Custom Seals

Nick Roulstone

What does "custom seals" mean? Sounds interesting

Reiss Gunson

it means no lever slip. a sample of 50 arrived on thursday last week but they did not conform to specification so we returned them. hope to have an update this week.

Matt Whyard

Reiss - just out of interest, have you been able to do extensive testing with these thus far?

Reiss Gunson

well our customers spread around 43 countries have been using the status quo extensively and a sub set that are experiencing piston slip are pretty frustrated, understandably

we believe the dimensional differences we have made on our own seal design, commissioned from a local seal specialist (rather than the group manufacturer) will offer you a step up in performance and consistency that will take your enjoyment to the next level

reiss.

Patrick Bennett

Very excited. Can't wait to try these new seals out. Thank you, Reiss.

Ian Densie

Reiss

I'm keen to try some as well. Let us know when they are available.

Cheers
Ian Densie

Reiss Gunson

the seals are going to be relatively expensive at GBP8 each plus VAT if applicable

why so expensive? we simply haven't got the volume we need to justify getting a die made (GBP8-10K) and moulding the seals. so our custom seals are machined, and whilst it avoids the upfront fixed cost of making dies, it raises the variable cost. if we end up being able to use the same seals in our 2017 compact londinium lever that would give us the volume we need to justify getting a die made and having the seals moulded, but we have not made that design decision yet

anyone who places an order totalling at least GBP50 (excluding carriage) before 1 January 2017 will receive a free set of three LONDINIUM piston seals as I'm keen for as many customers as possible to get these seals on their machines and start reporting back on the difference

we expect to receive the in-specification custom seals around the middle of next week

Reiss Gunson

in case you were wondering, with the custom seals there won't be any of the nonsense we've wrestled with to date, having to extreme care with the seal fitment to get a result and following my how-to video to the letter

within reason you will pop the new seal on and use a fraction of the grease that we have been using on the bore and you will be good to go, right first time

it will also mean that new machines will soon cease to ship with complimentary grease and a spare set of seals

kind regards

reiss.

Matt Whyard

Do you expect the new seals to have a similar lifespan to the old ones?

Forgive me for asking... but if no one has used them in anger yet, how are you so sure they will be effective? (Apologies if this sounds cynical, that's not my intention!)

Salvatore Taibi

Reiss,

I'm very interested, as well, and look forward to seeing these listed in the store. Will you have enough to go around, or do we need to pre-order??

Grazie tante,
Salvatore

Reiss Gunson

hi matt

you're entitled to be cynical; why not hold off and see how everyone else gets on with them first?

kind regards


reiss.

Reiss Gunson

any espresso machine that uses this group with the standard seals fitted by the group manufacturer will exhibit the same characteristics, which our LONDINIUM custom seals will eliminate, so they may be of interest to non-LONDINIUM owners too

Freddie Ting

Reiss

Same query as Salvotore. Do we need to pre-order? Definitely count me in.


Cheers
Fred

Reiss Gunson

hi freddie

this run is 500 seals, so i'll leave that up to your judgement

i have adjusted the price in the web store of piston seals and i will no longer be offering the standard seals

i am offering them both as a kit (3 piston seals and a group seal) and as an individual seal

Salvatore Taibi

Reiss,

So, if we go to the store and order the "Custom Group Seal Kit" it will be for the new seals, and they will ship once they have arrived and meet with your satisfaction? Just want to verify I'm not getting the old seals, as I already have several of those in stock.

Reiss Gunson

hi salvatore

as i mention above, i will no longer be offering the standard seals

i.e. any seal orders placed now will not be fulfilled unto the custom seals are available

kind regards

reiss.

Freddie Ting

Salvotore

From Reiss reply, I think we can proceed to order the "Custom Group Seal Kit" now and when the custom seals do arrive, only then will Reiss complete the order and send over to us.

Do correct me if the above is wrong, Reiss.

Regards
Fred

Frans Goddijn

I ordered six!

Freddie Ting

Good golly, Frans! :ohmy:

Salvatore Taibi

Ahhh, shipping to the US makes these some pretty pricey seals! I guess we only live once...

Frans Goddijn

It's good to have an extra seal to give a special lever espresso pal! An exclusive present

Reiss Gunson

as I've written many times, up to about 1.5Kg for international consignments the carriage charge is almost a fixed cost - its the 'getting out of bed fee' for a courier service that arrives promptly and doesnt go missing: we've never lost a consignment with DHL, ever.

so if you add a few other items to your cart you will see that the freight charge hardly moves, which is a reduction if you view the freight charge on a per item basis

kind regards

reiss.

Salvatore Taibi

I completely understand Reiss. I tried adding some beans to the order, but unfortunately it told me they were shipping from a different location, and thus the freight charge was doubled. I could order two sets of seals and that certainly would bring the cost down. I trust your judgment, and you've never steered me wrong in the past, therefore when you say these new seals are worth the money I wholeheartedly believe you.

Thanks!
Salvatore

Reiss Gunson

yes, the beans i have to send from auckland as its me doing the roasting, but dump those out of the cart and just get parts

to put some perspective on it i expect the new seals will eliminate 95% of post sale customer contact (i.e. almost all post sale customer contact relates to the standard seals). its a small detail that's going to make a big difference

we'll get this last remaining issue cleaned up on the L1 and then shift our focus to 2017; the year of the compact lever - the ponte vecchio, the elektra microcasa, and the evergreen la pavoni are what we have in our sights

Reiss Gunson

weds, 5 oct I'm told....grrrrr

mark israel

Ok, I've received the new seals, installed them. They seem to work PERFECTLY, the first time out (I've pulled 8 shots so far. You DO need to recalibrate your grind, dose etc after the seal change, but I'm very happy. They are expensive, but I'm more than willing to pay for good quality. They don't LOOK or feel much different from the old seals. Reiss, just out of curiosity, can you explain how they are different: materials? infinitesimal dimensional changes? Thanks for such great customer care. Mark

Reiss Gunson

hi mark

thank you for posting mark

its not always wise for us to broadcast everything we've learnt about levers since 2004, but hopefully there's plenty more for us to learn yet

best

reiss.