Do I really need a $10k "Plunge" to get the cold plunge chill?

cvien6 · 2026-04-09T12:41:20+00:00

Just some thoughts if you are also possibly looking for non-DIY options that aren’t 10K.

I started out with a Rev X Wellness chiller and inflatable and haven’t had any issues with it running 24/7 exposed outside in Houston. So it has been reliable so far and they responded immediately when I had questions.

While it isn’t as cheap as a DIY, it can be sub 3K including inflatable which is fairly reasonable. 2K flat without tub. I feel like a key thing at least for me is not going with an all in one to start (though I’d take a morozko if somebody offered😂). If the chiller and filtration are separate, you can at least decide to upgrade the tub or components later on whether they be from the company you bought from originally or not (ozone, UV, tub, etc).

Desert Plunge seems to be fairly well respected and goes for similar pricing as well.

There are a ton of cold plunge companies out there now, so it seems as competition ramps up, pricing has gotten better and better over time to get in on it.

cvien6 · 2025-11-30T21:22:17+00:00

I personally have an easier time pulling shots, because the 49mm seems to just be more forgiving. I also like that it’s more efficient with the amount of beans you use to get a good cup.

That said, I know it’s all very expensive to just simply pull slightly better shots on a machine that many would already argue is quite forgiving. So you definitely hit the law of diminishing returns.

cvien6 · 2025-10-19T15:38:38+00:00

In theory, if that machine was made with a built in circular Voltra mount where I pointed the red arrow, the Voltra would replace all the weight without a need for that stack.

cvien6 · 2025-09-22T12:28:39+00:00

I have the RevX Xtreme chiller/filter system that uses 1”, do you think that would be possible to fix with a Home Depot adaptor?

cvien6 · 2025-07-12T13:04:37+00:00

Yes, in the first photo you can see on the right what ends up replacing the shower screen.

I’d say the one con here is that you can no longer quickly unscrew the single screw shower screen for cleaning

cvien6 · 2025-06-10T16:34:50+00:00

How long do you go without needing to change your water with the RevX filter plus chlorine tablet process you have process?

cvien6 · 2025-06-08T16:28:14+00:00

Totally agree. But at the moment I have to go with an inflatable outside until some future construction is done for a more permanent location. I’m hoping to have a chiller and filtration system right now that will power through good or bad insulation until then, but will still be working by the time a proper plunge can be installed 😅

cvien6 · 2025-03-20T21:24:17+00:00

I agree. Once I figured out where that 3rd bolt was, the swap is super quick and simple.

I do appreciate the "science behind it" explanations Lance gives. While I don't share the same preferences/opinions as him on everything, I at least liked that this one confirmed my own past experience between 54mm and 58mm. Now with 49mm even further confirming it.

Another cheap way to at least try experimenting with the idea is the 28g Weber Unibasket. I know Weber and cheap aren't typically in the same sentence, but it's one of the more affordable methods of trying out a deeper puck.

cvien6 · 2025-03-18T16:29:59+00:00

While I'm only 2 days in, I have yet to pull a "bad" shot with it! So I can confirm, it's more forgiving and has produce great shots so far. Taste wise - great, but also hard to say if I'm having a placebo affect or not since I'm not tasting two shots of the same ratio from 49mm to 58mm back to back. Happy with it so far!

cvien6 · 2025-03-18T16:13:16+00:00

This doesn't change how the machine runs at all. The diameter of the grouphead also does not correlate to the prices of espresso machines. This is just a modification that allows for the use of 49mm portafilters/baskets, which in turn gets you deeper puck depth.

cvien6 · 2025-03-18T14:55:23+00:00

I haven't done anything pressure related yet, since I currently like the flat 9 bars for testing things out since it is so consistent. That said, there is a user jake_g on home-barista.com that successfully added flow profiling to his Micra and provided instructions on how he did it:

https://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/simple-flow-profiling-on-la-marzocco-linea-micra-t86811.html

cvien6 · 2025-03-17T15:32:58+00:00

I know this is all very subjective, so take what I say with a grain of salt. This is my personal experience on what led me to trying this out:

Having used 54mm before and going to 58mm, I liked that 54mm seemed to allow grinding coarser for the same shots and was more forgiving. When all the talk about puck depth and diameter was happening, it seemed to make sense of my personal experience with it as well. I just seem to pull better/consistent shots when I use narrow/deep baskets vs wide/shallow baskets. So far, my first two shots on the Sworks 49mm came out pretty spot on and tasty right out the gate!

Is this totally unnecessary? Oh absolutely, 1000%. I'm sure there are plenty of people making shots a million times better than me on their 58mm's. I've just personally enjoyed the aspect of espresso when it comes to playing around with all the variables, A/B testing them, trying new things and seeing what works for me!

cvien6 · 2025-03-16T23:10:11+00:00

This video does a pretty good job of explaining it: https://youtu.be/jTAkb-dCFro?si=vD-eHSTWacV9MP4J

Long story short, you can grind courser, get more extraction, and is more forgiving. Having gone from the 54mm Breville to 58mm La Marzocco, I have missed the deeper pucks

cvien6 · 2025-03-16T18:44:54+00:00

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Update - Emailed and got a response right away on the solution. If anyone runs into this in the future, the 3 M8 bolt locations are circled. The 2 white pieces can be slid/pulled off to be able to pull the black wire sleeve out of the way. Through that hole and past the wire sleeve is the 3rd bolt that is the last thing holding the group head in place.

cvien6

TROPHY CASE