JimWright Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 191 Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Espresso: LM GS/3, Estro Profi Grinder: Macap M7KR Vac Pot: Yama Drip: Other: Eva Solo, Press Pot
Posted Wed May 7, 2008, 11:12am Subject: New arrival and questions
Question to the owners:
Did any of your machines show noticeable imperfections in the metal bodywork when new? (Visible scratches and/or gouges you can feel.)
I've gotten my machine, shipped direct from Franke. I trust that my dealer will make it right (and he says he will), but it arrived with a large (over 1") crack in the drip tray emanating from the screw plug hole, and hairline cracks in the plastic emanating from both screw holes for the screws holding the rear bottom face plate (around the power switch). Either whoever tightened all of these screws overdid it, or the machine was subjected to serious stress in shipping.
It also has the dreaded vibration problem, severely enough that I cannot pull a shot without intervention - I have to hold the cup up off the drip tray cover or it will vibrate out from under the spout in seconds.
I trust that the dealer will do whatever is necessary to make good on the cracked plastic, and either fix the vibration or replace the machine, but the question is, do I prefer it fixed or replaced at this point?
The stress this may've been under scares me re: future reliability, and I'm also meditating about all the metal parts - there are visible scratches on every metal face (rear, top/control, and lower front), not huge but noticeable when standing there looking at the machine, and the front face under the group head has a couple of small gouges that are deep enough to snag fabric and visible from 10 feet away. This can't have happened in shipping either - it's almost like they put the body together from the imperfects bin, or someone was carelessly throwing a screwdriver around during inspection or assembly. I don't want to be annoyed, but for a machine this expensive to arrive scratched up, even if the other items are handled, seems less than ideal, and I'm looking for perspective here.
Of course, I know these are handmade, but I've spoken to one other owner whose machine arrived flawless. Any/all thoughts and comparisons appreciated - did yours have scratches/imperfections in some or all of the metal faceplates? Should I let this go/am I expecting too much for a handmade item? Anyone else get cracked plastic parts or bodywork?
Oh, on the upside, I was getting very good shots within minutes of completing setup, which I'm certain will get even better, and my wife said her first taste of Kid O out of it after adjusting temp down by a few degrees was "telling a story" with all the new and complex flavors revealed, and was surprised by the mouth feel as well. And she had *not* read up to expect either. :-)
Did you get one of those $5700 deals? Your dealer didn't check it out before sending it to you?
Anyways, I had minor imperfections, like the GS3 logo had a tiny scuff on it. I don't really care about it since it's tiny and the logo is mostly facing a wall in my house. Your imperfections seem a bit more concerning. Does your drip tray leak with those cracks in it? If it's not structural, many of the pieces can be replaced. If the shipping damage is severe, I would think the box would have shown some evidence. Otherwise, I don't see how they could have torqued and twisted the machine such that cracks appeared. Seems like the box would show major damage and the foam that the feet of the machine was sitting in might show evidence of having ripped through it. Did you see any such evidence?
No, there was a check & prep checklist from Franke there, but the dealer never saw it, it came direct from Franke.
roblumba Said:
Anyways, I had minor imperfections, like the GS3 logo had a tiny scuff on it. I don't really care about it since it's tiny and the logo is mostly facing a wall in my house. Your imperfections seem a bit more concerning. Does your drip tray leak with those cracks in it?
Nope, not yet, though I'm sure the crack would spread and leak with repeated removal/reinsertion of the tray over time.
roblumba Said:
If it's not structural, many of the pieces can be replaced. If the shipping damage is severe, I would think the box would have shown some evidence. Otherwise, I don't see how they could have torqued and twisted the machine such that cracks appeared. Seems like the box would show major damage and the foam that the feet of the machine was sitting in might show evidence of having ripped through it. Did you see any such evidence?
No, I didn't - but the dealer said he had seen such things before in other deliveries (e. g., unit gets dropped, box looks fine but machine inside materially damaged). The funny thing is, this might explain the cracks, maybe internal damage from such treatment the vibration, but the scratched up metal faces were either there when it was built or put there by Franke.
BTW, thanks for responding Rob - anyone else with other thoughts/experiences on these things?
Tampy Senior Member Joined: 8 Sep 2006 Posts: 14 Location: California Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: GS3 Grinder: Mazzer Mini P Vac Pot: N/A Roaster: N/A
Posted Wed May 7, 2008, 3:58pm Subject: Re: New arrival and questions
Jim,
We spoke on the phone earlier this week. I would have them get you a new one. For the money, I don't think you should have any obvious defects. Mine came without any scratches and the pump is super quiet. There is no vibration. Further, if something develops after the warranty, you are always going to question if it was some damage to the machine that didn't present itself until later.
Since you had to wait, I would push to have them let you keep this until a new one arrived. That is my 2 cents.
JimWright Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 191 Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Espresso: LM GS/3, Estro Profi Grinder: Macap M7KR Vac Pot: Yama Drip: Other: Eva Solo, Press Pot
Posted Fri May 9, 2008, 2:02pm Subject: Re: New GS/3 owners thread
Thanks Brian and Paul - my dealer is working overtime on it and I'm confident he'll make it right.
In the meantime, after going out of town for a couple of days, I tried the machine again this morning for only the second time, and while I have to hold the cup up off the tray to pull a shot, I am getting some great pours - real espresso porn, almost makes me want to get a camera. ;-)
It's 5.1F on mine. Most people are around 5F difference. Are you sure you don''t have it on Celsius. The difference is based on the temperature difference between the probes and the group head, so I would think the location of the probes would have to change, or there would have to be something else changed in the design that makes the brew boiler more stable alltogether in order for that offset to come down to 1.7F.
Who set your offset? Is that factory set or dealer set? I wonder if you 1.7F is a correct setting.
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