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Re:Yes fake Atomics - I was wrong - 2006/02/27 16:59Well - I was wrong. Sadly there are fakes, and yes shown on this site.
So apologies to the previous posters about my post claiming they were wrong. They are correct.
I just feel like I have had this discussion with ebayers multiple times re the Bou Trading thing. I have attached a photo of an original Bou trading Atomic with 2 typos (man this will get more confusing!) just to prove though that they do exist from the 60's.
The copiers have simple copied the spelling errors!!
But yes - this time the fakes are for real. I have seen the photos of the full fake Atomic. Sigh.
WORSE - is that once the repro people realise their mistakes, they will just pump out the correct name and correct spelling.
It costs far too much to stop anyone doing it legally across countries - and I know Bon Trading won't be doing it.
A sad day indeed.
James - an avid Atomic lover and collecter
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james
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Re: Original Bou Trading Atomic picture - 2006/02/27 17:11Source of the copy.
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James
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Re: original Bou Trading Atomic picture - 2006/02/27 17:233rd time lucky with the picture upload.
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James
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Re: Original Bou Trading Atomic picture - 2006/02/27 17:36Picture of an original Bou Trading - see the recess for the label - it must have been one of these from which the copies have been made.
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colin
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Re: Original Bou Trading Atomic picture - 2006/02/28 00:54Good on ya James -
take heart - it is not the end of the World.
Frederick has an Indian fake on order. We figure that these fakes are really counter-top only and completely unsafe for kitchen use.
They will be tested to death by the coffeecrew.
This, and putting our life and limb at risk, is what we do for you.
Colin (and Frederick)
ATTACHED PHOTO - Note the holes in the portafilter coffee holder - the holes look like they were done by hand!
Post edited by: colin, at: 2006/02/28 01:00Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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colin
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Re: Original Bou Trading Atomic picture - 2006/02/28 01:02Note the holes in the coffee portafilter - they look like they were drilled by hand!
Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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Frederick
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Re: Original Bou Trading Atomic picture - 2006/02/28 19:08Drilled by hand??? My Captain??? Drilled??
Punched with a rusty nail against a piece of wood....left in the dirt for some wild animal to chew on it perhaps. You will notice the random design, that in itself is not bad really, but the number of holes is clearly not sufficient. What is called the count number. The grind will have to be adjusted accordingly. Grind? Too fancy for this machine, the beans will go in a sock and hammered on for a few seconds. Should be perfect. I wonder what pressure has been calibrated for the safety valve and the consistency of the fiber washers at the frother end. Calibrated? I hope that the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) or UL (Underwriters Laboratory) standards have been strictly adhered to.
Too bad, really. The same heat that was used for casting could have been directed towards a good product. The price paid will hopefully feed a few kids for a couple of days. It is evident now, for the faithful readers that have followed our musings, that the ATOMIC cannot be reproduced cheaply. The owners of BON Trading are appaled, most of the Italian production have been going to Australia, they were the biggest distributors. Irene (Bless her heart) and I talked at long length about the situation. She has squirreled away some holders and jugs over the years, that presented blemishes. Under pressure she is now relinquishing them for sale. She will probably be ordering some freshly made top quality perfect reproduction jugs from Canada.
Post edited by: Frederick, at: 2006/03/01 01:14Frederick Nakos is the Global authority on the Atomic Espresso Coffee maker.
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John
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Re: Original Bou Trading Atomic picture - 2006/03/25 07:50But do they work? Will a cup of coffee come out of the Indian ripoff? How does it taste?
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Frederick
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Re: Original Bou Trading Atomic picture - 2006/03/26 03:18Hi there John. In answer to your question: Do they work? The answer is yes. They work. Exactly like my Geo Metro (Vanilla Latte) before I changed the spark plugs,wires, rotor and cap.
The little dear was running on two cylinders. Now it is ready for the Monte Carlo Rallye. Kidding aside, I put the fake through it's paces. This is an unbiased, totally objective report.
