I don’t trust those guards (only) as they can still cause scratches. I also wrap whatever I’m loosening/fastening with electrical tape.

This is mine currently. Just got the scales this weekend to start measuring and so far they’re proving successful as reads changes quickly and per bean, bargain at £10 with a timer.

Knipex pliers wrench and then use some electrical tape on the nut, they don’t have any play in them like a traditional spanner/adjustable spanner so they’re perfect for when you don’t want to damage something

Perfect, thanks.

Out of interest does anyone know the size of the paddle nut and lever nut on the Bianca? I’m assuming it’s metric?

    Ernie1 Out of interest does anyone know the size of the paddle nut and lever nut on the Bianca? I’m assuming it’s metric?

    it is, might be 14 mm, can’t remember

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      I realised after posting that I could just walk to the kitchen with a tape measure…

        Ernie1 I realised after posting that I could just walk to the kitchen with a tape measure…

        Aaaaand….?

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          @DavecUK

          22mm for the lever housing and 35mm for the main nut under the paddle. Possibly 36mm on the main nut as it’s plated.

          I also found this page of the Bianca thread on HB that has torque values which is useful. Sub-10NM torque is not very much at all so glad I spotted it as that would be very easy to overtighten!

          https://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/lelit-bianca-user-experience-t54490-50.html

          dutchy101 Very nice, looks much better in your photo than on the website in black and pairs perfectly with the Solo.

          I’ve just showed it to the wife as she’s really against me going all in for a Bianca and think she’s now coming round to a Minima. Also told her about how highly @DavecUK rates it, being someone in the know and having fed back on the development. I don’t honestly think I’d want anything more than this and the additional maintenance of a traditional E61 is swaying me towards this more. Let us know how you get on with it paired with the Solo as also need a grinder.

              It’s a thing of beauty. I was a little nervous at what my wife’s reaction would be when pulling it out of the box - despite already having her seal of approval from pics. It is a lot bigger than the Sage Bambino Plus that it has replaced in terms of overall footprint, but fits in the same space really nicely and neatly. It does indeed match really well with the look of the Solo too. My argument for the Minima was assisted by stating that it was the smallest dual boiler I could get. Not sure if this is true or not, but it’s here now so who cares? lol

              Alexvs, it’s a stunning machine in the flesh, or so to speak - the pic doesn’t do it justice in my opinion. One concern that I did have, and have now realised is that whilst it sits nicely up against the unit, in practice this is not the best place for it when in use, essentially you can’t get the portafilter into the group as the handle hits the unit on the side. There’s a very simple and easy fix - slide the Minima forwards a bit or to the side a bit, which is very easy to do on the felt pads that I have stuck to the feet. Same goes for filling the water tank. I can pivot the machine by 90 degrees and access the water tank very easily.

              My first shot wasn’t great (a decaf), but this is down to 2 things. Firstly I think the grind needs to be tightened on the Minima against the Bambino, so this is a question of dialing in my beans again - easily done. The other, and more tricky issue is the tamper. As a bit of a schoolboy error, I don’t have a 58mm tamper although I have a Nomcore V4 58.5mm tamper on order and due by 4th February. The plastic tamper that came with the Minima is pretty bad so I’ve just bit the bullet and ordered a 58mm tamper from Amazon for £12.99 which will come tomorrow and can serve as a reserve when the Nomcore arrives. Nevertheless, the 2nd shot was a lot better than the first and I could really taste a difference with the coffee from the Bambino. Once I have a proper tamp to work with I think it will improve things significantly.

              I must say David at Black Cat Coffee was an absolute legend to deal with - he’s set up the machine at 9 bar pressure and flushed it for me when bench testing, so it was ready to be used as soon as I got it on the counter and water into it.

              Very much looking forward to what tomorrow brings with it!

                Quick question DavecUK the Minima manual mentions 2 tubes that go into the tank, but I have 3. One of which looks like this. I prsume this isn’t hanging off and it is supposed to look like this?

                    dutchy101 Yeah that all normal, left tube is the water pickup, right tube is the low water detection…the tube is there to protect the wires and hold it in place at the right level, so it doesn’t float. The third tube comes from the safety valve (if you have a 3rd tube.

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                        This is my current (and first 😃 ) espresso setup - mainly thanks to @Dumnorix

                        I also have a fair selection of manual brew equipment - there’s the obligatory Aeropress and Moka pot lurking in there somewhere as well.

                          Legend - thanks Dave. I assumed it was all ok but thought I’d check since it differed from the manual