Pro 800

My routine is fast. Machine is warmed up before I wake up. I have a premium grinder that doses fluffy grounds directly in the PF by weight within 6 sec., tap-tap-tamp, insert and pull the spring lever, release (steam at same time if needed). Cortado ready within 60 seconds. Knock, rinse, wipe & done with clean-up 15 seconds more. If your toddler is cranky then repeat the process a second time. 😆 Great shots without a fuss. No weighing spraying beans, no dose cup, funnel, WDT, screens, etc. Just amazing extractions. Profitec Pro 800 (direct plumbed) & Eureka Atom W65

Just read this thread and now I’m invested 😆 Did you replace your Londinium? I’m a lever fan (Profitec P800 plumbed in) and would be tough to consider going back to a pump driven machine. I do like Profitec though. Thanks

Great options! Definitely two ends of the technical spectrum. 😆 I recently got the P800 in December. No regrets for me. It’s a purists dream and all about consistency. The workflow is easy, temp is rock solid stable, and built to hand down a generation or two. You can also steam while the extraction is flowing like a dual boiler. I plumbed mine in so there is no noise or pump needed (steam pressure pre-infusion). The only “downside” is the warm-up time, so I use a smart plug and it’s toasty when I wake up. Have fun with your upgrade, after 10 years you earned it.

The new one. https://preview.redd.it/9v14vcd9xpog1.jpeg?width=2994&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c6ffad36be2dc4e6ec4d3eb9a7afca32e021884

They take forever to fill orders. I had one on order for 3 months and they said at least 6 more months so I cancelled it.

The Profitec 800 uses the one of the most popular lever groups. Easy to get parts for and is used on several commercial machines. It weighs 17 lbs so it takes a long time to heat up that much brass, but easily solved with a smart plug/timer. The [Rocket R9 One](https://rocket-espresso.com/products/domestic-models/r-nine-one) isn't a lever unless I've got the wrong model.

I'm like you, I'm into more Italian style espresso. No shade at the SOUP-lovers or people cranking their OPVs down to 3 bar, I just enjoy lighter roasts more as pourover and keep my 'spro on the medium to medium dark side with traditional pressure ranges. Going to give you flyer recommendations. When you want "dead simple" in a machine, there's different ways to interpret that - lots of knobs, but offering automation (like a Decent), or go for no options whatsoever. A Profitec Pro 800, for example. You're not going to be messing with OPVs, programmable pre-infusion, pressure or flow profiling, or anything like that. Just pull. It's PID controlled and doesn't even use a pump when it's plumbed. IMO don't put the filter as a requirement of the espresso machine. You can easily plumb the output from a filtration system, using a pressure booster if necessary.

I would go with a profitec pro 800. You already know you like lever machines. Going with high tech seems like a step backwards to me. L

I picked up an LP from 1996 for $400 and now I use it way more than my $2k Profitec.

If consistency is what you’re after, you can’t really do better than the Synchronika. I’ve pulled 20 back to back shots, very, very stable machine. The Linea Mini would also be very consistent. If you’re after exceptional taste, for me, a spring lever is the way to go. I had an 800 for a while and got really good shots. Every machine will have quirks, on the 800, its temperature stability, but if you get on top of it with a group head thermometer (and maybe a small fan) you will be able to pull some amazing shots. At most you have to wait a couple of minutes between shots for the machine to stabilize. There are other spring levers out there that don’t suffer that much with temperature stability, Nurri Leva or ACS Vostok/Vesuvius would be my top picks. A little biased as I traded the 800 for a Nurri. So, wrapping up, if no fuss, ease of use is your main deciding factor, my vote goes to Synchronika. It can even do flow control if you’re wanting to tinker. Linea Mini would fit into this category too. If you want to chase amazing shots, spring lever. And finally to throw another wrench into the mix, if I could only have one machine, Decent gets my vote, it can be as easy or complicated as you want. The stop at weight feature really is game changing. And of course it can mimic almost any other machine out there. I say almost because it can’t quite get to a spring lever level because of flow limitations, but it gets you 90% of the way.

The Decent is amazing, and there’s a perk, if you maintain their warranty after the initial 2 years, it’s $300 for the next 2 years, forever. And they include all shipping and import duties, at least to my country, if it needs repair. Don’t know of anyone else doing anything similar. I got mine used, it was from a low use cafe, and it sat in storage for a couple of years before I got it. Powered up right away, did some deep cleaning but the insides were pristine. Working great and now under warranty again in case anything happens :) Now, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved my 800 and would have been totally content keeping it. Nothing negative after I figured out the temperature stability thing. When plumbed in, it’s almost totally silent, minimal required maintenance, very few parts. It’ll last decades.

Yeah, Personally, I think the most forgiving dial-in -- and most versatility -- comes with hybrid spring levers. The pump pre-infusion, the ability to decide when to release the spring (based on time-to-first drip, basket fill-rate, etc), and the ability to modulate pressure by manipulating the lever -- all these let you adapt to a shot and gives you a good intuitive sense of where to adjust grind/dose, all in real-time. Yes, it's a manual process. I personally think it's easier (and more fun) than *programming* a machine at the crack of dawn. But, YMMV. That said, some Thoughts and Feelings ^(tm) about machines: **Bezzera Strega** - My personal runner-up, great value for money - But, requires some tinkering IMHO: - Fairly temp stable but needs a PID (fairly straightforward) - No OPV for pre-infusion; Ulka vibe pump is duty cycle limited to 11bar, which is too high for my tastes. I would prefer to replace the pump and install an (adjustable) OPV - no exhaust solenoid. Some crazy nut installed one, though, with a button no less! **Nurri Leva** - Well, I ordered one :P - Caution: uses La San Marco (55mm) grouphead. A dearth of accessories. **Londinium R24** - The original hybrid spring lever. - Incredible in cup - clumsy engineering and janky manufacturing. relies heavily on a british contract CM that is...not robust. **Profitec Pro 800** - A really well-executed dipper - A bit pricey? Lack of pump pre-infusion is unfortunate given cost - You can plumb in, but pre-infusion still limited to boiler pressure **Londinium Vectis** - Compact dipper style spring lever - great in concept, fast heat-up time - limited shot volume, needs lower doses, thin on body, great in-cup, small boiler which is moderate levels of ass-pain to re-fill. - launched during pandemic, has the QA woes to show for it. recent iterations have improved many of the issues plaguing it (defective grouphead casting, self-destructing pstats), but again relies on a contract CM that is not keeping up. **Odyssey Argos** - Spring or direct lever dipper style - Best bang for the buck of all time? - Basically unobtainium due to huge popularity/lead time. - temp stable via PID control of boiler pressure, comes at the expense of steam stability (but you don't care about milk steaming) - pain in the ass to re-fill the boiler - Very clever air bleed system enables multi-pull Fellinis to increase shot volume, without destroying the puck.

I bought a dual boiler Profitec 800 and love it. Steaming milk while also pulling back to back shots.