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Gaggia Classic & Iberital MC2 - judging interest

9K views 60 replies 11 participants last post by  Iwwstriker 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Why I'm selling the Gaggia and the Iberital?

I've been here for quite some time now and while I've had my Gaggia for just under half an year I recently got upgraditis again! I found a Mrs. Silvia looking for a new owner and I'm really attracted to her! Unfortunately, I don't have enough cash to go and buy her right away so I first have to part with two of my friends - my lovely Gaggia Classic and a doserless Iberital MC2.

So by now you might be wondering why the 'judging interest' part in the title. Well, it's because I live in Bulgaria at the moment. I assume that some of you might be reluctant to buy a machine from another part of the continent. That's why I'm first judging interest.

Gaggia Classic

Let me say a few words about it. When I got the Gaggialast spring I replaced the boiler, the boiler gasket, the pump, and the grouphead gasket. This means that these parts have been used for less than 3 months (I didn't use the machine during the summer as I wasn't home). I've descaled it only once for this time period as I live in an area with very soft water. I also backflush it with Puly Caff once a week. There are no dents, scratches or other blemishes on the surface. I've set the OPV to 10 bars static pressure which translates to 9 bars at the puck. I'm selling it with two portafilters - the standard one and another Gaggia one. The reason I have two is that I meant to make a bottomless pf but if I get the Silvia I wouldn't be able to use it. If you want I can talk to a friend who might be able to 'transform' it for a few extra quid (a new bottomless portafilter costs £25 not including postage). I can also supply a PID kit with the machine - crimped and pre-cut 13awg 180*C-rated cables, the PID controller, a SSR, and two thermocouples - one that can be used to tap the boiler if you feel like it (its 6mm and the hole in the boiler is 4 mm) and a wire one which can be attached to any place on the boiler with Sugru which I will give you as well (prices I've paid for the components - PID + SSR + 6mm TC - £30; Wire TC - £5; Crimps, cable, and etc - £5; Sugru - £5 = £45). I think that's all I can say about the machine. The only thing it lacks is a Silvia wand as I used the wand without the Panarello attachment and still got good-enough microfoam.

Here are the prices:

Gaggia Classic with two standard portafilters and w/o PID - £85

Gaggia Classic with one standard and one naked portafilter and w/o PID - £90-93 (I need to ask my friend whether he can do it and for how much though)

Gaggia Classic with two standard portafilters and w/ the PID kit - £105

Gaggia Classic with one standard and one naked portafilter and w/ the PID kit - £110-113 (same thing about the naked pf)

Iberital MC2 Doserless

I used it for a month before I got my Mazzer so I can't say a lot of things about it. It's timer switch is missing and I didn't try to find a replacement part because it's just fine the way it is. I just weigh out 16gr of beans, dump them in the hopper, turn the grinder on, push the button with the portafilter, push it a second time when it's done and that's it. I guess it would be a problem if you wanted to fill the hopper with beans and use the timer to adjust the dose but most of us weigh the beans in order to have consistency.

EDIT:

Clarification about the Iberital:

Even though the timer switch is missing the timer function is working - all you need is a small flat-head screwdriver and you can adjust it.

Price:

Iberital MC2 Doserless - £75

Postage:

I will use DPD Couriers - fully insured and tracked. Delivery from Bulgaria to the UK should take 3-5 working days according to the website.

Postage for the Gaggia - £18. Postage for the Iberital - £13. If you're wondering why it's so cheap it's because I'm covering half of the costs in order to be competitive with offers from the UK..
:)


If you want to get both I can work out a special price for you but I can't give you a quote on the shipping before I call the couriers.

- it turns out that the couriers don't offer combined shipping so it makes this pretty much impossible as shipping will be around 50GBP for both units combined.

I'm currently away so I can't take any photos but when I get home (should be back on September 2) I'll post a couple and I can also upload a video if you want one. If you have any questions please ask!
 
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#4 ·
Alex, I can use either DPD or GLS to ship the machine to you and it will be around 20EUR but I can't be certain before I weight the machine. I though shipping to Greece would be cheaper than to the UK but I because of the islands couriers have high prices for the region. I need to speak to my friend about the naked pf and I can do this next Monday the earliest when I'm back home so I can give you the exact price then but I expect the machine with PID and a naked pf to be around 135EUR without the shipping.

@topgun23 - sorry but Alex posted a bit earlier than you. I'll keep you in mind if he decides he doesn't want the machine, though.

The Gaggia is reserved for Alex for now but the Iberital is still up for grabs.
 
#5 ·
I read again your post and i just realised that you would have to modify the existing portafilter to make it naked. In that case i prefer to leave it as it is. As for the PID is that allready installed? Did you have to drill an extra hole to put the thermoprobe in?
 
#6 ·
In that case the price will be around EUR125-130 (that's if its a paypal gift, if not I need to see the taxes for a standard transaction). The PID is installed but I will remove it for shipping. I will leave the SSR probe attached to the case of the machine as I've put thermal paste on it and it would be a waste to remove it. I'll leave the cables which are in the machine attached and I'll label the rest so you can wire it up for 10mins.

