La Pavoni Europiccola maintenance requirements

Author's Rating:

Pros: Rebuilding it is not hard; its long lasting; No stops at Starbucks

Cons: chrome base model tends to rust; neglect it,the steam valve will blow--both loud and startling;

The Bottom Line: 
After owning 4 different style and makes of pump driven machines I will never go back to them.

Author's Review
I burned out about 6 machines before buying this one 7 years ago. An employee of commercial espresso machine dealer told me that over 10 uses a week definitely put me in the commercial use category. We run out machine at least 14 times a week. My wife and I both have two cups in morning, sometimes one in the afternoon or evening as well. Most of the previous pump driven machines didn't last over 18 months. I often had them replaced under warranty, i.e. before a year but that was a pain to pack it up and send it off. Compared to this, the Pavoni is low maintenance. I have to run cleaner every month or it starts to act up. I have rebuilt it once when the piston broke, (too fine a grind and too much muscle). The parts were not bad at all and it was not a difficult task. What more the parts people recommended I upgrade to a brass piston, which I did and it now runs like a top. If you are not mechanically minded or just don't want to hassle it I am sure the machine could be rebuilt by a service shop. About $100 in parts, labor really shouldn't take more than an hour if you ask me. I am not a repairman and I rebuilt mine in less than an hour.