“Fantastic. You can probably build one similar if you know exactly what you're doing and already have the tools for maybe $5 or $10 less, but it was well worth the convenience and accuracy. Now have my Ms Silvia adjusted and the coffee quality has increased dramatically. Set it to 8 bars at the portafilter because you usually lose about a bar between the opv and the portafilter.”
“This kit would not hold pressure, therefore was useless. I even tried installing using teflon tape on the threading to try to get a better seal -- no luck. Not a good product.”
“I specifically looked up the supposed Portafilter pressure gauge for a Cimbali group head and handle and come to find out it is a nightmare to retro-fit the unique group filter with close to 5-6 add ons plus brazing copper tubing to handle PERMANENTLY!”
“My Gaggia Classic was set to 13 1/2 bar from factory. The only way I could get good crema was to tamp coffee in basket as hard as I could push down. Otherwise, hot water was pumped through coffee too fast, resulting in strong coffee (not espresso) and no crema. With the Portafilter Pressure Gauge Kit I was able to adjust pressure down to between 9 - 10 bar. This has resulted in reliable espresso, brew time and crema at normal (30 lb.) tamping pressure.”
