it works is that when low fluid level is detected, the heating element shuts off until the boiler reaches 95C. The machine’s computer then tells a solenoid valve to open for 30s to fill, then closes. Once fluid is confirmed by the level sensor, the heating element starts back up for the next shot.
Sincerely,
Ross Ainsworth
www.odysseyespresso.com
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Good to hear it’s finally coming….When I saw and played with the prototype it seemed quite a robust structure, so it won’t be limited by last minute massive flexion problems to delay it’s launch. Even in prototype form, it looked nice and IMO is something unique and innovative, which is of course where my interest lies in espresso machines. It’s easy and rather lazy to simply make a low tech crude copy of something else…glad Ross didn’t go down that path.
It’s something I’d never buy but it does look smart.
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -
You can’t fault his communication and updates every step of the way. It shows to me, he’s really invested in his product and customers as momentum rapidly dwindles in peoples interest without it. It looks a fantastic machine and he deserves for it to be successful.
Platypus Makes you wonder if certain other firms could not learn from this approach
a month later
I love the look of this, I was hoping ordering would have opened up again as I’m now in a position where I can potentially justify one of these… I just need someone’s to arrive and then decide its not for them and sell it off cheaply!!
cjbailey1 I just need someone’s to arrive and then decide its not for them and sell it off cheaply!!
I seriously doubt that will happen…when I saw it, I thought….that’s a keeper.
Yes! I just wish I’d been in a position to order one when they were available. Going to guess they’ll jump significantly in price when they are available for purchase due to supply chain and material cost increases.
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DavecUK thing is, I ordered my Argos in December 2021. The original ETA was April 2022.
Since then the Streitman and Nurri have arrived on the espresso bench.
So for me, it’s unlikely I’ll keep it.
Still, I’ll give it a whirl. But if I kept it the Streitman (unlikely) or Nurri would have to go (VERY unlikely).
I’m probably a bit of an outlier though.
tompoland if only you were in the UK!
