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Fiorenzato
Bricoletta Tank Lever Espresso Machine
Everything was well thought out on this machine. The Bricoletta
sports a very solid, thick gauge stainless steel frame which is
overshadowed by its one-of-a-kind polished, stainless steel ribbed
body. The beautiful body is great when your machine will be situated
on a center island in the kitchen.
When we say 'heavy duty', you will see we mean heavy duty.
It is also the most powerful machine in its class with 1900 watts
of power. We certainly recommend a 20-amp circuit and appropriate
wiring to supply electrical power to this machine. Why the high
wattage? With the highest wattage in its class, it offers the quickest
recovery time in the boiler for the most demanding applications.
In addition, we have found that this is the ONLY machine in its
class where you can actually make espresso and steam milk at the
same time without a complete degradation of boiler pressure. In
other words, we have found all 15 amp models in this class to not
maintain boiler pressure while extracting espresso and steaming
milk at the same time. the reason is that 15 amps in the elctrical
outlet is NOT enough power to do this.
The frame of this machine is constructed of two parts - the front
and rear are held togetehr with four locknuts. Initially, we has
some problems with the front frame buck during shipping. Fiorenzato
in Italy has palced reinforced stainles steel in the front portion
of the frame to remove the potential for damage during shipping.
What we 'can' and 'can not' figure out
We have been carrying the Fiorenzato line for over 2 years with
very minimal defects. Mostly, for the Bricoletta line, the defects
were the heating elements that stopped functioning due to the customers'
lack of surge supression. This is common problem on many espresso
machines as the filament inside the heating element is very susceptible
- even to the smallest surges. therefore, we always recommend aquiring
a surge suppressor, and even more so when placing a timer on the
espresso machine. This one we have been able to figure out.
Like many other machines in this category, the Fiorenzato Bricoletta
utilizes a MATER pressurstat to regulate the boiler pressure for
steam performance and temperature for the espresso coffee extraction.
A common problem with MATER, CEME, and JAEGER pressurstats is that
they malfunction. The simple reason is that the diaphragms and microswitches
on these pressurstats are too small. The smal diaphragms are VERY
susceptible to limescale, and the microswitches are VERY susceptible
to carbon build-up - this typically happens with about 100,000 on/off
cycles. In both cases, the pressurstat is usually replaced by the
customer. Although the process is simple, it is a hassle. And, in
most cases, manufacturers will not cover this under warranty because
it is not considered a manufacturer's defect.
Since we started carrying the Fiorenzato Bricolettas over two years
ago, we have yet to replace a MATER pressurstat for any customers
who purchased their Fiorenzato Bricolettas from us. We actually
purchased 80 pressurstats from Fiorenzato-USA, and just to move
inventory, we have placed them on other makes and models of espresso
machines that utilize MATERs, CEMEs, and JAEGERs. In 2006, we even
asked the president of Fiorenzato Italy why his pressurstats do
not fail. Unfortunately, for competitive reasons, he would not share
their competitive technical advantage. This one we have not been
able to figure out, and this is one main reason why we do not recommend
to customers to upgrade to a better pressurstat - the simple reason
is that you do not need to at this time.
Easy repairs lowers your TCO (total cost of ownership)!
When this machine needs repair (as every espresso machine will
someday need repair), it is very easy to work on. There are two
philips screws on top and 2 allen key screws on the rear frame to
remove the top cover. Then.only 2 allen key bolts on each side of
the body panel need to be loosened and one flat gold screw removed
on the wrap-around side body panel. All parts can be replaced while
the machine is standing up. There is no need to turn the machine
upside down to get to a bottom access panel for access to a heating
element underneath. Even the machine reset switch can be accessed
with the machine in the upright position. The bottomline is that
most customers can repair this machine with the 1st rate guidance
of 1st-line's technical support. If not, the machine can be shipped
in for repair, as well. 1st-line also stocks replacement parts for
the Bricoletta.
Did we mention safety features?
Did you know that many machines in this class (except Fiorenzato,
Vibiemme, Pasquini, and Bezzera) have a missing feature to their
safety designs? Most espresso machines in this class utilize a single
boiler probe to monitor the maximum water level in the boiler. This
is to make sure that the inetrnal heating element has enough water
to submerge the heating element fully in water. A heating element
not submerged in water in the espresso machine's boiler can become
damaged.
The problem is these same espresso machines still send power to
the heating element even before the maximum water level has been
reached. The bad news is that the heating element could get damaged
from lack of enough water upon initial startup, or from the boiler
refill valve, pump, or water tank cut-off mechanism failing. The
other place we see this heating element failure is when a user removes
too much water from the water wand. The water level will drop faster
than the internal pump can refill the boiler. Hence, the heating
element can become damaged.
The beauty about the Fiorenzato Bricoletta is that no power will
be sent to the heating element UNLESS it has the maxmium water level
in the boiler. This is a great feature, and one of the main reasons
we have never seen a damaged heating element strictly from lack
of water in the boiler. Yes, our technicians can tell if a heating
element became damaged from a alck of water. The bottomline is that
if you do not get an espresso machine with a feature such as this,
the user must be cognizant of thefact that the heating element could
be damaged.
And, to boot, this machine has an ETL rating for NSF 4 and UL 197
- the highest electrical and safety standards which allows it to
be used inside restaurants and cafes. In fact, most local health
departments not only request it, but require NSF approval. ETL Approval
assures you the factory and machine production is inspected every
three months for providing high quality and high safety standards.
Read a professional review of the Bricoletta here!
When you first receive this masterpiece, please make sure the
long hose is pulling water from the reservoir upon powering on.
If not, an airpocket can occur in the pump as a result from shipping.
You can use a turkey baster filled with water to try to push out
the airpocket while the machine's pump pulls water at initial
start-up.
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