It is somewhat smaller than the Original ATOMIC. This because the molds were taken off a real one. Contraction plays here, three times in fact, therefore you have a thinner neck, from the outside, the boiler is also smaller by 5%. Yet it is heavier, I deduce that it is thicker. The coffee holder is more massive than the True ATOMIC, Unfortunately the handle fell off when I received it, 1/2 thread is not enough to secure it. the tap inside the projection is not well made, I think it is because no bottoming tap was used and the male thread was forced. Redid it, with loctite. It holds. The filter is also quite massive, twice as thick as any ATOMIC filter that I have ever seen. The holes are punched in or drilled with no sensible order, the size of the holes are in the vincinity of .028. that's okay, seems like it will do agood job, unfortunately the burrs left over from the punching process are left around each hole on the inside, giving the appearance of a cheese grater. Will this affect flow? Not sure, cleanliness is another story though. The rim of this filter has ridges, cut marks and is uneven, this may render the seal innefective. Only one filter basket is furnished, the big one. The frothing knob is quite tight with a slightly crooked shaft and it takes a two handed manoeuvre to operate, the wand pivots readily and, upon dismantling, I find no seals there, but the surfaces are quite flat. Maybe the manufacturer went the Bugatti route: no gaskets, and is relying on perfect machining....The biggest problem here is the distance between the frothing tip and the neck of this machine. I measure less than 1/2 of an inch, I know that this will be problematic for a perfect froth because you will be operating against the wall of whatever vessel that you are using. Looking down the filling hole I see voids and uneveness with some material aglomeration, no sand left inside though. The dispersement plate underneath the head is also manufactured with the same norm as the filter, it is held with brass screws. The main seal is black. I have boiled water in this machine three times already and the seal keeps a deep indentation, I have not shelved it with the group secured on. The black knob has the safety valve and it shows signs of rust. Okay coffee. I fill it with water exactly like any of my ATOMICS, grind my usual coffee, put it in the filter....go see my film....and put it on the electric stove. While it is heating I'll tell you about the jug. Nicely polished on the outside, from far it looks good. Exactly as if you sanded a piece of wood starting with 80 grit and jumped to 120. If you polish the manufacturing marks, that is exactly what you are going to get: polished defects. The spout is not symetrical, imagine smiling with a rictus, the inside has been well taken care of with a nice solid wirebrushing! On aluminum.....Overall the jug is oval in shape, no doubt this has been caused by the spouting process. No doubt I say. I know! The handle is also smaller than the Original handle, this also is due to mold making stategy, making a female from an existing male is bound to cause contraction. Three big injection points are clearly visible. Some sharp flashing at the junction of both halves had to be chiseled away. I don't like cutting myself on handles. Okay its hot... the black knob is letting a steady run of drops seep out, it was tightened more than when I did the dry runs (no coffee) because I anticipated more pressure. Before I know it , the boiling flow stops and it seems that the coffee is ready, yet the jug is only a little more than 1/2 full. Lets foam....the added pressure has done it's trick and it is very difficult to operate the red knob.....two hands....I have to tilt severely my mug to get any action in the milk...quick another mug...(go see my film, click on downloads..) woops, no more steam... The coffee in the jug is at 180 F degrees, a real ATOMIC yields the brew at 191. I have enough for two mugs, not my usual three. When I open up this machine, I pour out more than 1/3 of the water that I have put in it. This could only mean one thing, the inner tube is not placed properly and does not go to the bottom of the boiler. The resulting brew is quite strong because I didn't get all the water for the quantity of grinds. What is needed is a smaller filter or a proper length inner tube. As the time that water passes through the grinds is of importance, putting less coffee in the filter basket is not a solution. So in a nutshell John, yes it makes coffee. Handshake.Frederick Nakos is the Global authority on the Atomic Espresso Coffee maker.
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dave
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Re: Bou Trading Atomic in action - 2006/03/26 04:18Thanks muchly for the play-by-play, Frederick.
Will you try running it through with slightly coarser coffee, to see if you can get more volume to expatriate?
Hopefully I will one day see you bustle through this process, from across the table and with a real Atomic. I promise: no espresso cracks.
DaveDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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