| Questions | Yes / Comment | No / Comment |
| The following answers were obtained
from Gensaco's web site, through a call to one of their customer service representatives (CSR), and their brochure. Note: this machine can have improvements over time. These answers could change. |
||
| Manufacture Related: | ||
| Is the manufacturer viable? | Yes, in business since 1979 | |
| Are parts readily available? | Yes | |
| Reliability (High, Medium, Low) | High | |
| Does manufacturer service machine? | Yes, as do other repair companies |
|
General: |
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| Is the machine being discontinued? | No | |
| Warranty period? | 1 year parts | |
| Width? | 13 inches | |
| Depth? | 15 inches | |
| Height (if has a reservoir lid, give
with lid open and closed)? |
14 inches lid closed ? inches lid open |
|
| Weight? | 37 pounds | |
| 110 volt or 220 volts? | 115V | |
| Wattage? | 1200W In 3 to 4 months will come out with a 1500 or 1600W machine for more steam duration |
|
| Housing Material? | Chrome stainless steel and powder-coated steel |
|
| Cup Warming Tray? | Yes | |
| Available color(s)? | Stainless steel w/ black or red trim |
|
| Does steam wand move? What axis? | Yes, any axis | |
| Can steam wand accommodate a large (6
cup) pitcher? |
Yes, wand may not reach bottom of a large pitcher |
|
| Hot Water tap? | Yes | |
| Does hot water arm move? What axis? | Yes, any axis | |
| Removable drip tray? Drip tray material? | Yes, plastic | |
| Designed to be left on all day? | Yes | |
Water Supply Related: |
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| Internal water softener? | No | |
| Direct water supply? | Not on this machine | |
| Refillable water reservoir (and size)? | Yes, almost 4 liter | |
| Removable water reservoir? | Yes | |
| If has a removable water reservoir, how much "head room" is required above machine? |
Approx 14 inches | |
| Does boiler refill frequently to keep level fairly constant? |
Yes | |
| Adjustable boiler refill mechanism
(e.g., probe at top of boiler), to control the "wetness" of the steam |
Yes, two probes. One for minimum, one for max. |
|
| Pump Related: | ||
| Rotary Pump, Vibratory Pump, or Hydraulic Piston? | Vibratory | |
| Pump pressure, in Bars | 15 Bars | |
| Is the pump pressure adjustable? | Yes, factory set at 10 Bars which is recommended |
|
Boiler Related: |
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| Heat exchanger or two boilers (steam and brewing)? | Heat exchanger | |
| Boiler material and construction (e.g., forged brass)? | Copper | |
| Nickel lined boiler(s), to avoid stale water? | No, but is treated | |
| Boiler size(s) | 1 liter | |
| Anti-siphoning steam valve, so milk stays out of boiler |
Yes | |
| Bottom drain plug(s), to drain and clean boiler? | No | |
| Steam boiler sight valve? | No | |
| Adjustable steam boiler pressure? | Yes | |
| Safety valve if steam pressure too high | Yes | |
| Adjustable brewing pressure? | Yes, via pump pressure | |
| Safety valve if brewing pressure too high | Yes | |
| Adjustable brewing water temperature? | Yes, by adjusting boiler heat which affects steam pressure |
|
Group Related: |
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| Anti-drip (pressure release)
mechanism, so flow cuts off immediately? |
Yes | |
| Shrouded group head to reduce porta-filter heat loss? | Has commercial head. CSR said the key was maintaining the proper temp. too hot was as bad as too cold. |
|
| Water circulated through group head to warm it? | Not on this machine | |
Porta-filter Related: |
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| Commercial width? | Yes, is a commercial unit | |
| Chrome-plated cast brass? | Yes | |
| Porta-filter catch (so can easily knock puck) | Yes, spring clip | |
| Comes with both single and double-shot filter baskets? | Yes | |
Operational Related: |
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| Comes with operational instructions and/or video? | Instruction booklet | |
| Comes with a tamper? | Yes, plastic | |
| Warm-up time in minutes? | 15 minutes | |
| Can a 25-second pull be achieved? | Yes, though CSR said there were too many variables for this to be a valid question (and he is correct!) |
|
| Is there a pre-infusion cycle?
(pre-saturation of coffee before put under pressure) |
No | |
| Is it a "loud" machine or fairly quiet? | Quiet, only noise is pump | |
| Is there a warning light if there is no water? | Yes, in a way. The heating element light won't come on. |
|
| Does the machine stop if there is no water? | No, pump will work but heating element will not turn on. |
|
| Transition time (seconds) from brewing to steaming? | None | |
Maintenance Related: |
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| Comes with maintenance procedures? | Yes | |
| Comes with maintenance brushes? | No | |
| Head equipped with solenoid valve, so can back flush? | Yes | |
| Comes with blind filter, or rubber disk, for cleaning? | Yes |
Last Update: 4/1/98