Need a new portafilter gasket for my Duetto II

[VertigoCycles]

Does anyone have opinions on the silicone replacements? Should I bother with it or stick with the standard ones. It's been about ten years so I'm 99% certain that this one won't be coming off without a fight.

[Eric Estlund]

10 years?!

I haven't used the silicone, but would be interested in feedback. If you've been using that old one for a decade you may well need a shim or over sized gasket to get decent lockup in either case.

[Jef58]

I just installed a silicone gasket on the Gaggia Classic. The original rubber gasket lasted 4 years and the price difference between the rubber and silicone was small enough to give it a try. No long term experience but looks like it will last. I also replaced the original shower plate and screen with a brass one while I was at it.

[VertigoCycles]

I was invited over to Roseline roasters today by my friend Tom who helped start up the place. In addition to going home with some very nice coffee and an E61 rebuild kit, he strongly recommended the Caffewerks gasket and screen...which I already had on the way.

[Jef58]

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I have the blue gasket and the screen looks similar but from IMS. I was thinking about upgrading to a unit like yours, but maybe overkill for what I consume. The Gaggia Classic heats up quick for my double shot in the morning before work. Since I upgraded the shower plate and screen, and changed out the steam wand to a Silvia one, cappuccino's have been better. Maybe down the road, an upgrade will be in order. I'll have to weigh out the practical end of things...

[VertigoCycles]

Just a note about the Caffewerks gasket and screen. With the portafilter off, the dispersion of the screen is clearly more even than the one that came on my machine...whether or not it makes better coffee, I can't tell. The gasket seems to actually make a difference in consistency in that it's a lot more forgiving than the rock hard gasket that I chipped out. I've got to assume that my dosing isn't terribly precise and I know that there are variations in my tamp pressure. Since moving to the new gasket, my shots don't seem to be as sensitive to dose variation or to how I clock the portafilter. Before, if I locked it in too hard, I'd get a shot that took forever to extract. In the past month, it has yet to happen even on the occasions that I knew I had put a bit too much coffee in the portafilter.

[Mark Kelly]

I find the greatest advantage of the IMS type screens is that they reduce the need for / increase the effectiveness of backflushing. A weekly flush with plain water keeps the crap at bay for a long time.

Installing one in my VBM made no measureable difference to my extraction efficiency, still hovering around 22% at a 2:1 water to coffee ratio.