Whether you want to drill a hole for the thermocouple depends on you. If you use the wire TC which I suggest you do you can stick it in the existing hole with some thermal compound and then seal it with some Sugru (it's heat resistant up to 180*C). You can also get a 4mm bolt and a washer and again using the existing hole for the thermostat and some thermal compound put the TC between the washer and the boiler without inserting too much pressure so you don't crush the TC. I think there is a good reason Gaggia decided to put the thermostat there. Its a very reactive place and it would be easier for the PID to maintain temperatures form there.
 
#7 ·
No i dont want to drill any holes and dont want it to have extra holes especially in the boiler. Can you explain to me, at this moment where is the thermosensor for the PID placed didnt you put it where the original thermostat was?
 
#8 ·
When I installed the PID I placed the thermocouple on the front lower lip of the boiler but because I wasn't happy with the results (PID was overshooting as it couldn't sense well enough the temperature changes) I removed it from there. Most people place their sensors where the original thermostat hole is and this is where I was going to place it before I decided to sell the machine. Here is a picture of the place I'm talking about - http://i.imgur.com/EzXl6fY.jpg. No need for you to drill a whole, you just need to insert the probe in the hole after unscrewing the original thermostat or as I said you can use a standard 4mm screw and a washer to hold it together.
 
#9 ·
So you werent happy with the pid as it was, you removed the probe and since then havent tried anything else. So the PID isnt tested in work. Anyhow i would like to see some photos of what you got when you get back and also get a shipping quote when you got the exact details.
 
#10 ·
Well, the PID is tested and it works. I've had over a dozen shots with it and the reason I removed the TC from its place is that I wanted faster response between shots. The PID is the same as a couple of users over the forum have (Sestos) so it is perfectly capable of achieving its purpose. The controller reaches the set temperature and maintains it within a 1*C but it needs a few minutes after a shot to stabilize the temperature again. Most people report of overshooting after a shot with the temperature settling after 2-3 mins. I was aiming for reducing this to 1 minute and this is why I wanted to change the place of the TC but then I saw the offer for the Silvia. When I get back on Monday I'll take a couple of photos and I'll weigh the machine so I can give you an exact shipping quote.
 
#11 ·
bronc said:
Well, the PID is tested and it works. I've had over a dozen shots with it and the reason I removed the TC from its place is that I wanted faster response between shots. The PID is the same as a couple of users over the forum have (Sestos) so it is perfectly capable of achieving its purpose. The controller reaches the set temperature and maintains it within a 1*C but it needs a few minutes after a shot to stabilize the temperature again. Most people report of overshooting after a shot with the temperature settling after 2-3 mins. I was aiming for reducing this to 1 minute and this is why I wanted to change the place of the TC but then I saw the offer for the Silvia. When I get back on Monday I'll take a couple of photos and I'll weigh the machine so I can give you an exact shipping quote.
I think the Silvia needs a PID a lot more than a classic does though.
 
#13 ·
Yeah, it's awesome! You just shape it with your fingers and after 10-24 hours its fully hardened. The best thing is that you can still remove it. You just need to cut out the top layer which is the hardened one with a knife and then it all comes off very easily.

@Kyle - I hope I'll figure this out soon enough.
:)
 
#14 ·
bronc said:
Yeah, it's awesome! You just shape it with your fingers and after 10-24 hours its fully hardened. The best thing is that you can still remove it. You just need to cut out the top layer which is the hardened one with a knife and then it all comes off very easily.

@Kyle - I hope I'll figure this out soon enough.
:)
I would be concerned about putting something like that into a threaded hole.

You can gum up the threads and it will be impossible to remove it and the threads will become too tight.

I made this mistake in the past with shellac and a fountain pen.
 
#17 ·
@alexgrc has shown strong interest and is waiting for photos of Gaggiawhich I will be able to upload next Monday. I also need to give him an exact quote for the shipping which I will do when I weigh the machine and all accessories. @topgun23 is second in line.
:)
Still no interest for the Iberital.
 
#18 · (Edited by Moderator)
Got back a little earlier so here are the photos I promised. I have also uploaded a small video clip on YouTube that shows that the machine is in a working condition.

I called the couriers and tracked and fully insured shipping will be 23 EUR (as I said Ill cover a part of the expense myself to stay competitive). The price of the Gaggia is 105GBP which is about 125EUR according to Google's FX tool.

If you have any questions please ask.

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#22 ·
Alex, please reply as soon as possible as I'm waiting to sell the Gaggia in order to buy a Rancilio that's up for sale at the moment. I'd hate to lose that one so if I don't get a confirmation from you I'll have to pass the Classic to topgun23.
 
#23 ·
Hey Bronc, i saw your message yesterday. I thought about it and im gonna pass after all. So i guess since topgun is interested he can have it. Hope you get the Rancilio.
 
#26 · (Edited by Moderator)
I will ask my friend if he can cut out one of the portafilters to make it naked and what money he'll want for the service (but it's gonna be in the range that I've put on the first page). The second portafilter is a "bonus" so even if he can't do it I will still send you the machine with both portafilters (of course for less money than with a naked). One member of the forum used to make naked portafilters for 10-12GBP incl shipping so you can ask him to do yours. Is that okay?
 
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